Professor of Nuttiness: How old are X-Force? I've heard they're teenagers, but they seem a little too big to be that young.
Red: I don't buy the story that they're teenagers. Feral was 17 when she was on the team, but she's not there anymore. Tabitha said she was 17 a long time ago, but she's probably had a birthday since then. James was 11 at the time of the Flashback issue, and Dr. Martynec said that was ten years ago, so now we know he is 21. Sam said he was 20 in issue #37, and issues #29 and 30 say Siryn is the oldest on the team. So my guess is that X-Force ranges in age from 18 to 22. Still young enough to enter college as traditional freshman, but not wet behind their ears anymore, either. The next time someone calls them "kids", I swear I'm gonna...
Misbegotten: Okay, moving on! What order did all the X-Force characters appear in?
Red: I'm not sure exactly, but I know most of the succession. Siryn was the first to appear, in an issue of Spiderwoman published in mid-1981. Caliban appeared a few months later in Uncanny X-Men. Then Sam, Bobby, and Dani appeared in New Mutants. Yes, I still consider Sam to be somewhat of a member of X-Force. Then Warpath, who was then called Thunderbird II, appeared in the New Mutants as a member of the Hellions. Then the part where I'm a little foggy comes. I believe baby Nathan was born not too long before Tabitha and Julio appeared, who joined X-Factor's recruit team. They then joined the New Mutants. A few years later, Cable appeared in all his cynical, hardened, over-the-hill, gun-toting glory in New Mutants. Vanessa impersonating Domino appeared at about the same time. A short time later, Shatterstar and Feral appeared. When X-Force is well underway, the real Domino appears. About 15 issues later, she joins X-Force. There, that's the succession as my somewhat New Mutants-ignorant mind has processed it.
Fluffy: What was the X-Cutioner's Song and why does it make you so angry?
Red:WARNING: I may offend some X-Men and X-Factor fans pretty soon, so if you fall into either of those categories, you have been forewarned, got it? Okay, I’m going to give you a rather incomplete, and very biased, but well-deserved summary of the X-Cutioner’s Song. Stryfe sashays by and shoots Professor X. He tells everyone he’s Cable. Then he leaves. The X-Men and X-Factor can’t find Cable or Stryfe, so instead they opt to gang up on X-Force, and bully them into submission. (I think that’s where S.H.I.E.L.D. took their cues from!) X-Force insists they don’t know where Cable is or what he is up to, but the other teams, who are supposed to know most of “the kids” pretty well, refuse to believe them! So the X-Men and X-Factor overpower X-Force, and lock them up, never considering that perhaps these kids don’t have anything to do with the guy who shot their beloved Professor. The X-Men go gallivanting around, fighting the Dark Riders, teaming up with Apocalypse (but incarcerating X-Force gee, I can really see the logic in that!), doing other fun stuff like that, when Cable comes along, chases Stryfe into a temporal vortex that no one knows how to get out of, and makes the X-Men and X-Factor feel really guilty about thinking Cable was their enemy when he was really their only hope. Of course, they still keep X-Force under house arrest, and don't let them free until after much name-calling and acrimony takes place. And Val Cooper, X-Factor's pet human, gets really mad at Xavier for letting X-Force free. Don't ask me why, I guess she's just nuts. And guess what else? Neither of these groups has apologized in all the time that's passed since. (Remember, you were all forewarned.)
Rose: What was the AoA?
Red: X-Force got pretty badly slighted in the AoA, too. They weren't treated with the same insensitivity as in the X-Cutioner's Song, but it still wasn't the least bit amusing from the point of view of an X-Force fan. Okay, Xavier got killed 20 years in the past. So this radically changes the history of the X-Teams and the world in general. All the teams were drastically transformed. X-Force was practically wiped out. The series was replaced by a fill-in called Gambit and the X-Ternals, which was supposed to be the AoA version of X-Force, but it really wasn't. It should have been called "Gambit and his Little Friends." Sunspot was a hero in X-Ternals, Rictor was a villain in it, and they were the only two X-Forcers to appear in the book. Siryn appeared as a weak, un-brogued, flightless, barely-powered little wuss named Sonique, who had just discovered her power. She was a regular in X-Man. Nathan was X-Man, an impulsive little boy whose powers are now out of control. Domino appeared as a red-clad villain in X-Man. Caliban also appeared as a villain in X-Man, but he didn't appear in X-Force until just after the AoA. Sam appeared as one of Havok's lackeys in Factor-X. Tabitha, James, Shatterstar, and Feral were nowhere to be seen. Although James' older brother, John, was alive and well in the replacement title for Excalibur. Even worse, after the AoA was over, X-Force wasn't the same. They were reduced to junior X-Men, put in really ugly uniforms, and stopped kicking butt on a grand scale. It was like they wanted to be X-Force, but had less skill than Generation X.
