X-Force #16
X-Force encounters the dark side of Krakoa in X-Force #16, by writer Benjamin Percy, artist Joshua Cassara, colorist GURU-eFX letterer Joe Caramagna. This issue raises a great question about Krakoa- with all it gives the mutants, what cost is there? Percy and company answer that question in a frightening fashion.
Beast and Cecila Reyes autopsy the infected corpses, trying to figure what exactly is going on with them. They’re able to surmise that it’s some sort of parasitic lifeform that has metastasized Krakoa’s mass. Reyes notices Beast’s inner scientist gears start to grind and warns him not to try and weaponize the creatures. On the beach, Black Tom and Domino discuss Krakoa and the drawbacks to trusting in it too much. Beast sends Wolverine, Force, and Kid Omega into the sea to take care of the monsters. Before they leave, Phoebe Cuckoo kisses Kid Omega to give him a reason to come back alive from the mission. Underwater, the three of them battle the parasites, with Wolverine encountering the biggest mass of it and being taken aback, likening it to a god. Things start to look bad for them when Namor shows up and saves them while also threatening them and Krakoa while they endanger the ocean again.
One of the oddest things about the mutants coming to Krakoa has always been how much they trust in the island and its altruism. For years, Krakoa was an enemy of the team, and beyond that, it’s an independent lifeform. This opens it up to all kinds of things, including parasites and cancerous growths, things that could cause some bad things for the denizens of the island. Although he’s honestly a little heavy-handed with the metaphor, Percy uses this issue to get that across, laying it out for readers multiple times throughout the story.
He also fits in a lot of interesting character work into the story as well. Beast is first and foremost a biologist, so studying the parasite is obviously something he’d be interested in, but his new role has also made him keen to use his skills to weaponize things that maybe he shouldn’t mess with. Cecilia Reyes notices this and quickly wars him against it, especially in light of what happened the last time he did this. Kid Omega has died in every mission, whether it be because he bit off more than he could chew or his own sloppiness, but Phoebe, who he’s been in love with since his first days at the Xavier School, motivates him to fight harder and smarter to stay alive. Wolverine’s reaction to the monster in the abyss is also very revealing about him- Wolverine is never scared of anything. Still, seeing something like this, something so massive and powerful, made him feel completely insignificant, a feeling he’s not used to and one that Percy elaborates on in a text piece at the end of the issue. Black Tom is tired of constantly having to fight everything in order to keep Krakoa safe and the island itself rebelling against them, even if it inadvertently affects him greatly. These are all great little character moments that make this issue more than the sum of its parts, and the Namor arrogant, yet not entirely unwarranted, speech at the end is icing on the cake.
Joshua Cassara’s art is great as usual. The parasites are monstrous, which is perfect for corrupted sea life. The moment Wolverine sees the giant staring at him from the abyss is suitably frightening, and the battle against the monsters is perfectly done, his pencils amplifying the tension of the moment. His Namor is suitably majestic and exudes the arrogance and anger that is the character’s trademark. In fact, if Namor ever gets another book, Cassara is the man for the job.
X-Force #16 is a little heavy handed with the metaphor at its center, but Percy makes up for it with the deft character that has become his stock in trade. The issue is also pretty exciting, with Cassara’s art looking great and really getting across the gravity of the situation. X-Force continues to impress and has quickly become one of the best X-Men books being published.
