Ever wanted to peer inside the mind of Beast? Creators have done it before, especially with Dark Beast. And in the latest issue of Benjamin Percy and Stephen Segovia’s X-Force out today, we might just be inclined to think good Beast has gone bad. It’s an issue that sets in motion a new threat from a country known as Terra Verde. A “green land” is as good a place as any to have a green thumb as the X-Force uncovers a new threat that may rival even Sentinals only with organics.
This is an interesting issue since it changes gears towards a new threat. It seems like nearly every week there is a new threat added to Krakoa and its mutants and this week it involves a country that has advanced organic technology. Healing, to be more precise, as as we learn in one of the data pages the country leaders were riding on it to turn the country around and make it a global leader. Krakoan healing drugs, however, have dampened their push and soon we learn trouble is afoot.
Segovia knocks Wolverine out of the park with this page.
Credit: Marvel Comics
The issue opens with Jean, Quentin Quire, Wolverine, and Domino doing a little reconnaissance and quickly facing off against some villains that look a bit like Groot. They’re made of bark but easily dispatched. Soon we’re inside Beast’s head thanks to the captions and here is where the soul of this issue lies. Percy does well to capture Beast’s responsibility, his goals, and his desire to think five steps ahead. Save for a few moments of self-reflection these read a bit like how a villain may speak. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to save the most lives. The problem is if one person is making these decisions in secret, is it morally corrupt? It’s interesting to contemplate this and his actions throughout the issue. Like any covert operation though, it suits this series and shows us there are hard choices being made by characters on all levels.
This issue also has a data page that does well to comment on Xavier’s death in the first issue. Since this is the last issue in the soon to be collected trade paperback it fits nicely near the end of the book. The data page helps us understand what that death meant and adds a bit more weight to it even though Xavier is alive and well again.
It’s interesting to learn about another threat, especially one steeped in sci-fi sensibilities, but it is wearing a bit thin to be introduced to a new threat seemingly every week in the Dawn of X line. This issue seems to be setting up a singular threat though, which is a touch different than other Dawn of X books which have set up entire nations as an enemy.
Get inside Beast’s head in this interesting look at how the X-Force makes sometimes immoral decisions for the greater good. Who watches the watchmen, indeed.
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