Does it feel like Krakoa is getting attacked all the time? To me it feels like Krakoa is getting attacked an awful lot. In X-Force #18 we have another attack on the living island, but this time it’s from a paranormal being. Members of the team, and only the members of X-Force are seeing gruesome images of some sort of gross image of their friends. Who could possibly stop this you ask? Quentin Quire of course.
Benjamin Percy has been building up Quentin Quire on a road to redemption. Quire has been a bad guy or misguided youth since he was introduced in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run. Last issue Percy showed us Quire trying to be a better person, this issue we actually see him commit to taking the steps to that journey. While many on the island have seen visions or been attacked, Black Tom, Beast, Sage and Jean, to name a few, it seems odd that all the characters are members or former members of X-Force. Beast seems to get it the worst, which is good because he’s a piece of trash. Percy seems to have these visions attack people when they are at their most vulnerable. Sage sees it when she’s drunk, Jean sees it as she’s relaxed and about to go to bed. Percy raises questions with why these characters are the ones being picked on, but we ultimately don’t get any answers for that this issue. Quentin Quire is the star of the issue, and this is his time to shine. Percy shows us a sympathetic side of Quire, you can chalk that up to Phoebe a little, but we’re finally seeing a character that wants to truly help people. We’re left with a cliff hanger that should lead to an interesting finale too.
The pencils this issue are handled by Garry Brown with colors by GURU-eFX. Brown does a very good job of filling in for Joshua Cassara this issue. Their style’s seem to be similar, and keeping the same colorist is a big help too. Brown shines in panels where he’s allowed to show creepy visions of our favorite mutants. A panel where Jean looks like some of her face has been clawed off looks eerie, but it’s also a great image. The colors by GURU-eFX look amazing as always. The pink from Quire’s outfit is as vibrant and eye catching as ever. There is a really great panel near the end of the issue where quire is laying on Phoebe’s lap and there is a gorgeously colored orange sky in the background. The pencils and colors work really well for this issue and help propel it forward.
X-Force #18 is a fine book, but it’s nothing game changing for the series. Benjamin Percy has been pretty solid as a writer on this title, so there is no reason to think his good work won’t continue. The pencils and colors rock the issue. In a slow comics week, X-Force #18 is one of the better titles that came out.
Review
X-Force #18 is a fine book, but it's nothing game changing for the series.
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