Mommy: Who is stronger: Sunspot or Warpath?
Red: You know what? Nobody knows for sure! Cable, back in the early days, said Warpath was the stronger one by a margin, and that he keeps on getting stronger, but Sunspot may have beefed up since then. Some people are convinced that Sunspot simply must be the stronger one, but they don't have anything to support their claim. I lean toward the notion that Warpath is the stronger one, but I'm a silly white girl and I don't know what I'm talking about. The folks who think Sunspot is the stronger one don't know what they're talking about, either. Go read the full run of X-Force and make your own assessment! And if you really want to know for sure, go ask Marvel. They're pretty good at settling these matters. If hundreds of people write in asking about it and no one gets an answer, not even Marvel knows for sure! And while you're at it, ask them if Siryn and Warpath are ever going to get together, would you, dear? Inquiring minds want to know about that one, too. And ask them if Sam is really just a mere mortal after all, like the Black Queen said. Ask them what happened with that little interlude in issue #42. And ask them where Dazzler and Longshot's baby is, if it's not Shatterstar. And ask them if the X-Men and X-Factor are ever going to apologize to X-Force for the egregious show of condescension that was the X-Cutioner's Song. Ask them when Siryn is going to find out her Uncle Tom is dead. Ask them what the White Queen was trying to accomplish by harassing James and slamming X-Force and Cable in issue #42. Ask them about any and all loose plot threads you can think of.
Fluffy: Who are Fabian Nicieza, Greg Capullo, and Tony Daniels?
Red: Fabian Nicieza is a god among writers. I've heard he did some pretty lousy writing on X-Men, but we're not tawkin' 'bout no X-Men heah! He gave X-Force witty, searing dialogue in the grim days of being plotted by Rob Liefeld, then when Rob left, he breathed life into them, turned them into warriors of an honorable caliber, made them strong, allowed them independence for a time, made people like me love them. He will live in the heart of every X-Force fan forever. Except the ones who started reading after he left. But I don't know if there are very many of them. I guess you could call Fabian the Chris Claremont of X-Force. People even hate his successor!
Greg Capullo was the first good regular artist to pencil X-Force. His style is crisp, clean, and suited to the book and the team if features. He came up with some great costumes for the team. And he brought the book to a visual level, he didn't just draw a bunch of character shots and call it a comic.
Tony Daniels was the next good artist to pencil the book. He took some getting used to, but his art was distinctive without ever being sloppy or inappropriate. The book looked original, yet professional. He had a nasty habit of placing the characters in very painful-looking poses, but his art told the story so well you almost didn't need to look at the dialogue. It's a rare artist who can do that.
Mommy: Who are Jeph Loeb and Adam Pollina?
Red: Jeph Loeb was the writer who took over after Fabian Nicieza left. He really isn't a bad writer. He can tell a pretty good story, and his characterization is engaging, but he shouldn't have been allowed to touch X-Force with a ten-foot pole! Where do I start? First of all, he put them into the role of junior X-Men, and turned them into a team that you "graduate" out of. Where did that come from? A rule of thumb: If the direction the book was going in works, don't turn it backwards! Second of all, he kept on having them lose all their battles, which was not the least bit amusing. Either they lost by a landslide, or one character (usually Cable) won the whole fight while the rest of the team got its butt kicked. But his characterization (except for turning Shatterstar into a wimp) made his run tolerable. For instance, he turned little Tabitha into a strong woman and gave her a power boost without permanently turning her into a mindless bad girl. Yes, some fans think she's changed for the worse, but in truth, if Sam had stayed with the team, she'd still be sweet little Boomer. Another characterization victory for Loeb was that he put some energy into dealing with Warpath and Siryn. Fabian was good enough to start their relationship, but unfortunately, he left it hanging for a time. Loeb didn't stay around long enough to resolve it, but he made it an issue. That was very nice of him. Caliban's depiction has been rather controversial. Some say he's useless and pathetically stupid and needs to be canned, but others, like me, say he's funny and sweet. In a world full of mutants being persecuted from all sides and having internal problems besides genetic and philosophical persecution, it's nice to have a little comic relief. But honestly, the characterization and dialogue made his run bearable on a day-to-day basis to hard-core fans, but looking back, the change of direction and drop in plot quality makes me want to hurl. Another rule of thumb: Own at least the most recent half of the full run of the comic you're about to start writing, so you know what you're talking, er, writing about!
