"What's your favorite tv show?"
"Who's your favorite band?"
"Top three albums: go!"
"Best movie of all time?"
All of the above are questions that I love to ask, but for some reason I always feel like I really have to defend my answers because my second and third choices are much "hipper" than my top one. I'm not saying my favorites are guilty pleasures, by no means. I'm just saying that, for some reason, the bits of pop culture that I champion and raise above all others as True and Good have to be explained. Over and over again. Yes, Oasis is my favorite band. Yes, there are two Strokes albums in my top three. The best movie is The Empire Strikes Back and no, I don't love sci-fi that much and no, I have not seen The Godfather. Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Friends. Yes, they're both my number one.
Comics, the media source right under TV and right above music in my list of faves, is no exception. I love Marvel in comic communities that seem to be absolutely for the Distinguished Competition. I love the X-Men most of all, which is like saying your favorite band is The Beatles (in the way that they're both extremely popular and give no indication of your taste; both Spawn and Astro City fans can like X-Men, as can both Nickelback and Rufus Wainwright fans like the Beatles). But above all else, I have a special place in my heart for one corner of the x-world.
X-Force.
As characters and a concept, X-Force's true roots go all the way back to the first issue of Uncanny X-Men back in 1963. Back then, being a teenager was analogous to being a mutant and this was supposedly a main theme of the series. By the early 80s, however, the merry mutants of the X-Men were all far from being considered teenagers. To remedy this, a new batch of teenage mutants was created. Hello New Mutants, the title that would turn into X-Force in 1991. The two series share characters (Cannonball, Sunspot, Dani Moonstar, Rictor, Meltdown, Cable) and the majority of X-Force made their first appearance in New Mutants (Warpath, Copycat, Shatterstar and Feral).
What differentiated the two titles was tone; New Mutants was very coming of age while X-Force concentrated heavily on early 90s stock ideas like time travel, big guns, big boobs, and shoulder pads. A closer look at X-Force, one with hindsight and the overall scope of both series taken into account, reveals that the series was always about this young generation of mutants dealing with the anxieties of becoming adults. This is a very logical continuation of the theme established in New Mutants and the change in tone and art supports my theory. The harsh stereotypes of early 90s comics and comic art lend themselves very well to the harsh reality of growing up.
My main argument for X-Force is that no other x-book published in the 90s was as consistent. Generation X (1994-2001) went to crap in 1998, X-Factor (1986-1998) in 1995, and Excalibur (1988-1998) in 1997, thanks to Larry Hama, Howard Mackie and Ben Raab, respectively. X-Force got off to a slam-bang good time with Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza (who managed to overshadow the abyss of suck that is Liefeld). This creative team only lasted the book's first year (1991-1992) but it set a solid foundation for the rest of Nicieza's writing tenure. Yeah, the first year was heavy on boobs and guns, but it also saw Cannonball become an effective leader, Warpath and Siryn grow personalities, and gave hints that Cable was more than just a T2 rip-off.
As far as creative shifts go, none was better for the book than the change in artist after Liefeld's departure. Greg Capullo's collaboration with Nicieza was short (1992-1993) but definitive. This is where X-Force finally felt like its own book. This brief creative utopia started off with the return of Sunspot to the team (his friendship with Cannonball being one of Nicieza's strong themes) and followed by The X-Cutioner's Song. As crossovers go, X-Cutioner's Song was the best of the decade (only the Age of Apocalypse comes close, and close it does come) and it served as a State of the Union address for all the x-books, particularly where X-Force was concerned. These young adults, striking out on their own and taking steps the parents didn't agree with, were punished and grounded. It's a part of the larger story that isn't dealt with much, but as far as mission statements and playing with the title's central theme, it's spectacular. X-Force #19 is the best of the series; it features Cannonball standing up to Professor X. After that, Nicieza did the impossible by killing off Cable and forcing the team to fend for themselves. They manage nicely and, for the first time, Cannonball comes across as a great field commander.
