Writer: Ben Percy

Art: Joshua Cassara, Dean White, Guru-eFX, VC’s Joe Caramagna, Tom Muller, Dustin Weaver, and Edgar Delgado

Price: $3.99

Release Date: January 8th, 2020

Ben Percy immediately explodes out of X-FORCE #5 with an avalanche of warfare matched solely by Joshua Cassara’s extremely graphic illustrations suited for advanced audiences and those readers looking for some horrifyingly detailed panels and pages. The first words that came to this reader’s mind were gruesome, vivid, aggressively dark, and violently energetic. From Jump Street, Percy elevates the pace, throws in some key players, and explains a few extra details about the island as well as it’s techno-organic weapons that will leave readers awestruck. Before you know it, the issue will be over leaving readers finally feeling satisfied after the crap the humans have been pulling these past couple months since the Dawn of X.

Some of this reviewer’s highlights from the issue were the further development of Gateway, the relentless pursuit of Wolverine, the humorous side effects of Black Tom and Krakoa’s relationship, and the evolution of a downtrodden Domino. Package up these with Cassara’s bone-chillingly frightening panels and readers will depart with one of the best X-FORCE issues to date if not one of the best issues of any Dawn of X title. Percy and Cassara work beautifully together throughout the entire issue to express an intense and serious atmosphere that has been drastically needed and frankly has been lacking since the Dawn of X began.

As the issue closed, this reviewer left with only a few related questions that will hopefully be answered or explained as the series moves forward. How are the writers going to continue to address and hold weight and merit to the death of any mutant? At this point, death seems so incredibly pointless to throw out as an ultimatum to readers, which in turn lowers the stakes of all X-books moving forward. So, what becomes the worst thing that could happen to our fun-loving mutants? Furthermore, as amazingly entertaining as this issue was, there wasn’t a ton of plot. Sure, the fights were wildly creative but the issue lacked in the substance that was once the driving force behind the series. Don’t get me wrong, this was a fantastically fun read. However, can Percy give us both an extremely vivid plot with an insanely epic throw down as a package deal? This reviewer doesn’t see why not.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you’ve been searching for highly intense action, epic thrills, and over the top, supercharged, graphic displays, look no further than X-FORCE #5. Percy has given X-fans the mayhem that has been missing since HOXPOX. Readers will leave this stimulating issue stunned by Cassara’s art and wanting this type of story to continue. This issue proves that Percy’s X-FORCE is meant for an explicit purpose and readers should jump in prepared for a darker and more aggressive take that has truly been forgotten from Marvel Comics for a long time now. Pick this issue up and let me know what you think!