X-Lapsed, Episode 127 – X-Force #14 (2021)
X-Lapsed, Episode One Hundred Twenty-Seven
X-Force (vol.6) #14 (January, 2021)
“X of Swords, Chapter 17”
Writers – Benjamin Percy & Gerry Duggan
Art – Joshua Cassara
Colors – GURU-eFX
Letters – VC’s Joe Caramagna
Design – Tom Muller
Head of X – Hickman
Edits – Amaro, Basso, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: November 18, 2020
We’re getting closer and closer to the end of #EcksofTens… and hardly a battle has occurred! You know what that means? It’s time to rapid-fire a Contest of Champions Montage… cue “You’re the Best, Around” from The Karate Kid… and get ready!
We’ve got:
- Magik vs. Pogg Ur-Pogg (the rematch)
- A Torture Competition: Captain Avalon, Kid Cable, & Gorgon vs. War
- A Sisyphus Challenge: Magik vs. Isca the Unbeaten, Pogg Ur-Pogg, & Death
- Undersea Action: Gorgon vs. Isca the Unbeaten & The White Sword
- Eating Contest: Cypher, Captain Avalon & Kid Cable vs. Redroot the Forest
- Dance Contest: Cypher & Wolverine vs. Bei the Blood Moon & War
- A Maze: Captain Avalon & Storm vs. Pogg Ur-Pogg & Redroot the Forest
- A jigsaw puzzle… Gorgon & Magik
- A Fashion Show: Wolverine & Storm vs. Redroot the Forest & War
- A Tracking Challenge: Kid Cable & Magik vs. Isca the Unbeaten
- A Footrace: Captain Avalon vs. Redroot the Forest
- A Spelling Bee: Magik vs. Some Arrakis
- Staring Contest: Wolverine vs. The White Sword
- Rock-Humping? Gorgon
- Kill a Kitten Contest: Captain Avalon vs. War
Then, in an actual swordfight…
- Storm vs. Death
Suffice it to say, we’ve got bunches to talk about… also, some x-cellent mailbag!
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@acecomics / @cosmictmill / weirdcomicshistory@gmail.com
I'm going to cover the Wolverine/X-Force 2 parter as a singular entity because it really is. I'll start by singing the praises of Joshua Cassara. I've been impressed with his work throughout his run on X-Force but often he's been drawing stuff that I don't enjoy like extreme body horror. The sheer variety of locations and characters he has to draw over these two issues is incredible and he delivers it all with aplomb. His various Otherworldly realms feel lived in.
The various contests of champions are really fun over these two issues. Obviously Saturnyne is messing with everyone but it's difficult to know why. There is no doubt that things are being set up so that the Krakoans lose but don't die. I like the parallels between the 2 issues like Illyana and Pogg-Ur-Pogg facing off twice and the drinking contest playing into the later battles (particularly Storm vs Death).
The montage of the various challenges really amused me. It was a clever idea as many of them would have been annoying at greater length. This was another scene where Cassara excelled. His work is so expressive that he is telling entire stories in those single panels. Wolverine refusing to take part in the dance off is totally my energy.
As I'm sure you can guess my favourite elements of these issues revolve around Storm. She is my favourite X-Man and gets some great scenes. It's nice to see a callback to the Storm/Wolverine romance in the drinking competition and then the return to the dance with Death in Blightswill. It is a continual element of this story that the Arrakoids underestimate the Krakoans and this is really on show in the final battle. It is great to see that Duggan has remembered that Storm is as formidable powerless as when she is powered. There is a strong parallel with the first meeting between the X-Men and the Morlocks when Callisto was surprised by Storm's ruthlessness. Even though the Krakoans are way behind in the scoring I imagine this was the point when the Arrakovians worried they might lose.
I'll just end by saying that these two issues were great but had the worst set of info pages in the entire HOXPOXDOXROX era. Someone really needs to stage an intervention on Benjamin Percy.
Anyway until any Briton won't fight to the death to protect a kitten, Make Mine X-Lapsed!