Tony Daniel replaced Capullo and, while a good stretch (1993-1995) of stories, nothing definitive really happens as far as the main theme of the series. These issues, when focused on the team as a whole, come across like junior X-Men stories. However, Nicieza did focus on developing his characters during this time. A good chunk of the cast get issues dedicated to them: Shatterstar (#30), Siryn (#31), Rictor (#34), Cannonball (#37), Prosh (#39), and Feral (#40-41). These are all, with the exception of Shatterstar's issue, strong stories. The Feral story in particular is one of the best ever done in X-Force. The book didn't fare so well with crossovers this time; the Phalanx Covenant did nothing for this book and was pretty boring.
After the four month hiatus of Age of Apocalypse, a new creative team took over: Jeph Loeb and Adam Pollina (1995-1996). Jeph Loeb put the team back in the X-Mansion which didn't turn the team into Junior X-Men like under Nicieza/Daniel. Instead, by allowing the team such close contact with the X-Men, Loeb was able to contrast the two teams. Loeb did this by promoting Cannonball to the X-Men (nothing like showing class structure by having someone graduate out of your team), having Boomer get manipulated by Sabretooth (a disaster, to Psylocke at least), and having various X-Men interact and belittle the team throughout the run. Loeb gave special care to Boomer who went from being a wise-cracking valley girl to Meltdown, a punky firecracker. As strong as this tone change was, it didn't stop some Junior X-Men stories, the fiftieth issue in particular. It's strong, but what does fighting Sebastian Shaw and Holocaust have to do with this series? No matter, because Junior X-Men stories still looked distinctively X-Force thanks to Pollina's edgy, quirky, fresh, young, abstract, fashionista-esque pencils. This is the way X-Force should have always looked and should always look. Another highlight of this era is #54, where X-Force is interrogated by the police. Something about donut-munching cops trying to crack Domino will always crack me up.
Such a strong start fell apart when Pollina went on hiatus for the last half of 1996. Without his striking images, Loeb's Onslaught story was downright awful and his origin of Shatterstar is, without a doubt, the worst thing the book ever produced. 1997 started with a new writer, John Francis Moore, and no regular penciler. Moore's first stories on the book were bland and uneventful. Until Pollina returned.
Pollina's second run on the book, this time coupled with Moore, is X-Force at its best. For real. During their 14 issues (from 1997-1998), they cut the team down to 5 members, put them on the road, and ditched their purple and gold uniforms. These were five young adults going to the Burning Man festival, wearing vintage t-shirts, fighting mobsters and demons, all while growing as characters. Sunspot finally got some when he hooked up with Meltdown, the two of them proving to be an interesting and drama-filled couple. Dani Moonstar was back on a team after 7.5 years. Warpath got over all his rage issues. Siryn revealed her love of disco. The team met up with old classmate Karma who was revealed as gay (slyly, of course). This is why X-Force was the greatest X-Title of the 90s: 80 issues in at this pont and more relevant than ever.
Jim Cheung replaced Pollina as the title's artist and he and Moore did some okay Junior X-Men stories with the team (from 1998-2000). They settled in San Francisco and fought, what appeared to be, ideas Moore had for other series that he wasn't sure he could ever get to. The Deviants and Armageddon Man were okay ideas, but do they really belong in X-Force? Still, the characters are strong, behaving like themselves, growing, and this run features the second best issue of the entire series: #91, "Fallout." The story of Siryn coping with the loss of her voice is poignant and touches on everything that makes her character special, including alcoholism.
And that's it. There were 97 issues of X-Force published in the 1990s and they were consistent, strong, and enjoyable. I like to think that the series ends with #100, a nice round number that leaves the team on top of their game as characters and as a series. But that's not what really happened.
From May 2000 to June 2001, the book was written by and later edited by Warren Ellis. These stories (by Ellis, Ian Edginton, and Whilce Portacio) take the inital idea, 'terrorists' for Xavier's cause, to an extreme level and prove to be the first direction of the book that is flat-out not good. After Ellis lessened his involvement and Portacio got his horrible art away from the book (replaced by Jorge Lucas), the series got somewhat back on track. Still, the damage was done and with #115, X-Force came to a close.
And that's where it ends. We're acting like there is no #116 since, duh, it's really X-Statix #-13.
"Who's your favorite band?"
"Top three albums: go!"
"Best movie of all time?"
