X-Force #2 (1991)

X-Force #2 (September, 1991)
"The Blood Hunters"
Plot & Pictures - Rob Liefeld
Script - Fabian Nicieza
Letters - Chris Eliopoulos
Colors - Brad Vancata
Editor - Bob Harras
Chief - Tom DeFalco

In my time as a comics fan and collector, I've seen many books fluctuate in value... go from "wall books" to "quarter-bin books"... and vice versa.  I don't believe, however, I've seen one as... I dunno, value-bi-polar as this issue.

X-Force #2 boasts the second appearance of Deadpool... which actually meant something back in 1991... and once again, means something today.  However, for much of Deadpool's existence, not a soul cared!  I feel like I was the only idiot buying his ongoing, fearing a cancellation notice month after month.

Jump back to the 2000's... and X-Force #2 was "just another Liefeld quarter-book".  This was a book you could find by the foot in any quarter bin in the land... comic shops couldn't give this one away!It's insane that now, since the mainstream (and comics fans alike) have decided to care about Deadpool, that it's once again a sorta-kinda coveted issue.  If I knew then, what I know now... well, I probably still wouldn't have bought a grip of 'em.

Now, if only some of these people gave half a rip about Deadpool back when Joe Kelly and/or Christopher Priest were writing him... he might actually be a character worth reading today!

Does anyone have any other "rags to riches" tales of comics valuation?  I can think of a few more, but this one takes the cake (much of the Infinity Gauntlet miniseries is up there too)!  Lemme know in the comments!

--

Last issue, ol' front-butt, G.W. Bridge suggested that they were going to need to enlist the aid of Weapon X in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pursuit of Cable.  By the sound of it, you might've thought this meant we were going to be getting a Wolverine guest-spot... but, not so fast kemosabes... that ain't our guy.  Our guy... is Garrison Kane.  We meet him at the Port Menier Shipyards on Anticosti Island in Quebec.  He's there to track down another target... a certain Merc with a Mouth.

Kane gets the jump on Deadpool, and the two tussle over the course of way too many pages.  Wade makes with the snark, while Kane internally monologues Madonna lyrics.  We learn here that these two have some familiarity with one another... because, anytime a mysterious new character arrives on the scene, he's sure to know (and be known by) anybody who's anybody.

After repeatedly punching Deadpool in the jaw, Kane gets kicked into a stack of crates.  Weapon X rebounds by... literally firing his left fist back at the baddie.  When the hand reaches its destination... it wraps itself around Deadpool's throat!

Just then... G.W. Bridge makes an appearance!  While Wade wriggles on the ground, Bridge pitches Kane with the S.H.I.E.L.D. gig.  Garrison thinks on it for a moment... because, naturally he and Cable go way back... but ultimately turns Bridge down.  During this prolonged chat, however, Deadpool manages to get away.

We next shift scenes to the Adirondacks, where Cable has concocted a training exercise for X-Force.  The gimmick for this go-round is: Everyone vs. Feral.  The kids scoff at the one-sidedness of this event... however, Cable instills that they'd really oughta not take this so lightly.  The first Forcers to head into the woods are Sam and James.  Feral gets the jump on Cannonball while he's cannon-balling, and manages to "steer" him right into Warpath's chest.  Whoops... there's two down.

Next up, Feral runs into Boom Boom... who brags a bit about her new wrist-gimmick "launchers" for her time bombs.  Feral slips behind Tabby and points those very same blasters right at Cable!

Then... the ultimate showdown: Domino's boobs vs. Feral's feet!  This results in yet another win for the Cat-Girl...

But then... Shatterstar.  Oh boy, Shatterstar.  This goofball comes in and soliloquizes about how killing is "what he is"... to their credit, they both manage to keep a straight face long enough to face off.

In the distraction, however... Cannonball blasts into the scene, crashing into Feral, and smashing her into a nearby tree!

Feral responds by... eviscerating poor Sam!  Well, that's what supposedly happens here... though the art can't get all that explicit.  Sam looks... well, mildly discomforted?

Cable, realizing this training exercise has gone a bit too far, blasts Feral with one of his crazy guns... just kayoing her.

We shift scenes over to the World Trade Center, where Black Tom and his gal-Friday, Arianna have assembled an interdimensional locator and teleporter atop one of the towers.  Tom claims he can't wait to see his ugly friend again.

Back in the mountains... Sam wakes up, looking pretty good for a dude who just had his guts torn out.  He asks Cable what he's going to do about Feral... but, the main man hasn't a clue.

