Inglorious X-Force #8
"Kali Quest"
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Luca Maresca
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Cover Artist: R.B. Silva and David Curiel
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Things are starting to come to a head now, and all of the disparate characters and plotlines of Inglorious X-Force seem to be converging.
X Marks the Spot
Starting off with a little bit of a recap, we see Cable dictating a report to himself about both the hunt for Ms. Marvel's future murderer and also for the Mutant Liberation Front leader Kali Sez. In the meantime, the future mutant president has made a deal with Resonant of the MLF: he leads them to where they can find Kali, and X-Force will let him and his teammates go.
It turns out that Kali is broadcasting from rural Texas, which is a far cry from the "Ocean of Nectar" she claims to be based out of. X-Force learns the hard way that she has access to Sentinel technology, as they are attacked by faces out of their own pasts. As for Kali, she has a variety of powers brought to her through hard-light technology powered by AI.
After X-Force battles the MLF, Cable finds himself pulled to the future, where we get some more hints as to what is currently possessing him. Meanwhile, back in the present day, Domino finds her memories have returned—so she has gathered an X-Force team of her own in order to confront Cable...
Fake News
A lot of the various stories running throughout this series are starting to circle each other and will soon collide. It's cool to see everything that's been at play in the past seven issues start to come together here in issue #8. I think it's clear there's still a lot that needs to be revealed and resolved, so I actually have some faith that this series will last past issue #10.
There's so much to like about this book. The character work is great—Cable is a complicated character, but he can be so interesting if you get him right. And Tim Seeley gets him very right. It's fascinating to see how all of Cable's decision-making processes are based around his having to fight for survival in a dark future ever since he was a small child. But that doesn't mean that he and his dad Cyclops can't still get together and enjoy some father-son time, as they did in issue #7. Of course, we also know that Cable is possessed by some other being, and so that makes some of his decisions even more interesting—did he make them, or did his Dark Passenger?
Outside of movement on the Cable front, the other big issue this month was the truth about Kali and the MLF. I've thought since issue #1 that her whole schtick was going to be a facade, and I was mostly right. The reveal that she's just a woman with hard-light tech, an AI, and a producer said so much about her whole "influencer" image. About the world we live in, too. Even when X-Force attacks, her first instinct being to move the cameras and keep rolling was sadly realistic.
Kali's Sentinel tech turning into personalized opponents for each member of the team made for some cool images and matchups, and a couple of funny moments. I loved when they throw the Beyonder at Boom-Boom, and she's like "We hung out once for five minutes!"
Speaking of Boomer, I really enjoyed the joke of Cable stealing her old Pink Walkman and using it for his transcription device, and her catching him with it. Dude's from the future, has all of this advanced tech, and he's using his teammate's bright pink Walkman? Funny stuff.
This being X-Force, it's not all fun and games, though. We get a few more hints as to what is wrong with Cable, and a dark turn where he's forced to kill a (relative) innocent in order to keep his secret. The closing scenes where he ends up in his own future-past were very interesting—I actually remember his first solo stuff, where he had the beard and the ponytail (shudder). Is Seeley implying that Cable's been carrying this thing around since then? I don't see how that's possible...
Nates of Future Past
Tim Seeley has been telling a long-form story in the classic X-Men style with this series, giving us stand-alone stories that have subplots and character beats that are ongoing. This issue, he starts to bring all these things closer together, and because he's spent so much time building everything, it works really well. I like how he uses Cable's musings about time traveling as much as he does to bookend the issue, as whatever seems to be wrong with Nate does seem to be tied to his past, which is the future. The rest of the team doesn't get too much dialogue this time around, but the few lines they do get continue their development as individuals and as a team.
Our artist this issue is Luca Maresca, whose work is similar to the "house style" the series has maintained. Everything is clean and well-detailed, although faces can be a bit too soft—especially Cable's, which definitely needs some stubble or something. He looks like way too much of a baby face. The action, which makes up a decent chunk of the issue, is well-choreographed and enjoyable to watch with all of the cameo appearances. Although I admit I'm unsure why they would consider Elsa Bloodstone to be a "personal" foe for Boom-Boom—weren't they actually teammates in Nextwave?
Romulo Fajardo Jr.'s colors have been a consistent presence in this title even as the artist has rotated a few times. He's got a clean style that comes across as brighter than something like Punisher would, but still not so bright that it looks like a cartoon. I find it very interesting how the scene in the issue with the darkest shades isn't the one in Cable's future, but rather the quiet conversation between Ms. Marvel and Resonant on the plane. Knowing what ultimately happens to him, it gives the scene an ominous and tragic feel. There's plenty of power effects on display throughout, and he's able to keep them interesting and varied.
Oh, I have to make a quick mention. I'm not sure who is responsible for the actual layout and ad placement of the issue—but whoever it is, please don't put the pages previewing what's coming up in the X-Office before the last few pages of the story. I thought we had a very strange and abrupt cliffhanger, and almost didn't turn the last few pages, so I very nearly missed the last four or so pages of the issue. Just not good placement.
Burning Time
All in all, Inglorious X-Force #8 is a strong issue that moves the overarching plot ahead while still featuring interesting character bits and enjoyable action. The fuse has been lit, and as Cable's X-Force looks to collide with Domino's new team, the powder keg is set to explode. The question now is who will crawl out of the ashes afterward, and will they be able to save Cable from whatever is wrong with him?