I’m sorry. I just don’t buy it. The premise of this book is
that Cable puts together a team of “outlaw” mutants. Motivated by apocalyptic
visions of the future, Cable needs to head off the next mutant disaster before
it strikes. For some reason, he thinks that he can’t tell the X-Men, SHIELD, or
anyone else. And when things go sour, he still feels that being on the run and
not clearing up the situation is the best choice.
It just doesn’t work. I can’t buy it. It’s too bad, because
Dennis Hopeless puts together a fun team, and he’s got a good handle on their
disparate personalities. Forge hasn’t been this cool in years, I’ve missed the
guy. Domino and Colossus are favorites of mine, so seeing them pair up and find
a bit of happiness together is a brilliant move. I really like the way Hope and
Cable work through their father-daughter issues in terms of guns and survival
training. Heck, even the weird outbreak they have to stop is pretty neat and
dramatic!
One weakness for the book is the lack of a clear antagonist.
There is some sort of shadowy manipulation going on, but there isn’t enough of
a mastermind or common foe to give the book much direction. That directly plays
into my other problem with the book; the pacing. It takes three issues for
Colossus to even show up. He’s the reason I tried the first two issues off the
shelf, that’s too long for arguably the biggest name on the team. Hopeless just
isn’t getting there fast enough for me. I’m not even certain that the end of
the trade qualifies as a cliffhanger. It’s more like the mutants are just
hanging out on the run.
It is too bad. Salvador LaRocca is an artist who I’ve liked
for years and years, ever since his Ghost Rider days. This is more in the
digital style of his Iron Man work, but the guy is a talented artist. I just
wish he got to draw the characters doing a bit more comic book fisticuffs. When
the characters do get to cut loose, it looks great. There just needs to be
more.
Good art and solid characterization can’t overcome a lack of
momentum in the plot. This comic is EVIL.
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