We wrap up back at the WTC... where, the teleporter starts to glow... and, once we turn the book sideways, we learn that Black Toms "pug ugly friend" is... the Juggernaut!

--

With everything we know about Todd McFarlane's departure from Marvel a couple of months after this, I'd like to draw your eye to the scene wherein Cannonball is eviscerated.  Scroll back up a couple beats in case you missed it... because, the way it was depicted, you very well might have!

In that scene, Feral goes... well, feral... and slices Sam's belly and guts open.  In the panel, however, it just looks like she tore his outfit a little bit.  If not for X-Force's reaction, we'd never know that this was a near-mortal blow.  Now, usually, I think I am a proponent of the "less is more" school of thought when it comes to gore and violence... which, is why I didn't think much about "missing out" on Todd's panel of Shatterstar running his knife through Juggernaut's eye in Spider-Man #16.  It was unnecessary shock and gore (shock and gaw?)... which only served to darken the issue.  The panel we got instead (again, from Todd), told the same tale, but in a way where we didn't have to actually see the blade go through Juggy's eyeball.

The fact that Todd would choose to draw the scene the way he (initially) did, says quite a bit.

• He wasn't used to people telling him "no"
• He could get away with a lot
• He was looking for a way out of Marvel that also gave him the creative "high ground"

and, most importantly for this analysis...

• He damn sure wasn't reading X-Force!

Had Todd been reading his peers' work, he would have definitely seen this very "Rated-PG" (at worst) take on disembowelment, and would have (hopefully) realized what you could and, more importantly, could not get away with when working alongside a book with an "X" in its title.

That all having been said... this Sam/Feral scene could have used a bit more explicit gore.  I'm not talking about seeing Cannonball's small intestine dragging on the ground... but, I dunno... maybe show a little bit of blood?  I knew this story before revisiting it, and was still a bit lost as to the import and gravity of Sam's injuries!  This goes to show that sometimes, even when it comes to gore, less is... less.

For the rest of the issue?  The Deadpoolishness was, ehh, okay.  He's still very much a Spider-clone (not that one) here, with his banter and design.  It didn't help matters that he was sharing the scene with some of the most boring characters of the era in Garrison Kane and "ol' Front-Butt" G.W. Bridge.

The Sunspot and friggin' Gideon bits trot on... and our big reveal is the return of the Juggernaut.  I can't remember if this was underwhelming at the time... but, nowadays, it seems as though: if Black Tom shows up, chances are the "big reveal" will be the Juggernaut bursting onto the scene as well.  No surprise then, no surprise now.

The art is... exactly what you want it to be.  If you want to defend Rob's work, you can.  If you want to mock it... well, I've got good news, there's plenty for you here as well!

Overall, a decent enough issue, heavy on subplots... several of which, will unfortunately go nowhere due to the Image X-odus the following year.

Uncanny X-Men #281 (1991)

Uncanny X-Men #281 (October, 1991)
"Fresh Up Start"
Plot - Jim Lee
Plot & Pencils - Whilce Portacio
Script - John Byrne
Inks - Art Thibert
Letters - Tom Orzechowski
Colors - Joe Rosas
Editor - Bob Harras
Chief - Tom DeFalco
Cover Price: $1.00

Ages ago following Schism, when Uncanny X-Men had it's first renumbering and "new #1", I concocted a list of times that would've made more sense to dump the legacy numbering.  Schism, wasn't quite as big of a deal as Marvel made it out to be... and was more or less just another Cyclops and Wolverine "falling out".

The issue we'll be looking at today is one of those times where I think Marvel could've "gotten away with" a renumbering.  I wouldn't have liked it... but, I could definitely understand it a bit more than following the nothing-burger that was Schism.

To me, if this book was ever going to be renumbered... it should have been either here, or when the book returned to new content following Giant-Size.

Let's get into it... and try not to feel too bad for poor John Byrne having to script these panels at the 13th hour.

--

We open in the Australian Outback, where the Reavers are having themselves a good time drinking and chatting.  All's not completely calm, however, as one of 'em is certain he'd heard something stirring from outside their camp.  Donald Pierce tells the fella to shut up... they're too far off the beaten path (and in the middle of a sandstorm) where nobody can find them.  Well, not so fast, kemosabe... just then, a group of rough-looking Sentinels peel the roof off the joint as though it were a can of tuna fish!