Adam Pollina is the current penciller of X-Force, he took over after Tony Daniels left. He was extremely popular from the start. His style is very original, I'll give him that, but it's not terribly well-executed or technically proficient. Everyone around me loves him, but I just don't get it! His art is so fluid it's out of control. It's so emotional it's incoherent. What was he thinking when he cooked up those uniforms? Was it really necessary to make Warpath look like a militia punk? I thought the book was supposed to look professional and precise rather than raw and underground. Fortunately, the uniforms aren't being used right now, Warpath is letting his hair grow back out a little, and Adam seems to be calming himself down sometimes. And he's the first artist who's shown the dedication to stay with the book for more than 14 months. So I'll let him live. Issue #81 will be his last. So much for dedication!
Mommy: Who is John Francis Moore?
Red: John Francis Moore is the current writer of X-Force. He's very good. He's managed to correct the directional damage done by Jeph Loeb, his plots are excellent, and so far, his character development has been interesting. But speaking of characters: he doesn't seem to know very much about them. Now don't get me wrong, he knows what they're supposed to be like as a team, but as individuals, he needs to do a little research. For instance, he keeps on making background snafus with Siryn and characterizing her really badly, he seems to think Tabitha is the mechanic on the team (try James and Theresa) and he hasn't demonstrated much of any background knowledge with the other characters. But that's a minor annoyance that can be easily remedied. Just get me in the same room with him with my comic collection and a bullhorn and he'll be perfect! Next!
Loudmouth: Who is this Rob Liefeld person everyone keeps smashing?
Red: Rob Liefeld plotted and pencilled X-Force in its earlier days. He's not original, he can't write or draw worth a damn, but he did bring X-Force together, so there's a limit to how much I can hate him.
Professor of Nuttiness: Who is Marie Javins?
Red: Marie Javins is the goddess of color. She has been the regular colorist on X-Force for... well, quite a long time. In fact, she's the longest-running non-editor on the comic! Her colors are lovely, well-done, and artistic. She deserves to be mentioned here.
Fluffy: Okay, what is fan fiction and what is the situation of X-Force with it?
Red: Fan fiction, sometimes called "fanfic", is a fan-written story about copyrighted characters, written without the owner's supervision, affiliation, or permission, which is shown to the public without charge. Much fan fiction is written about comic book characters. Especially the X-Books. To find X-Force stories, go to Alternate Timelines and get comfortable, because you'll be there a long time!
Rose: What is X-Force's damage rate?
Red Bah! X-Force has a reputation for being indiscriminately destructive, but it's all a lot of exaggeration, really. Most of their damage record is from the early days, and the only difference between them and any other independent X-Team (that's right, Jeph Loeb, they're independent, dammit!) is that they don't worry about it. Juggernaut knocking over the World Trade Center comes to mind. So do issues #13-14, where Crule (an enemy of theirs) bursts through the wall of the IPAC, which was the team's aircraft at the time, and X-Force demolished a little expensive architecture while saving Bobby. And then, in the early #20's, when they dumped the temporal displacement core into the ocean, blew a big hole in the side of Gideon's house while rescuing Tabitha, James, and Theresa, and then knocked out a few walls in another house in order to rescue Rusty and Skids. Most of that was either done by their enemies, or done by them to rescue friends. Then there was Mr. Sinister vaporizing the X-Mansion while beating up on X-Force. And just now, Siryn messed up Dr. Martynec's lab after he shot Jimmy full of amphetamine! And Reignfire's been leaving a trail of destruction in X-Force's wake. When you think about it, most of the damage associated with them was inflicted by villains, and the only thing remarkably destructive about them is that they don't wince or dwell on it when they break something large and expensive. "Well, we just vaporized the top of a valuable government building, now let's get on with our lives!" How I love this bunch.
Misbegotten: How many deceased does X-Force have?
Red: None. Jimmy died for a few minutes, but they brought him back! Sammy almost died really early in the series, but almost only counts with horseshoes and hand-grenades! So far, everyone who has ever been an X-Forcer has lived to tell about it.
Mommy: What is the comic's track record with creators?
Red: Hmm, now let's see, artists are the most transitory. Rob Liefeld pencilled from #1-10, then Mark Pacella filled in through #11-13. Greg Capullo drew the book from #15-25, and was followed by Matt Broome, a guest penciller. Tony Daniel became the regular penciller in issue #30 and kept on through #43. Adam Pollina came in at issue #44 and continued through #56. Then Anthony Castrillo filled in with issues #57-60. Kevin Lau did #61-62, but since the fan reaction was really awful, that was all he did. Adam Pollina did the last few pages of #62, and Anthony Castrillo did issues #63-64. Then Adam Pollina took over again and has been the regular penciller since then. And of course there have been several guest pencillers along the way.
