X-Force by Kyle and Yost Complete Collection Vol. 2 (X-Force

X-Force (2008) (Collected Editions) #3-5

by Craig Kyle

Collects X-Force (2008) #17-25, The Gathering, Sex & Violence #1-3 and material from X-Necrosha And X-Force Annual (2010) #1. X-Force returns from the future, but as they race to defuse the Leper Queen and the Sapien League's plot, X-23 is captured by the Facility! Now, her only hope is S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Morales — but can either of them survive against Kimura, the one foe X-23 has never beaten? Meanwhile, Wolfsbane is reunited with X-Force — just as Selene's forces descend on Utopia! X-Force fights an unsettling battle against Selene's army of undead mutants, including former teammate Caliban and Warpath's brother, Thunderbird! Can the team obtain the one weapon capable of stopping Selene in time? And when the Assassin's Guild targets Wolverine and Domino, the two heroes must face a murderer's row of villains — while insanely distracted by each other!

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

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2010

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second volume. I have said it before this is the best incarnation of X-Force. This volume leaves out the part of Messiah Complex where X-Force went to the future. The starts from issues 17 where they snap back to their time.

The first 4 issue are the HAMMER of the Facility coming for X-23. However if there is one person you do not want to conner it is X-23.

Then the one shot of Selene Gathering her inner circle. Love the movie poster style cover. This leads into Necrosha. Including the the one shot Annual staring Deadpool. Then X-Force's final stand just when they were telling ad a team.

The final arc is the Sex and Violence mini series. It says it all in the title. An awsome end to the best X-Force. Still not enough a great cover gallery of movie style pictures. If any characters lends themselves to horror movie style characters it is these guys. The covers look great.

[Nate]

More black ops brutality from Kyle and Yost. This is the second half of their run, not counting the three issues before this chunk in Messiah War, and the three final issues after in Second Coming. It also contains the Sex and Violence miniseries, their swan song on the title.

There are three storylines here. First is "Not Forgotten," which focuses on X-23 and ties nicely into her larger story. Some really tense and gruesome moments in this one. Then there's the "Necrosha" crossover, which blessedly doesn't require you to read issues from other titles to understand the X-Force story. It's a zombie mutant romp, similar in concept to DC's Blackest Night, where dead mutants are resurrected to wreak havoc on the X-Men. If I was more familiar with these resurrected characters, some of whom have presumably been dead for decades, I might have liked it better. It's still pretty cool though. Then we get Sex and Violence, a quick, bloody, and sweaty dose of action starring Domino and Wolverine. I actually love their dynamic here. Turn off your brain and have a good time as they take the Assassins Guild to task.

This was a really solid run overall. I like the idea of a darker black ops X-Men team. It's certainly a team book, but there's a strong focus on individual characters throughout. It has just the right touches of humor to offset the darkness, too. Now on to Second Coming.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume opens with X-23 facing a harrowing challenge as her left arm is severed, setting a dark and intense tone that carries through the narrative. While the main antagonist, Selene, may not captivate as much as other villains, the story shines with its intriguing portrayal of zombified mutants from the past. As the plot unfolds, readers are treated to a riveting tale that culminates in a thrilling yet nuanced story featuring Wolverine and Domino, blending elements of passion and action. Despite being weaker than its predecessor, this volume remains a crucial piece in understanding the depth and complexity of Matt Fraction’s overall storytelling in the series.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story continues here after the time travel shenanigans in Cable: Messiah War. X-23's storyline was great. Selene is fun as a villain, even if I always felt like she must be so cold wearing nothing but lingerie all of time. There are a few great cameos (Hela? What are you doing here?). I have some gripes about how some plot threads wrapped up, but I just love the gritty drama of X-Force enough to forgive them.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Necrosha story was always a bit weird, but Crain’s art is great. So is Dell’Otto’s Sex + Violence miniseries included in this (but for that, I highly recommend the oversized hardcover). It doesn’t exactly feel like it was spinning its wheels, but after Messiah War, it’s so tempting to skip to Second Coming, even if there is good stuff here.

[Corey Timmins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story but the art is way to dark, it takes away from the story. In some pages with many characters I could not tell the difference between many as they all blend into the dark artwork.

[Josh Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost entirely made up of event issues but they're at least good events.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. This book is dark which is kind of the point of this series. But the art and story is almost incoherent through much of the book. That said, it reads pretty well and pretty fast. But the details get lost. Rahne and Hrimhari could easily have had their own book for their sublot. However the Domino/Logan subplot was just clumsy and overdone. But it could have been a lot worse given I never but in to the Selene story at all. And evil Blink I didn't expect.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Collects X-Force (2008) issue #17-25, X-Necrosha: The Gathering, X-Force: Sex and Violence issues #1-3, and material from X-Necrosha and X-Force Annual (2010) issue #1

This is the conclusion of the Kyle/Yost run on X-Force. I liked this collection much less than Volume 1. It was way more violent than Volume 1, which is saying something.

The good thing about this run on X-Force is that it sets up the awesome Rick Remender-written "Uncanny X-Force."