X-Force by Craig Kyle & Chris Yost: The Complete Collection, Volume 1

X-Force (2008) (Collected Editions) #1-2

by Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, Clayton Crain

They're the X-Men's black-ops strike team, created to go places and do things the regular squad can't or won't. They're the best trackers and killers the X-Men have to offer: Wolverine, X-23, Warpath, Wolfsbane, Archangel and more. They're X-Force. When the Purifiers resurrect some of the most heinous mutant-murderers in history, X-Force launch into battle with claws out and teeth bared. But can they rescue a teammate and put an end to Bastion's machinations? And when the lethal Legacy virus is stolen, X-Force must take on the Marauders while Warpath hunts down the Demon Bear! But can the team save their friends from the Leper Queen before they run out of time...literally? Plus: Wolverine takes on Hydra solo!

COLLECTING: X-FORCE 1-13, X-FORCE SPECIAL: AIN'T NO DOG, & Material from X-FORCE ANNUAL 1

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, X Men, Fiction, Superheroes, Comic Book

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2009

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best incarnation of X-Force. The Art work goes perfectly. In previous teams of Marvel's tough anti-hero teams the artwork being to cartoonish has let it down, here it is like watching a movie. The covet art is how the art is throughout 12 out of 15 issues.

The X-men's black ops team have been unleashed. There mission is to eliminate the threats. Led by Wilverine (of course), his "daughter" X-23. X-23 was made for this life but Wolverine wants more for her the team kind of forms quite loosely. With some awsome guest stars.

Everything about the book is awsome. Even though Wolverine is being pushed as the main characters it is X-23 that steals the show for me. I first read these individually and these book kept me sn X-men fan. Re-reading the them all toghter made me remember how awsome they are.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When Cyclops called us X-Force, I held my tongue for once. X-Force was a team of kids turned into soldiers.

But this, the three of us...
this is something different."

Ever since their inception, the concept of X-Force is that they're the black ops team off-shoot of the X-men. But looking back now at the early days when I read them in the 90's, they simply felt like an evolved version of the New Mutants. But now, in the wake of Messiah CompleX, they really seem like the militarized strike team that they should be, as Cyclops puts together a covert group of the X-Men's best trackers and killers, including Wolverine, X-23, Wolfsbane, the newly-returned Archangel, and Domino and Warpath, original X-Force members. Their mission is to permanently take out the leaders of the anti-mutant group, the Purifiers, before they can hurt any other mutants and dwindle the mutant population even more.



And this comic is everything that's promised. It's action-packed and bloody, enhanced by dark and gloomy artwork, so if you ever wanted to see these characters with the gloves off, look no further. And my 11-year old self was stunned to see that the Purifiers resurrected Bastion, the mutant-hunting cyborg from X-Men: Operation Zero Tolerance, which I loved back in my young comic book days! The fact that he's back now as X-Force's big baddie makes me giddy. And this book ends in an insane cliffhanger that's got me hooked! Can't wait to see where this goes!

[Roman Colombo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so happy I am rereading this series. It's been over a decade now. Or about a decade. Kyle and Yost were the X-Men for a few years. Sure, Uncanny is technically the flagship title, but everything important happened in their X-Force series. They also had some really good artists too. This book is fast, intense, and viscous. And we'll worth going back to.

[Jonathan Terrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

X-Force is graphic novel that I had intended to read for a while. Given that I am a huge fan of Wolverine and the X-Men in general it was always something I intended to read in the future. When I stumbled upon it at Ozcomic-con I went ahead and bought it there and then (alongside Marvel's Siege storyline).

This is one of those works full of stylised violence and plenty of bloody artwork. As such if you're not a fan of that in your comics I would recommend staying away. But what I must also say is that the artwork across this run is marvellous in how different and individual it is for each story. Sure, like with any comic, there are odd moments (such as Ghostrider randomly showing up), but the rest of the story is wonderful to browse and read.

Wolverine is my favourite of all superheroes. The way in which he struggles with his past, future and present is emotional and deep - not to mention how he reconciles the beast within and the human without. That all said, some of my other favourite heroes and X-Men feature in this comic, such as X-23 (the clone of Wolverine, created to be a true weapon) and Archangel (the cooler version of Angel).

So, what I will say is that if you like mutants/the X-Men and are looking for an older run of comics to read, try this out for size. Particularly given that there have been rumours of X-Force films for many years now that may or may not become a reality...