Writers tend to stay around a little longer. Rob Liefeld plotted the book up through issue #12, with Fabian Nicieza doing dialogue. Nicieza took over full writing duty in issue #13 and continued up through #43. Jeph Loeb took over with #44 and went on through #61. John Francis Moore started up with #63 and has been the regular writer since.
Inkers are very transitory, and as I mentioned earlier, Marie Javins, a colorist, has working on the book longer than anyone else. But even she doesn't do every issue. So far, my favorite inker is Mark Morales. Most of the other inkers to work on the book are quite good, but when Mark Morales inks over Adam Pollina's work, it never looks all that bad. Any other questions?
Rose: What's the chronicle of relationships in X-Force?
Red: X-Force is pretty straightforward with their relationships. Cable and Domino have had a fragile, but rather steady, relationship for most of the series. Siryn and Warpath have an undefined relationship, and she had ties to Deadpool as well for a time. He had a doomed fling with Risque that led to Dumpsville. Feral used to call Shatterstar "Shattybuns". Cannonball went with Tabitha for most of the series, despite a little jealousy from Rictor. Sunspot and Tabitha gettin' together! Fan speculation holds that Shatterstar is homosexually attracted to Rictor! But don't get too excited, there is no solid evidence for this in the comic books. That's about it for X-Force. New Mutants were another story. Oh my God, you should have seen those kids! Cannonball had a crush on Amara, and been linked with Lila Cheney and Boomer/Meltdown! Boomer/Meltdown has been linked with Rictor and Cannonball. Rictor has gone with Tabitha and Rahne. Rahne has gone with Rictor, Doug, and the Wolf Prince! Doug has gone with Rahne and Psylocke! Don't ask, I don't know why. There were some hints of attraction between Dani and James when the New Mutants were connected to the Hellions. Rahne felt attracted to Sammy and Bobby at the same time! Am I missing anything? I don't think I have all the pairings in the right orders, and I won't try to get them all chronologized, either. X-Force seems to have slightly better control over their hormones.
Mommy: What is X-Force's niche in the X-Universe?
Red: Hmmm, that's a tough one. The X-Men are where it all began, X-Factor is the government-team-gone-renegade, Generation X are training to be X-Men, Excalibur are the Europe-based team. So where does that leave X-Force? Their predecessors were the New Mutants, which were much like Generation X, but they’ve evolved out of that role. They used to be thought of as the “mutant strike force”, but that description really doesn’t do them justice anymore. They’re in a transition right now, who knows where they might fit in when they find a new direction? But they’ve always had one thinhg in common that bound them together, right from the start, and still holds: They want to contribute, but don’t fit in with any other team. Remember what Siryn said when Professor X told her she could have joined the X-Men in stead of X-Force. “I wanted to be with people who were like me. People who were dead inside, as well. Too wounded, too angry, to be with anyone else.” That’s what Cable was thinking when he took the New Mutants under his wing, and that’s what the rest of X-Force was thinking when they banded together.
Professor of Nuttiness: Who have been X-Force's leaders?
Red: Lessee now. The New Mutants were alternately mentored by Professor Xavier and Magneto. When X-Force formed, Cable led them faithfully until issue #14, when he split, so Sammy led the team up through issue #24. Then Cable came back, stayed with the team very nicely, with Sam helping him as the deputy leader. Then, after the AoA, Sam joined the X-Men, Siryn was appointed deputy leader. Domino leads the team whenever Cable goes AWOL up until issue #66, when Dom's not available, so Siryn exercises her atrophying authority. Cable just left the team on their own. Right now Theresa is the official leader/mother hen of the group, but mostly they all work together without orders. Isn't that nice? Any more questions?
Fluffy: I'm afraid of having another question answered!
Red: What's your problem?
Fluffy: I'll tell you what my problem is! You can't give us the story on anybody or anything without throwing in your little opinions!
Red: Hey, if you want my knowledge, you'll have to put up with my point of view!
Fluffy: A very skewed point of view!
Red: It's the point of view of an X-Force fan! And I'm proud of it! If MST3K can get away with what it does and still be so disturbingly popular, then I can get away with this! And if I wasn't such a bigmouth, you Troupers wouldn't have half the fun you have! That's right, you guys. You know you wouldn't want it any other way... so take me as I am.
Special thanks go to Pedrito Pryor for providing the information on Karma, and to Vindicator and Indigo for filling my opportunistic head with ideas for questions.
-The Trüpe's back and they brought the Monster!