Meanwhile, in New York City, the X-Men's Gold Strike Force is attending a party at the Hellfire Club.  Turns out they were asked to come by Emma Frost herself.  Storm laments the fact that she had to wear a "preposterous gown" to the gala... but, it's looks more like a minidress to me.  She, Jean, and Warren are hanging out upstairs... while Bobby and Piotr mingle among the other guests... and members of Frost's own Hellions.

Naturally, there's a bit of friction between the two factions... however, before it can come to blows, Emma Frost hurls some armored woman through a set of double doors.  This is an assassin who had been sent to kill her... and it isn't the first time this happened (this week!).  Just as the cover copy suggests... this is the sorta thing upon which "desperate alliances" are built.

Elsewhere, Shinobi Shaw is being attended to by a whole bunch of scantily clad folks while chatting up a fella who we will soon know as Trevor Fitzroy.  They're comparing notes... and discussing a little "game" their group is currently playing.  Ya see, these two belong to the Upstarts... a group of assassins who try and rack up points by killing mutants... and assorted V.I.P.s.  Shinobi is currently the "king" of this organization... but Fitzroy might just be looking to challenge for the crown.

Back at the party, Frost is about to "peel the psyche" of her would-be assassin.  The X-Men naturally protest this sort of psychic torture, and intervene before it goes too far.

This triggers the Hellions to launch into battle... and before we know it, we're in the middle of a full-blown skirmish!  Remembering that they're there for a reason, Jean sends out a frantic psychic signal to get everyone to stand down.  When the dust settles, Frost reveals that the Hellfire Club is under attack... and suggests that the X-Men might be next.  Therefore, it might be in everybody's best interest for there to be a truce.

The Hellion Jetstream posits that they interrogate the armored assassin in hopes that she'll spill the beans on whoever might be behind these repeated attempts on their lives.  Before he can, however, Trevor Fitzroy pops onto the scene!

Back in the Outback, Donald Pierce is fleeing from his robotic pursuers.  Bashing through a wall, he runs into Lady Deathstrike. She proceeds to attack the Sentinel, slicing off it's arm.  Surprisingly, this Sentinel is able to reattach the lost limb without much in the way of inconvenience!

More Sentinels follow... and Pierce continues his escape.  He runs up a nearby hill, where he finds Gateway... the aboriginal mutant, with teleportation powers.  He demands the fella spin his "bullroarer" and send him to "the one responsible" for this assault.  No sooner does he step through the portal do the Sentinels arrive.  They appear to look at Gateway, but do not attack him.

Back in New York, Fitzroy is just having his way with the Hellions... killing two of their number (Jetstream and... uh, Beef) in as many panels.  Frost and the X-Men go on the offensive, however, the armor the baddie's wearing protects him from any psychic attacks.  Suddenly, Donald Pierce arrives on the scene, popping out of a portal...

... followed by a whole bunch of Sentinels!  The X-Men and Hellions team up to battle back the bots.  In the fracas, however, Emma Frost is struck dead!  Somehow, that is... the art isn't terribly clear.

The X-Hellions alliance continues to fight the good fight while Trevor Fitzroy looks on.  After engaging in a divide and conquer approach, it all comes down to a two-on-one confrontation between a pair of Sentinels and Jean Grey.

With one last desperate attempt, Jean does... something psychic-y (which will make a teensy bit more sense next issue).  The Sentinels confirm her death, and retreat.  Fitzroy looks on satisfied, knowing he just racked up a whole lotta Upstart points.

We wrap up with Colossus carrying Jean's lifeless body out of the Club while Senator Robert Kelly rushes onto the scene to give the heroes some grief.

--

I feel like when you talk to comics enthusiasts of the long ago, and you ask them which of the Image founders they like the least (insofar as art style), the immediate (almost knee-jerk) go-to is "Rob Liefeld".  For me, however... it's Whilce Portacio.  Fundamentally, he's a good artist, don't get me wrong.  There isn't (as much) wonky anatomy, though there's still a staggering lack of feet (Liefeld might be the least guilty yet most blamed for this phenomenon)... I, for whatever reason, just don't like looking at Whilce's work.

With that out of the way, let's talk story for a bit.

It's not great... but, it has some great elements.  Lemme tell ya, I absolutely love the idea of the Upstarts.  I feel like the X-Offices left money on the table with this concept... and there was just so much more that could have been done with it.  Imagine if this group was allowed to linger in the background for a bit... give them the ol' Claremont "bubbling subplot" treatment over the course of a few years... have them pick off random, perhaps "inconvenient", mutants for points... and finally crescendo into a confrontation.

