Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: empyre, marauders, marvel, x-force, x-men, X-ual Healing - The Weekly X-Men Recap Column

Gremlins Attack Krakoa and It's All Beast's Fault – X-Force #11 [XH]

Published Mon, 17 Aug 2020 17:30:56 -0500

by Jude Terror

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We've got three X-Men books that hit stores last week to recap here in X-ual Healing, North Korea's favorite weekly X-Men recap column (go ahead, prove me wrong). Last week saw the release of X-Men: Empyre #3, Marauders #11, and X-Force #11. And I'm gonna tell you all about everything that happened in them. If you were interested in my thoughts on the big DC Comics news last week, scroll down to the bottom and click on the first part of this column, the recap of X-Men: Empyre #3, where I have some things to say about it. Otherwise, read on for a recap of X-Force #11.

Sworn to sell comics for Marvel executives who feared and hated the fact that Fox owned their movie rights, The Uncanny X-Men suffered great indignities. Still, thanks to a corporate merger, a line-wide relaunch, and Jonathan Hickman's giant ego, the X-Men can finally get back to doing what they do best: being objectively the best franchise in all of comics.

X-FORCE #11
MAR200917
(W) Ben Percy (A) Oscar Bazaldua (CA) Dustin Weaver
RED DAWN!
After taking on the Flower Cartel, Logan has brought back valuable intel to the mutant CIA. The non-treaty nation of Russia is working to undermine Krakoa – and may be aligned with Xeno. Beast wants Colossus on their side as the first drumbeats of war begin to sound.
Parental Advisory
In Shops: Aug 12, 2020
SRP: $3.99

X-Force #11 Recap

Beast, Sage, and Dr. Cecelia Reyes are examining the bodies of deceased Russian soldiers in the Healing Gardens when a smaller assassin bursts out of the body of one of them and kills Reyes. More little killers burst out of the other bodies. Beast kills it and dubs them Russian nesting dolls. Another one bursts out, and they give chase, leaving the rest of the bodies alone in the room, where at least five more breaks free, unattended—typical Beast.

Domino goes to talk to Colossus on a mutant medicine farm he's tending. She wants him to join X-Force's Russian operation. Colossus doesn't want to fight anymore, though. He just wants to farm. A purple mutant shows up with a picnic basket, and when Domino asks who she is, she says she's "Theone bringing Piotr what he needs." Domino is totally jealous.

A prose page is the first chapter of a book by an unknown author who is getting drunk in their basement when someone who looks like a bear visits them. I have no idea what that's about, but it says "to be continued," so I guess we'll find out later.

Meanwhile, Beast is still hinting down the little creature. Sage has been killed. The creature has taken over Sage's computer. On the farm, Colossus sees a bunch of Multiple Men running toward a gate. He knows he's needed, so despite the protestations of his purple girlfriend, he heads through the gate as well. There, he finds a Krakoan plant-based golem rampaging with a bunch of X-Men fighting it. This is apparently being controlled by the creature at Sage's command center. Beast thinks it's a distraction.

Professor Xavier is ushered into a bunker. One of the creaturs steals the sword Magneto fashioned from the ruined Cerebro helmet Xavier was wearing when he was assassinated at the start of the series. Chapter two of the book shows the bear-like person taking away all of the writer's wine, causing the writer to despair and leaving them no choice but to join him. It ends with that Russian word we've been seeing that means "Chronicler."

With Colossus's help, X-Force kills the remaining nesting doll creatures. Colossus immediately heads back to his farm. In a grotto somewhere on Krakoa, Quentin Quire has a secret tryst with Phoebe Cuckoo. She leaves, and the creature with the Cerebro sword stabs him in the back and pushes him through a gate into Moscow. There, Mikhail Rasputin is waiting. He takes the sword.

Fun issue—cool reveal at the end—really stupid behavior by the leadership of X-Force. Beast and Sage watch two of these creatures pop out of dead bodies, and they just leave to chase one down? It never occurred to them that the rest of the dead bodies would also have more creatures? How bad are Krakoa's defenses that it's constantly getting invaded? The assassins in the first issue of X-Force, the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four vs. X-Men, and now this. But rather than bad writing, I think this is more of a demonstration of how arrogant the mutant leadership has become, and it's all going to come back to bite them soon, presumably in X of Swords.