Considering the time-hopping and epic nature of Benjamin Percy’s current X-Force story arc, you’d think an event would be in order. Beast has set himself up to survive long enough to win and rule everything, but he never counted on Quentin Quire to get super old and guide the current X-Force lineup to his front doorstep. In the latest issue, he does just that, but can they possibly defeat Beast Nimrod?
X-Force #42 opens with Beast in a high-tech tube transforming into his final most advanced form. Via captions, Ben Percy catches us up on where he is and what he’s up to. That makes this issue extremely new-reader friendly. Soon, we see Beast Nimrod burst from the ground of Stonehenge with a sword in hand and ready to take over the advanced culture he’s found himself among.
Cut to Quentin teleporting what remains of the X-Force into the streets as they aim to take down Beast once and for all. Picking up where we left off, Omega Red is very dead, and Quentin is so darn old and sick there’s no telling if he can make it a few steps let alone be capable of beating a super advanced Beast.
The Beast Nimrod design is pretty cool.
Credit: Marvel
A couple of things work well in this issue, like the futuristic cityscape and the court jester Deadpool that serves Beast Nimrod. Percy is dropping us into a sci-fi future that is certainly safe looking but as fascist as it comes.
Funny enough, Wolverine is currently taking on Beast in his solo series, so this story feels more like a fever dream or a worst-case scenario that couldn’t fit into that book. Certainly, this story reads like Percy getting all his ideas down, but since the events here aren’t that important to the future of X-Men comics, it loses much of its stakes midway through. That includes the final pages, which lead us to the next ongoing threat lingering for many months.
None of that’s helped out by the deus ex machina that ultimately wins the day. An unfortunately easy win for the heroes, who end up standing around mostly and somehow still beating Beast. Thankfully, it all looks pretty great, from the solid Beast Nimrod design to the hologram tech everywhere in the city scenes. The art by Paul Davidson never lets you down, and the gross-out factor continues to shine in this series.
X-Force #42 offers the final form of Beast vs. X-Force in a slight let down to that part of the story. The visuals are good, and seeing what kind of world Beast’s vision could create proved intriguing, but the resolution is far too easy and quick for its own good.
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