Such a concept seems right up John Byrne's alley (circa 1991).  Byrne, feeling there were too many mutants to keep track of, was actually petitioning for a second Mutant Massacre around this time (I'll include the interview down below).  So, why not just have the Upstarts "take care" of that?

Well, a handful of reasons... first, John Byrne wasn't long for this era of X-Books.  Citing difficulty in effectively scripting the book due to the lateness of receiving the pages from Whilce and Jim... he'd skedaddle only a couple months into the assignment.  Then, less than a year later, Jim and Whilce would be gonzo from Marvel... then, a year after that, the X-Men had the Legacy Virus foisted upon them, which would more or less do the Upstarts' "job" of thinning the mutant herd, while being somewhat relevant in its analogousness to AIDS.

I'm still a big fan though!  I think the Upstarts could've been great.  Heck, I still do!  Guess it just wasn't in the cards.

Now, the rest of the issue... ya know, the actual "story"... ehh.  It was alright.  Back when I first read this, I didn't know a Hellion from a hole in the head, so I didn't really get how big a deal it was for Fitzroy to wipe them out.  After reading more about the Hellions... that disinterest turned to annoyance, as they really were "jobbed out" here just to establish Fitzroy as a threat.  That's a lot of history to dump just to give the new guy a shine.

The ending, with the apparent deaths of Jean and Emma?  Ehh, again.  I don't think anybody was buyin' it... then again, I don't think a lot of the folks who were literally "buyin'" this issue did so to check out the story in the first place.

Overall... an important issue... but, all told, not a very good one.

--

John Byrne Interview (from Wizard Magazine #3 - Nov, 1991):

Wolverine (vol.2) #47 (1991)

Wolverine (vol.2) #47 (October, 1991)
"Dog Day"
Script - Larry Hama
Pencils - Gerald DeCaire
Inks - Don Hudson
Letters - Pat Brosseau
Colors - Glynis Oliver
Editor - Bob Harras
Chief - Tom DeFalco
Cover Price: $1.75

Just like with yesterday's issue of Alpha Flight, this issue of Wolverine hit the stands during the big 1991 X-Book Shakeup month.  Also, just like yesterday's AF... this issue doesn't feel one bit like a "kickoff" into a brave, new era.  In fact, this one's more or less an after-school special filler issue!

Let's meet Tracy-kins!

--

We open with Logan being hassled by a Police Officer about leaving his motorcycle chained to a light pole outside of the World Trade Center for a number of weeks.  She claims that she'd looked into having it towed and impounded, however, his plates were flagged with all sorts of Federal Allowances... the sorta stuff the geeks over at S.H.I.E.L.D. get.  She decides not to write him a ticket, and just lets him off with a warning.  Not sure why this scene was even included, or if it led to anything, but we'll allow it.

Over in Westchester County... ho-boy.  A mother returns home from the market, only to find her delinquent son "Tracy-kins" inside rifling through her belongings looking for something to sell for his next fix.  Mom tells him he's no longer welcome there, and that the stress from his antics killed his father.  This dialogue is... unique.  And, uh, bad.

Tracy-kins doesn't heed his mother's demands, which leads to rushing into her bedroom to fetch a pistol with like a two-foot long barrel on it!  I mean, this thing is almost comically over-sized.  Tracy-kins ain't scared, and almost dares her to pull the trigger (knowing full well she won't).

He nyoinks the piece outta Mom's hands (by it's gigantic barrel), and proceeds to tell her that he's in the real world now... got a job and everything.  And that job is... wait for it... "Getting Stupid"!  While he's monologuing, he's beating the absolute hell out of her.  Perhaps even beating her to death!

Back to Logan... who is just about to take the Salem Center exit on whatever expressway one can get to Salem Center from.  He hears a shot being fired, and decides to find out what all the hub-bub's about.  Turns out there's a pair of officers faced off with a rabid dog.  One of the officers, a woman, unloads her entire gun into the poor mad mutt.

Wolvie points out that this was, perhaps a bit excessive... which leads to a flashback of when he and Silver Fox had a dog that went rabid... which we'll get to in just a bit.  First, lets check in on Tracy-kins... who is very reminiscent of that kid Mitch from the Death of Superman... only, ya know, a sociopath.  He's bumming around a convenience store, and just making a real nuisance of himself.  He just reaches into the cash register and robs the place.  Alrighty then...