[Miloš · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!!!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

You like your X-Men extremely violent, dark, and morally ambiguous? Welcome to Craig Kyle and Chris Yost’s X-Force. With an anti-mutant cult being led by Bastion and his team of techno-resurrected bigots, how will the black-ops strike team led by Wolverine manage to protect the few mutants left after M-Day? With piles of bodies that our lead characters have no issue standing on top of in triumph. It’s not all blood and guts though. The mentoring relationship between Wolverine and X-23 is on full display, along with a deeper characterization of Warpath, and the return of Archangel. There’s also a Demon Bear.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read many Marvel comics, didn't know where to begin.
First off, the artwork is incredible!
Absolutely love Laura/X-23's role in this comic, she steals the show!
Also liked reading alittle bit more other characters that I have heard of but don't know much about- Warpath, Wolfsbane and Angel.
An amazing read! :)

[Nate]

I've been trying more X-Men books lately, specifically X-23 and Wolverine titles, an endeavor that's proven largely successful so far. This seemed like a good next pick, as both Logan and Laura are in it. I also came across references to this era of X-Force in those other books I read. Plus Craig Kyle wrote it, and I loved his X-23 stories.

I have minimal experience with X-Force, so I don't know if this run is representative of other comics featuring the team, but I like it. Most issues are drawn by Clayton Crain, and his dark video game aesthetic lends a real moodiness to the black ops missions that make up the series (though sometimes his art is *too* dark for my taste). This team, put together by Cyclops, consists of Wolverine, X-23, Wolfsbane, Warpath, and Angel (Archangel). They're very deadly. The idea behind this X-Force is that they go after mutant killers, as well as people using mutants to kill humans, doing what regular X-Men teams can't or won't do. There's a fair amount of attention to continuity (i.e. things I haven't read yet) but I could follow along fine. Basically, in the wake of a few different events, the mutant population is dwindling so Cyclops puts together this team to ensure more mutants aren’t threatened.

The dynamics between the characters are interesting and the action plentiful. I like that Kyle and Yost give attention to each character and have them narrate their separate issues. Domino and Ghost Rider make cameos. To me, the storylines of mutant killers feel similar to other X-Men stories, but the black ops setting gives them a unique flavor.

Also, when Ghost Rider shows up in the second arc to help Warpath, there’s a scene of him chaining a raging demon bear while Warpath stabs the bear with a magic knife. Come on, that’s like the pinnacle of comics right there.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the violent and edgy mutant story I needed, apparently. What happens when the chips are down for mutantkind after M-day and the events of Messiah Complex? Cyclops tells Wolverine to lead a secret team to take out threats by any means necessary. The Purifiers play a big part as they continue their religious crusade against mutants. The characters are great. I like X-23's characterization as finding a balance between her programming as a killing machine and her growing connection to those close to her. Angel's internal struggle with his violent compulsions as Archangel is an interesting element. Wolfsbane's storyline is downright tragic throughout most of this collection. Warpath gets some great scenes (especially when he crosses paths with Ghost Rider).

All in all, this is a good collection with some great art.

[Josh Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read older and newer X-Force iterations and had never loved the title. I like my X books with a some levity and moral questioning, and this militarized team usually throws those both out the window. But I hadn't read this version, and surprised to say it's fantastic so far. It almost plays like a horror book, and the stakes are at a constant high. And the art is amazingly cinematic.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects X-Force (2008) issues #1-13, X-Force Special: Ain't No Dog issue #1, and material from X-Force Annual (2010) issue #1

I found this collection to be hit-or-miss. I'm mostly reading this iteration of the X-Force to prepare myself for reading Rick Remender's well-received version of "Uncanny X-Force." This was very violent, but not as bad as I thought it would be.

A quick summary of this collection would be the following: With the mutant population dwindling, Scott Summers enlists Wolverine to lead a team of X-Men that will proactively attack and (if necessary) kill those that would endanger mutant lives. Other team members include Warpath, X-23, and Wolfsbane.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long and involved and dark but quite good. Beautiful art. Pretty good writing. X-23 is a standout, written and drawn well. Domino and Rahne are relatively minor roles but are also handled rather well. This book sets up a lot of the issues Scott and Logan have later. And this is much better than the Cable and Hope books. There's not a lot of backstory help here, either you follow it or you don't. And there are a host of characters both good and evil. Lot's of little stories though but somehow the thread of the book holds.

[Rosie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, gave up on finishing. Too many characters. Read for X-23 instead I got a dizzying amount of other protagonists. 2 Stars.

[Brendan Ferraro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it