All of the above are questions that I love to ask, but for some reason I always feel like I really have to defend my answers because my second and third choices are much "hipper" than my top one. I'm not saying my favorites are guilty pleasures, by no means. I'm just saying that, for some reason, the bits of pop culture that I champion and raise above all others as True and Good have to be explained. Over and over again. Yes, Oasis is my favorite band. Yes, there are two Strokes albums in my top three. The best movie is The Empire Strikes Back and no, I don't love sci-fi that much and no, I have not seen The Godfather. Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Friends. Yes, they're both my number one.
Comics, the media source right under TV and right above music in my list of faves, is no exception. I love Marvel in comic communities that seem to be absolutely for the Distinguished Competition. I love the X-Men most of all, which is like saying your favorite band is The Beatles (in the way that they're both extremely popular and give no indication of your taste; both Spawn and Astro City fans can like X-Men, as can both Nickelback and Rufus Wainwright fans like the Beatles). But above all else, I have a special place in my heart for one corner of the x-world.
X-Force.
As characters and a concept, X-Force's true roots go all the way back to the first issue of Uncanny X-Men back in 1963. Back then, being a teenager was analogous to being a mutant and this was supposedly a main theme of the series. By the early 80s, however, the merry mutants of the X-Men were all far from being considered teenagers. To remedy this, a new batch of teenage mutants was created. Hello New Mutants, the title that would turn into X-Force in 1991. The two series share characters (Cannonball, Sunspot, Dani Moonstar, Rictor, Meltdown, Cable) and the majority of X-Force made their first appearance in New Mutants (Warpath, Copycat, Shatterstar and Feral).
What differentiated the two titles was tone; New Mutants was very coming of age while X-Force concentrated heavily on early 90s stock ideas like time travel, big guns, big boobs, and shoulder pads. A closer look at X-Force, one with hindsight and the overall scope of both series taken into account, reveals that the series was always about this young generation of mutants dealing with the anxieties of becoming adults. This is a very logical continuation of the theme established in New Mutants and the change in tone and art supports my theory. The harsh stereotypes of early 90s comics and comic art lend themselves very well to the harsh reality of growing up.
My main argument for X-Force is that no other x-book published in the 90s was as consistent. Generation X (1994-2001) went to crap in 1998, X-Factor (1986-1998) in 1995, and Excalibur (1988-1998) in 1997, thanks to Larry Hama, Howard Mackie and Ben Raab, respectively. X-Force got off to a slam-bang good time with Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza (who managed to overshadow the abyss of suck that is Liefeld). This creative team only lasted the book's first year (1991-1992) but it set a solid foundation for the rest of Nicieza's writing tenure. Yeah, the first year was heavy on boobs and guns, but it also saw Cannonball become an effective leader, Warpath and Siryn grow personalities, and gave hints that Cable was more than just a T2 rip-off.
As far as creative shifts go, none was better for the book than the change in artist after Liefeld's departure. Greg Capullo's collaboration with Nicieza was short (1992-1993) but definitive. This is where X-Force finally felt like its own book. This brief creative utopia started off with the return of Sunspot to the team (his friendship with Cannonball being one of Nicieza's strong themes) and followed by The X-Cutioner's Song. As crossovers go, X-Cutioner's Song was the best of the decade (only the Age of Apocalypse comes close, and close it does come) and it served as a State of the Union address for all the x-books, particularly where X-Force was concerned. These young adults, striking out on their own and taking steps the parents didn't agree with, were punished and grounded. It's a part of the larger story that isn't dealt with much, but as far as mission statements and playing with the title's central theme, it's spectacular. X-Force #19 is the best of the series; it features Cannonball standing up to Professor X. After that, Nicieza did the impossible by killing off Cable and forcing the team to fend for themselves. They manage nicely and, for the first time, Cannonball comes across as a great field commander.
Tony Daniel replaced Capullo and, while a good stretch (1993-1995) of stories, nothing definitive really happens as far as the main theme of the series. These issues, when focused on the team as a whole, come across like junior X-Men stories. However, Nicieza did focus on developing his characters during this time. A good chunk of the cast get issues dedicated to them: Shatterstar (#30), Siryn (#31), Rictor (#34), Cannonball (#37), Prosh (#39), and Feral (#40-41). These are all, with the exception of Shatterstar's issue, strong stories. The Feral story in particular is one of the best ever done in X-Force. The book didn't fare so well with crossovers this time; the Phalanx Covenant did nothing for this book and was pretty boring.