The shop owner finally charges over to give 'im the boot... and winds up getting shot.  The pistol, if it's the same one, has a much shorter barrel in this scene.  Perhaps it was less excited here?  I dunno.  Whatever the case, Tracy-kins has become a killing machine.  Waitasec, that barrel just got long again!

Over to Wolverine's dog story... ya see, he had a dog... and it went rabid.  Silver Fox handed him a rifle and told him to shoot the poor thing.  Great story, huh?

Back to Tracy, who is driving erratically and under the influence of alcohol and God only knows what else.  He t-bones a car at an intersection, and celebrates just how "stupid" he's getting.

Then, a pair of kids and their (probably un-rabid) dog prepare to cross the street.  Well, not on Tracy's watch they ain't.  He puts pedal to metal and drives right for 'em!

A few streets later, Tracy pulls up to a red light.  Next to him is Wolverine on his motorbike.  Tracy starts to sweat and reaches over for his pistol.  The light turns green, and Logan pulls out first.  Noticing the fact that the front end of the Tracy-mobile is in a bad way (and has a child's bike embedded in the front of it), he pulls in front of the turd.  Tracy's all "screw this" and plows right into our hero!  Hits him so hard in fact, that his jacket explodes into pieces!

Tracy then pops it into reverse to run our man over again.  Only one problem with that... well, two problems I suppose... 1) Adamantium skeleton and claws, and 2) mutant healing factor.  Logan informs the boy of all of this as Tracy empties his excitable pistol in his direction.

Wolverine pops his claws... as Tracy clicks away with his empty gun.  He thinks back to the rabid dog, and feels pangs of deja vu looking at this loony kid.  He retracts his claws... just as that same police woman arrives on the scene to fill Tracy-kins full'a holes!  When this gal commits to pulling the trigger, she doesn't screw around!  Logan informs her that the kid's gun was empty... to which she asks "How the Hell would I know that?"  That's actually a very good point.

We wrap up with Logan finishing his "rabid dog" story for the 
Officer.  Turns out, he couldn't go through with it.  Silver Fox had to put the poor pup down herself.  Oh!  And it also turns out that this Officer the mother of those two kids who Tracy nearly ran down a few blocks over.  The tots survived unharmed... so, there's something to be happy about!

--

Welp, that sure was an issue of Wolverine, wunnit?

Felt a lot like an inventory/found crumpled in the back of a drawer sort of story... and, honestly, with every copy of this Marvel sold, they were stealing money.  Imagine paying 50-cents more for this than any of the "core-four" X-Men books of the day?  Ridiculous.

During the first episode of From Claremont to Claremont, where we spoke about this issue we posited that this story way likely slid into place in order to ensure that the three-part Shiva Scenario storyline that followed would conclude with the landmark (and die-cut) 50th issue of the title.  Which, is probably what happened... and, in hindsight, I should probably be happy about that.  Nowadays, Marvel would just decompress into more issues... leaving us with an unbalanced and more dully-paced story.

So, whatta we got here?  Well, it's a cautionary tale about putting down rabid animals, right?  Well, sorta.  If it were written with a little bit more subtlety (or any at all), it might've "landed" a bit better.  Instead, we just get to see that how, when the going gets rough, and the tough decisions need to be made... Wolverine fails to act, and has to rely on the nearest armed woman to actually do what needs done?

I think this was supposed to be poignant... like, Wolverine... for all his violent history, is really a big softy... or, maybe he's an eternal optimist who always feels like there's a "better way" than hitting the "nuclear option"?  I dunno.  Whatever it is, it didn't really land for me.

Let's talk art.  It wasn't great... further lending to the idea that this was a quickie-filler.  Even if we were just to focus on Tracykins' engorgable pistol... I mean, this just ain't great.  I suppose it's passable, but... again... as this was a "boutique-priced" Marvel Comic... you expect more.

Tracykins as a character... okay, I really enjoyed bearing witness to his ridiculousness.  What a goofball... and, so close in design and attitude to Mitch from Death of Superman... heck, maybe Tracykins was the Mitch-prototype!  We can only hope.

Is this issue worth your time.  Ehh... maybe?  It's bad... but, it does have some "so bad it's good" qualities.  I can't say I didn't have a good time revisiting this one... though, the fact that I probably paid (at most) fifty-cents for it likely softened the blow.

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