X-Lapsed, Episode 105 – X-Force #12 (2020)
X-Lapsed, Episode One Hundred and Five
X-Force (vol.6) #12 (November, 2020)
“The Cerebro Sword”
Writer – Benjamin Percy
Art – Bazaldua
Colors – GURU-eFX
Letters – VC’s Joe Caramagna
Design – Tom Muller
Head of X – Hickman
Edits – Robinson, Amaro, White, Basso, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: September 9, 2020
We’re still on the Path to #EcksofTens – and our man Hank McCoy is engaging in some mutant profiling to aid in tracking down the Cerebro Sword. It’s a sticky read… made even stickier when you notice all the details.
Plus – Our usual X-Cellent Mailbag segment!
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@acecomics / @cosmictmill / 90sxmen@gmail.com
No no no no no no no no no no!
I do not believe this issue of X-Force. It's the classic error of putting plot ahead of character. There is no way that Storm would stand by and let Collosus be led in chains. The fact that the story tells us that Hank had gathered people together to watch doesn't work. Kitty, Storm, Kurt and Jean would all have used their position on the Quiet Council to stop this. They treated Sabretooth with more respect. It's literally unbelievable. Percy is so wedded to his CIA analogy that he throws character out of the window.
Are we really meant to believe that Domino would arrest Peter? What part of her history makes her a "following orders" kind of character. It was only a few issues ago that she went on an unauthorised mission with Peter. Does Percy not remember writing that? I can't believe this is the same character and all our theories about changing characters can't excuse this. It's simply bad writing.
As you mentioned there are other problems. There are a number of characters who run away from Wolverine who would not do that. Again I come back to Storm who refused to back down from Wolverine WHEN SHE HAD NO POWERS.
Then there is the farm stuff. How old is the girl with the water powers meant to be? She looks adolescent but in the bad romance novel text page it's implied that Collosus is interested in her sexually. Whatever is intended we end up with something intensely creepy.
And what is Mikhail's motivation? He seems to be working with Xeno because he is evil and he seems to be evil because he is Russian. On that note were we meant to know that Xeno were Russian? I thought they were specifically described as international. Have I had a brain injury or is this nonsense?
The final straw is the last page which is meant to be happening during Ecchs of Tens. Put a pin in this and when you've finished reading the crossover please tell me when Jean was available to do this. She seems quite busy throughout.
This issue of X-Force is why I get headaches. All I can do is be grateful that some of the Ecchs of Tens issues of X-Force are co-written by Gerry Duggan. So there are positives in the future.
Anyway I'm off to have a good old scream. Until I start the Benjamin Percy fan club- Make Mine X-Lapsed!