After the four month hiatus of Age of Apocalypse, a new creative team took over: Jeph Loeb and Adam Pollina (1995-1996). Jeph Loeb put the team back in the X-Mansion which didn't turn the team into Junior X-Men like under Nicieza/Daniel. Instead, by allowing the team such close contact with the X-Men, Loeb was able to contrast the two teams. Loeb did this by promoting Cannonball to the X-Men (nothing like showing class structure by having someone graduate out of your team), having Boomer get manipulated by Sabretooth (a disaster, to Psylocke at least), and having various X-Men interact and belittle the team throughout the run. Loeb gave special care to Boomer who went from being a wise-cracking valley girl to Meltdown, a punky firecracker. As strong as this tone change was, it didn't stop some Junior X-Men stories, the fiftieth issue in particular. It's strong, but what does fighting Sebastian Shaw and Holocaust have to do with this series? No matter, because Junior X-Men stories still looked distinctively X-Force thanks to Pollina's edgy, quirky, fresh, young, abstract, fashionista-esque pencils. This is the way X-Force should have always looked and should always look. Another highlight of this era is #54, where X-Force is interrogated by the police. Something about donut-munching cops trying to crack Domino will always crack me up.Such a strong start fell apart when Pollina went on hiatus for the last half of 1996. Without his striking images, Loeb's Onslaught story was downright awful and his origin of Shatterstar is, without a doubt, the worst thing the book ever produced. 1997 started with a new writer, John Francis Moore, and no regular penciler. Moore's first stories on the book were bland and uneventful. Until Pollina returned.
Pollina's second run on the book, this time coupled with Moore, is X-Force at its best. For real. During their 14 issues (from 1997-1998), they cut the team down to 5 members, put them on the road, and ditched their purple and gold uniforms. These were five young adults going to the Burning Man festival, wearing vintage t-shirts, fighting mobsters and demons, all while growing as characters. Sunspot finally got some when he hooked up with Meltdown, the two of them proving to be an interesting and drama-filled couple. Dani Moonstar was back on a team after 7.5 years. Warpath got over all his rage issues. Siryn revealed her love of disco. The team met up with old classmate Karma who was revealed as gay (slyly, of course). This is why X-Force was the greatest X-Title of the 90s: 80 issues in at this pont and more relevant than ever.
Jim Cheung replaced Pollina as the title's artist and he and Moore did some okay Junior X-Men stories with the team (from 1998-2000). They settled in San Francisco and fought, what appeared to be, ideas Moore had for other series that he wasn't sure he could ever get to. The Deviants and Armageddon Man were okay ideas, but do they really belong in X-Force? Still, the characters are strong, behaving like themselves, growing, and this run features the second best issue of the entire series: #91, "Fallout." The story of Siryn coping with the loss of her voice is poignant and touches on everything that makes her character special, including alcoholism.And that's it. There were 97 issues of X-Force published in the 1990s and they were consistent, strong, and enjoyable. I like to think that the series ends with #100, a nice round number that leaves the team on top of their game as characters and as a series. But that's not what really happened.
From May 2000 to June 2001, the book was written by and later edited by Warren Ellis. These stories (by Ellis, Ian Edginton, and Whilce Portacio) take the inital idea, 'terrorists' for Xavier's cause, to an extreme level and prove to be the first direction of the book that is flat-out not good. After Ellis lessened his involvement and Portacio got his horrible art away from the book (replaced by Jorge Lucas), the series got somewhat back on track. Still, the damage was done and with #115, X-Force came to a close.And that's where it ends. We're acting like there is no #116 since, duh, it's really X-Statix #-13.
2 comments:
First of all, I knew you had taste, what with Buffy and Friends.
Secondly, I started off with X-Force but there were two things about it I patently refused to enjoy: the presence of Cable and Rob Liefeld's art (which was hysterically parodied in a comic called Doom Force over at the Distinguished Competition).
but I did love this breakdown.
That's what most people say, but honestly, Liefeld only drew the first 8ish issues and Cable was only a strong presence for maybe 40 issues or so throughout; he was never really the star of the book. Plus, Cable has since become a great character, a far cry from Big Guns Man.
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