It’s easy to look back and laugh at the muscles piled on top of each other, the grimaces, the tiny legs (or no legs at all), the bags (oh, so many bags), but Rob Liefeld was once one of the most popular I was standing there in one of the comics. His X-Force featured all of his signature touches on a large scale. The first issue of X-Force came in a plastic bag with trading cards and sold a frankly astonishing 5 million copies.
Of course, multiple trading cards were available, so fans had to buy multiple copies of X-Force #1 to get the set. At this stage in the ’90s, the comic book speculation boom was at its peak, with collectors and fans treating comics as investments. A few years later, the bubble burst, and with more ridiculous gimmicks, overprinting, and market oversaturation, comics lost much of their appeal and, more importantly, most of their value.
In any case, X-Force, like most Marvel films and Marvel itself, weathered the storm (Marvel did file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at one stage), but their current status in mainstream pop culture Given the position, this seems ridiculous). This is one of Marvel’s “edgier” and more violent comics, featuring an effectively militarized team of mutants led by Cable, an exiled futuristic soldier infected with a technovirus.
Knowing all that background is very important to our review of X-Force and Cable ’95 #1. Because it provides a marked contrast to the early images of X-Force, which took itself very seriously.
Here, Marvel’s acquisition of Malibu Comics and industry-leading computer-assisted coloring technology are at full display, making comics at their lightest and most colorful. This is a beautiful and lively comic in which the mutant team is on a much-needed vacation, only to find themselves constantly harassed by a very stupid and old-school Marvel character, the Impossible Man. You see, The Impossible Man has three lazy teenagers who want to find a job for them. Who better to approach than Cable, who has experience leading teams of teens and giving them purpose?
However, Cable’s rejection takes a toll on poor Impossible Man, and he continues to be a nuisance by hanging out with the kids and pestering X-Force to get them to relent. Then a real threat appears, giving him and his children a chance to prove themselves.
It’s an absolute riot and really funny. There are some great moments of slapstick humor, with the Impossible Man appearing in all sorts of guises and getting into all sorts of injuries.
I can only imagine how X-Force readers would have received this at the time, though. It was actually taken very seriously, and manga fans who not only stocked up on comics for investment, but actually read the works, tended to treat themselves seriously as well.
As a concession to this, there’s also a backup story featuring Domino, a mutant. Domino’s powers are primarily based on granting incredible luck and are close to the classic X-Force tone and style. However, after the extended and fun shenanigans of the main story, it’s a bit of a letdown and drags us down.
Still, this was a really fun read throughout and proves that there are still plenty of hidden gems to be found in the oft-maligned 90s comic book era that valued style over substance. Also, comics from back then are generally very cheap now (I paid a hefty 63p for this yesterday – thanks to the wonderful Southampton Comics!).
Oh, and (spoiler alert) there’s a big, beautifully designed monster in this issue that I was really impressed with as well. So if you see this issue somewhere, pick it up. It’s well worth checking out.
Like what you read? Would you like to support my blog? No pressure, of course, but I don’t earn any money from writing here, so every penny helps keep this site running (However, I may earn a small commission from affiliate links posted on my pages).
However, I truly appreciate the support you provide. You can easily support us through Ko-Fi.com/geekmid or the PayPal link.
Thank you very much for your donation. I would also like to thank you for taking the time to read my article. thank you very much!
All donations are gratefully received and will not only help me keep the lights on here, but will also help keep my writing dream alive. However, please understand that there is no pressure. I hope you enjoy reading my article.
