Uncanny X-Force #4

I've mentioned before that I was away from comics for quite a few years.  One of the things that I missed during that time was the New X-Men series from Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey and with it the introduction of Fantomex.  When the new X-Force (Vol. 3) was announced, I had to do some reading on him and his background.  Even after digging through several wiki's and issue recaps I was still a little confused as far as what exactly his powers were and what the hell E.V.A. was.  Well, we're four issues into Remender and Opena's Uncanny X-Force and Fantomex is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.

I've seen some Fantomex detractors on a few forums but this issue alone should change any doubtful minds.  Remender had me thinking that Wolverine would have to step up at the end.  And then...  Bam!  It's Fantomex that comes through.  Outside of the disturbing scene with Deadpool and Archangel, the issue was great.  Depending on what Remender has planned for later, this issue could end up being a key issue.  Of all the X-books, I've given up on everything except for Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, and X-Factor, but this series is by far the best.

What If?

Recently I decided to start collecting all of the Marvel What If? comics. These appeal to me probably because I'm such a stickler for continuity. Let's please have continuity in the 616 universe and either make more What If books or multiverse titles.

To get started I picked up the latest three: Iron Man Demon in an Armor, Wolverine Father, and Spiderman. The standout of these three is by far Wolverine Father. The writing by Rob Williams is beautiful. It's been awhile since I read a comic that took me through such a wide range of emotions so easily in just a few pages. Though it was really brought to life by Greg Tocchini's art and Chris Sotomayor's colors. The panels of Wolverine holding the baby Daken over Itsu's body were touching. I highly recommend this one.

In a clever move on Marvel's part, there is a four part Deadpool story, "What If: The Venom Symbiote Possessed Deadpool," written by Rick Remender running through these three and next week's What If Dark Reign. This story alone is worth the 16 bucks it'll cost for all four books. This is the funniest thing I've read in a comic book in ages. Based on some of the interviews I've read Remender is big on continuity and there are loads of jokes in here about how bad it is in the Marvel universe. I hope Marvel publishes this story in maybe a thin TPB (trade paperback) so that more people will get to enjoy it.

UPDATE:  Thanks to Geek Elixir who pointed out that Marvel will release this four part Deadpool What If? series in a one-shot on 16 Feb 2011.