X-Force is barreling closer to a milestone 50th issue, and Beast remains the monkey the team can’t get off their back. The team had the seemingly boneheaded idea to resurrect one of Beast-Prime’s clones, and now he’s on the run. Can the team stop Beast from reaching Beast-Prime before he doubles their efficiency and possible evilness? It’s a race in X-Force #49 to find out.
This issue reveals the true nature of the new clone Beast while creating a tense and confusing situation. Remember, the X-Force is like the CIA of Krakoa, or they used to be, so intelligence is as important as their ability to quench a threat with their fists. The issue opens with a good reminder they have to hurry up and get both up to snuff, as Beast-Prime is stealing nuclear warheads with a new Krakoan super suit.
As it turns out, we learn the intelligence side isn’t equipped enough to make the best decisions since clone Beast is actually quite innocent and good-hearted. We see that when he meets up with Wonder Man, who is also on the cover.
The most entertaining portion of the issue involves Beast connecting with Wonder Man in a real way. Writer Benjamin Percy catches us up on Wonder Man, who is now a pacifist. He’s still acting, but clearly, he’s not getting high-paying gigs. This scene is a deftly drawn and written one-page recap. Percy also uses Beast to convey all the things that have happened in recent months. This helps establish context regarding Beast-Prime’s big plan that’ll send the world and mutant kind into chaos.
His agility and bounciness is apparent.
Credit: Marvel
Consider how the X-Force is the CIA of Krakoa, has a nuclear bomb to stop, an infiltration in their own ranks, and now a mercenary hero they think they can’t trust, and you can see Percy has perfectly set up a great spy scenario for the big finale of this story. Along the way, Sage gets prime time as we see her continue to grow and try to lead.
Meanwhile, Robert Gill draws another good issue. Group shots do well to catch us up on who is still on this team, and Beast-Prime’s scenes are particularly good. The sci-fi weirdness of Krakoa tech is all around him. Props to the team for putting clone Beast in a trenchcoat, as it is reminiscent of the animated series. This is a less edgy Beast from a previous era, and it shows in the art and how Percy writes his dialogue. There are awkward moments in the art, like Wolverine looking into his coffee cup or awkward stances. The sequential storytelling is good, but some body language is stiff.
X-Force #49 firmly establishes the stakes as Beast rises up to threaten an entire people while a newly awakened cloned Beast tries to make amends and prove he’s a hero at heart. This is a great espionage spy story fit for the X-Force team.
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