X-Lapsed, Episode 091 – X-Force #11 (2020)
X-Lapsed, Episode Ninety One
X-Force (vol.6) #11 (October, 2020)
“Red Dawn”
Writer – Benjamin Percy
Art – Bazaldua
Colors – GURU-eFX
Letters – VC’s Joe Caramagna
Design – Tom Muller
Head of X – Hickman
Edits – Robinson, White, Cebulski
Cover Price: $3.99
On-Sale: August 12, 2020
The Path to #EcksofTens rolls on… and we start getting some swords into hands! If you’re excited for the big ol’ slobberknocker between Colossus and Omega Red that the cover suggests then… hoo boy, you’re gonna love this one!
In addition to the story, I talk a lot about X-Force tropes… and why the overreliance on them is kind of dragging these issues down a peg for me.
Also: Great listener mail!
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@acecomics / @cosmictmill / 90sxmen@gmail.com
I read this issue on New Year's Eve and listened to the episode on New Year's Day and in between I forgot every element of this story. I'm not a drinker so it's not like I'm listening with a hangover. It just left very little impression on me.
What did stick with me is the fact that the description of the issue on Marvel Unlimited refers to X-Force as the Mutant CIA. I think we might have an explanation of why the Russians are the villains of this book. Percy is not an expert in subtlety. He is clearly trying to reflect the real World and he therefore decided that Russia is the biggest villain on the World stage. He may not be wrong but he might have come up with a subtler and better story if he had used the international power struggle between Russia, China, America and the EU and how they would all be jockeying for position with a new nation. House of X number 1 even set it all up. I don't believe that Russia would take a purely antagonistic position to Krakoa in the way of a comic book supervilllain. There would be different responses on different levels always seeking to increase Russia's power in the World.
Ultimately I think Russia was chosen to be villainous in order to give a real World parallel to the events of X-Force 12 which you haven't got to yet. They want to make a comparison between the CIA/US Government and the Mutant CIA so they need a rogue state in the story. By the way it's taking all my self control not to add an expletive every time I reference the Mutant CIA because it is such a stupid and juvenile reference. It feels very "look at me my writing is deep" which just gets me angry.
Why is this labelled as an Ecchs of Tens lead-in? I have read all of Ecchs of Tens and I see no connection to this issue. The only possible way this links to Ecchs of Tens is by getting a guest artist in so that Cassara can draw lots of the crossover. I hope that label was put on the book by marketing with no input by editorial as it is a lie.