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| X-23 |
By Marc Strom
X-Force has seen better days.
After Cyclops whisked the team away to the future, they returned just in time to save Tabitha Smith from the Leper Queen, but now face HAMMER agents determined to bring in X-23. Now, with X-FORCE #18 on August 26, co-writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost and artists Mike Choi and Sonia Oback ratchet up the heat even more.
As for why HAMMER has such an active interest in X-23, the result of an attempt to clone Wolverine, Yost explains that this mission has its roots in the organization it replaced.
"It's a holdover from the S.H.I.E.L.D. days," confirms Yost. "In X-23: TARGET X, we saw that Nick Fury himself put Captain America on the job of bringing in X-23. But he let her go, so theoretically S.H.I.E.L.D. was still after her. Agent Ali Morales was the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that responded to the first Purifier massacre committed by X-Force. She connected the two, and has been after X-23 ever since. Mid-mission, she got a lead from an agent named Young from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cold case division, Division C. S.H.I.E.L.D./HAMMER wants X-23 because she's an assassin and mass murderer. Nick Fury wanted to use her as a weapon; who knows what Norman Osborne would do with her."
While Kyle and Yost have delved into the past of X-23, a.k.a. Laura Kinney, in previous series, this story will have a more forward-looking arc.
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| X-FORCE #18 cover by Mike Choi & Sonia Oback |
Despite Cyclops' decision to teleport the team away mid-mission, Yost believes the X-Men's leader can still control the X-Force team.
"Cyclops made a horrible decision, but it had to be made," weighs writer. "He'll take some heat for it, but I think Wolverine knows the bind he was in. Cyclops was weighing three mutant lives over the hope of the entire mutant species. But Wolverine was the one looking the kids in the eyes when they got pulled away."
Given everything that X-Force has had to deal with in recent months, most other teams might have fallen apart by now; but according to Yost, those very challenges have also helped forge some very tough links between the team members.
"Desperation," says Yost, listing the things that keep the team together. "A common bond-they've all committed mass murder at this point. Where else can they go? And the threats are still out there: Bastion, Eli Bard, Selene, humans like Cameron Hodge. There's still work to do. And by work, I mean 'killing.'"
Throughout their run, Kyle and Yost have laid out a number of sub-plots, many of which will soon reach crucial turning points.
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| X-FORCE #19 cover by Mike Choi & Sonia Oback |
Following the current story arc, Kyle and Yost begin "Necrosha", the story of the Selene's ultimate vengeance on mutantkind. While tight-lipped on details, Yost could promise that "Necrosha," beginning in October, is "the biggest story we've ever done in X-FORCE. Just in time for Halloween!"
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please bring back forge and kitty in the upcoming arc
I tend to feel the same about the comments onto 'Necrosha' that have been made in various forums. I expected better from Marvel than two DC ripp-offs ( of 'Batman RIP' and 'Blackest night' ) , it feel strange to see editors restain informations about up-coming unexpectable events just to see...barely the same ressorts than the concurrent....barely at the same time: meanwhile Batman is stucked ...
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I tend to feel the same about the comments onto 'Necrosha' that have been made in various forums. I expected better from Marvel than two DC ripp-offs ( of 'Batman RIP' and 'Blackest night' ) , it feel strange to see editors restain informations about up-coming unexpectable events just to see...barely the same ressorts than the concurrent....barely at the same time: meanwhile Batman is stucked in time and the DC Universe his facing his deads, I waited what Marvel had to propose.So all of this to say : stop the professionnal-rock star attitude self-proclaimed, stop being deferent with the fans who 'd like to become authors. They all provide wonderful ideas, and take nothing from that.Other versions of already told stories are at best caricature, I didn't say it wasn't creative, I just said you have nothing to offer beyond.Another example : X-Force and Cable are wonderful titles, but they came for events, they're part of a whole set-up of events, and this is a perfect jump for being a title. If you think readers are not aware about that you're wrong. The only title who take the risk to really tell stories, making his own cast organic and dealing with that, daring taking new directions is X-Factor by Peter David. There aren't so many.
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I'm a big fan of what they have done so far with X-Force but I hope that this Necrosha story line is not an attempt to semi-copy DC's Darkest Night. With this story arc coming out around October we should expect them to be zombies of some sort. The title alone makes it sound as if Selene is going to go to Genosha and resurrect all the dead mutants there and use them as an undead army that the ...
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I'm a big fan of what they have done so far with X-Force but I hope that this Necrosha story line is not an attempt to semi-copy DC's Darkest Night. With this story arc coming out around October we should expect them to be zombies of some sort. The title alone makes it sound as if Selene is going to go to Genosha and resurrect all the dead mutants there and use them as an undead army that the X-Force will undoubtedly have to cut their way through, untill they find a cleaver way of getting rid of them of course. Doesn't really matter because I'll Read it anyway!
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Yeah, Im loving the artists on this one too!Can't wait for this arc and most definitely the Necrosha crossover with the New Mutants and Rogue! :x23:
[i:0bd59f2b50]love[/i:0bd59f2b50] the artists on this book! =D