In a Nutshell
X-Force chases after Risque in search of Warpath.
Writer: John Francis Moore
Penciler: Adam Pollina
Inker: Mark Morales
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colorist: Marie Javins & Team Bucce
Writer: John Francis Moore
Penciler: Adam Pollina
Inker: Mark Morales
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colorist: Marie Javins & Team Bucce
Editors: Mark Powers
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras
Plot
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras
Plot
Having delivered Warpath to Sledge, Risque races through the Wackyworld theme park, pursued by X-Force, who want to know what she did to their teammate. Meanwhile, Domino is accosted at JFK airport by federal agents. Back in Wackyworld, Caliban catches up to Risque, but then experiences another seizure and collapses. Risque stops to help him, which allows the rest of X-Force to catch up. In Detroit, Warpath awakens and meets Sledge, who tells him he needs a favor. In exchange, he offers Warpath information that will lead to the truth about the massacre of his tribe. Later, after Risque brings X-Force to Sledge, Warpath tells them everything is under control, but leaves Risque behind when the team departs. Meanwhile, Domino is brought before SHIELD commander GW Bridge, who tells her he needs her help extracting an undercover agent: Dani Moonstar!
Firsts and Other Notables
After previously appearing as a shadowy figure, X-Force #66 marks the first full appearance of Sledge, Risque's boss/favor trader/the person who directed her to kidnap Warpath. Later stories will establish Sledge to be a Deviant, but nothing ever really comes of that.
A Work in Progress
Risque says she can't go to the Florida Keys to escape from X-Force, a reference to Incredible Hulk #451, in which the Hulk has taken over one of the keys.
Human/Mutant Relations
Two of the presumed security guards...dressed as British cops...inside Wackyworld lament the invasion of mutant terrorists into the park on top of mutants having killed Graydon Creed.
Austin's Analysis
On the one hand, X-Force #66 is almost the definition of a time-killing, wheel-spinning issue. Certainly, the characters achieve their objective — find/rescue Warpath — so in that sense, it is telling a complete story. But within the context of the larger serialized narrative, it's doing that thing all too many books (especially X-books) do around this time: solve a mystery with a mystery. Why did Sledge want Warpath? To do him a favor. What favor? Ah, not so fast! You'll have to come back later for that piece of info, True Believer.
Firsts and Other Notables
After previously appearing as a shadowy figure, X-Force #66 marks the first full appearance of Sledge, Risque's boss/favor trader/the person who directed her to kidnap Warpath. Later stories will establish Sledge to be a Deviant, but nothing ever really comes of that.
It turns out Sledge wanted Warpath so Warpath could do him a favor; we won't actually find out what that favor is until issue #71.
In exchange for his help (Sledge traffics in favors, one for him, one for you), Sledge offers to connect Warpath with Michael Whitecloud, a member of his tribe who survived the Camp Verde massacre from New Mutants #99, with the promise of learning the truth behind that event.
Domino returns from the events of her miniseries in this issue.
She is quickly picked up by SHIELD, and tasked with helping Dani Moonstar, who is under threat from Operation: Zero Tolerance) and is revealed here to be a double agent working for SHIELD inside the Mutant Liberation Front (X-Force Annual #3 had previously confirmed Dani hadn't broken bad and was a double agent, but left it vague who she was really working for; this issue confirms it is SHIELD).
A good chunk of X-Force #66 takes place inside the Wackyworld theme park in Florida, a thinly-veiled parody of Orlando's Disneyworld.
A Work in Progress
Risque says she can't go to the Florida Keys to escape from X-Force, a reference to Incredible Hulk #451, in which the Hulk has taken over one of the keys.
GW Bridge, once a semi-recurring antagonist in this series, is the SHIELD agent who meets with Domino.
The Reference Section
The title of this issue is either another Disney reference (the Magic Kingdom), or a reference to the 1995 No Doubt album of the same name.
Human/Mutant Relations
Two of the presumed security guards...dressed as British cops...inside Wackyworld lament the invasion of mutant terrorists into the park on top of mutants having killed Graydon Creed.
Austin's Analysis
On the one hand, X-Force #66 is almost the definition of a time-killing, wheel-spinning issue. Certainly, the characters achieve their objective — find/rescue Warpath — so in that sense, it is telling a complete story. But within the context of the larger serialized narrative, it's doing that thing all too many books (especially X-books) do around this time: solve a mystery with a mystery. Why did Sledge want Warpath? To do him a favor. What favor? Ah, not so fast! You'll have to come back later for that piece of info, True Believer.
On the other hand, the thin plot gives Adam Pollina a chance to have some fun, which he does by setting the bulk of the issue at a Disneyworld pastiche. Pollina has a Larry Stroman-esque knack for populating his backgrounds with unique looking bystanders, and that's on full display here. By telling the story from Risque's perspective — casting X-Force almost like the monsters in a horror film and starting the issue in media res with her on the run from them — John Francis Moore at least puts an interesting spin on an otherwise straightforward narrative. The end result is an issue that is more entertaining than a simple summation of what happens in it would suggest it to be. Which, in its way, makes X-Force #66 something of a template for the approach Moore and Pollina will take with the series during it's upcoming "Road Trip" era.
Next Issue
What was Domino up to while she was away? We'll find out in Domino #1-3!
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Trust me, the Sledge storyline has a good payoff. I didn't read this issue, but I read early issues of X-Force up til #43, then I returned with #71 because I heard the Road Trip era was great. Having read it now (#71-81, I think?), I can say it was a lot of fun and I loved the character-driven stories Moore tells and the resolution to Warpath's Camp Verde mystery. I hope you like that stretch too. I can't wait for you to review those issues! Ever read them before?
ReplyDeleteI liked this one. Yes, it's a a time-killing, wheel-spinning issue that represents the era, but at least it did accomplish it's goal of moving the story along, even if incrementally. Yes. the Sledge stuuff is set up for the future, but we do get Warpath back with the team and breaking up with Risque. Plus some set up for future stories, like the Dani subplot and finally, finally, someone is doing something with the the Camp Verde massacre story that preceded this title (even if it only preceded it by a few months, it's still appreciated).
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI feel compelled to point out that Disneyland’s name is one word but [Walt] Disney World’s is not. Should you care? I dunno. The editor in me, and I suppose the child in me who got to visit the place several times at the age when it was truly was magical, does even though the internal consistency is admittedly suspect.
There were two prominent butt-crack shots of a heavyset fellow, neck down, from behind — okay, I guess that’s redundant — and while I could have done without them altogether it’s also disappointing that Pollina failed to give us a third just from a formalist perspective.