X-Force #9

I bought the first issue of X-Force when it launched out of 'Messiah Complex,' and quickly decided it wasn't a book for me.  I don't think Cyclops has been so shrill and asshole-ish since the Chuck Austen days, and I'm not interested in a book that takes my favorite character back in that direction, especially with the much more interesting take on him that's been offered recently by writers like Whedon and Fraction.

I did pick up issue 9, though -- primarily because of that gorgeous cover, and secondarily because the cover promised that Domino would have a major role in this issue.  I've loved Dom since I first encountered her in 'Cable & Deadpool,' and her mercenary past and cynical persona made her seem like a great fit for this team.

I'm not sorry I bought this issue; the cover really is that pretty (I may have ripped it off and put it up on my wall as soon as I got home, which is the literal point of a pinup), plus Mike Choi and Sonia Oback's interiors look damn good, as well.  And there was a decent amount of Domino in this issue; the cover wasn't deceptive on that point, although (so far) there's no sign of her hooking up with Wolverine.  I wouldn't mind if she did, and in fact a "Domino & Wolverine" mini would entertain me a lot better than this series seems capable of.  Really, they'd be be like a snarkier, bloodier version of what Brubaker's doing with Bucky and Black Widow in 'Captain America.'  I'd buy the hell out of that comic.

As for 'X-Force'. . .meh.  I'm jumping on in the middle of an arc here, so I can't really judge the story.  And Cyclops wasn't in this issue, so my main objection to 'X-Force 1' isn't the problem.  It just seems that the purpose of this series is to repeatedly tell us how badass the characters are, that they have no limits, that they'll stop at nothing.  Even Domino, the mercenary, is impressed with how hard-core the team is.  We get a digression to a government agent talking about how dangerous X-23 is.  ("She's been killing people since she was nine years old!  Oh my God!")  With all that buildup, I'm hard-pressed to find a reason to care.  If we're told from square one that this team has no limits and will do anything, there are no moral boundaries for the characters to push against.  For me, as a reader, the story doesn't have the right kind of stakes.

This seems to be a pretty popular title, so obviously it's doing something for someone, but the appeal eludes me.  (I'm totally buying issue 10, though, to find out what happens to Dom).