X-Force #17

I stepped away from X-Force for the Cable crossover, but Craig Kyle and Chris Yost picks up exactly where I left off, with X-23 jumping in on the Leper Queen as she's about to kill Boom Boom. I was pleased throughout the issue as Yost had the New X-Men act as more than kidnapping victims. Hellion and Surge get to fight back and still be heroic even though they are introduced as nothing more than hostages. There are some neat moments scattered through the issue, the best being when Archangel starts screaming that Surge will survive her poisoning "if she is strong." Got to love that Apocalypse-programming! Wolvie's method of bringing Archangel back with a claw through the shoulder was nicely done too, as Archangel can't believe it just happened. Yost is the lead story-writer for the Wolverine & the X-Men cartoon, which features the MRD as the main antagonists, so I was pleased to see him bringing them into the comics here. It seems Bastion is setting up the MRD in the Marvel U. The cartoon is fun, so I'd be pleased to see some of those storytelling sensibilities added to the X-Force comic. This was fun.

If Mike Choi drew every issue, I wouldn't think twice about picking up this comic. His art is clear, detailed, and quite pretty to look at. Clayton Crain's art doesn't compare as well, his shadowy, less-detailed stuff works great on moody work but not so well on straight-forward action. Since this is the "action" X-comic, I do think Choi is a better fit, and this issue really shines because of his art.

Good