‘X-Force by Benjamin Percy Vol. 8′ TPB concludes Colossus’ tragic tale

In a much more single-character-focused opening, Colossus takes up much of the pages as he sullenly ponders what he’s about to do. Ironically, his actions appear to be what could help the team and mutants in general, even though it was a plan meant to do the opposite. The issue spends a bit too much time on Colossus being sad, though, and never probing deeper than his regret.

“Brothers don’t shake hands, brothers gotta hug!”
Credit: Marvel

There’s some fun stuff in this collection as well. Kid Omega, for instance, gets to have a dress-up party. Deadpool hams it up, and Domino uncovers something truly horrific. We also get to see Xavier show he’s very much unaware of what is going on as he tells Colossus he has a steady hand. Literally and figuratively wrong, one can see Xavier’s time as head of state is no longer deserved.

Gill’s art is strong, with good details regarding environments and structures. The X-Force base is particularly cool, with a nice sense of scale from an underwater shot. Gill gets to redraw the events of the Hellfire Gala, particularly one of the most gruesome attacks by Nimrod–which will bring you back to that horrific moment. It’s fitting for this book to showcase gore as it does here since it has always leaned towards body horror elements.

The story eventually evolves into a brother vs brother scenario as Colossus and his brother are stuck in a kind of prison fighting each other. Inside this prison dimension are also the remaining X-Force members, which include Wolverine, Omega Red, and Kid Omega. With the aid of Doctor Strange, Domino and Sage enter this dimension that’s near collapse. What seems to be holding it together at the start of this issue is Colossus, which is fitting given his ability to never break or bend.

A couple of things work really well in the final issue, which includes the violence as Deadpool and company slay many tiny soldiers. It’s ongoing and frustrating, and as Domino puts it, “f&*$ nesting dolls.” Another is Chronicler, who gets two prose-style data pages to detail his thoughts and current status. His mutant ability to control the mind of someone through the story is quite compelling, and it’s nice that he gets so much focus in these prose sections.