Review: Uncanny X-Force #3

UNCANNY X-FORCE #3 PREVIEW

WRITER:  Rick Remender

ART:  Jerome Opena

COLOR ART:  Dean White

LETTERS:  VC's Cory Petit

COVER:  Esad Ribic

PUBLISHER:  Marvel

RELEASE DATE:  December 15,2010

The "all new, all different" X-Force team has not fared so well in their quest to assassinate the reborn Apocalypse. They have been ravaged by the combined might of "The Final Horsemen" and left for dead on the surface of the moon. As the team becomes separated, one alone emerges that will face the X-Men's deadliest foe - but will they continue upon their quest for annihilation when they realize they were sent to slaughter a child?

Remender, Opena and White have created an X-book that is the pinnacle of perfection. Dark, moody and amazing art combines with compelling prose to make this the best X-book on the stands. Not only does Remender bring a heightened level of characterization to our heroes, but he also makes their fantastical situations believable. There is a perfect balance of high octane battles, melancholy flashbacks and, of course, Deadpool's patented levity, to make this book perfect for any comic fan.

Remender flexes his writing muscles in the books opening flash-back scenes. With but a single page each, Remender makes each of Apocalypse's "Final Horsemen" a rich, compelling character. We are privy to their entire horrific lives in only five panels, but it is more than enough for readers to feel both sympathy and fear for them. As we all know, the best villains are ones that we can relate to, ones that usually have more in common with us than our favorite heroes do. With only two appearances, these "Final Horsemen", have become some of my favorite X villains. Especially Jeb Lee, Famine, there is just something eerily horrific about a man stoically drumming across the land killing everything in his path. It is unusual in today's market to create compelling new characters, so kudos to Remender for not only envisioning one but four.

If you are not reading this book, you are truly missing out on an amazing read! So add it to your pull list and you will not be disappointed!