X-Force #19 Review: Finding the Trigger

Hey, everyone, jrpbsp here… Up next for this week is another big issue of ‘X-Force’.  Hope you enjoy it.

X-Force #19 cover X-Force #19 (details | thread)
Writers: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Art: Mike Choi & Sonia Oback

SPOILERS BELOW…

RECAP: The issue opens with Agent Morales being interviewed for a position with the Facility by a man named Young. While she does not like the idea of using a child as an assassin, she is shown the files of all the people X-23 has killed and told she will be eliminated if she should refuse the offer. Morales decides against the job and takes out Young quickly.

Kimura is in the process of cutting off Laura’s other arm when Morales interrupts the process by shooting Kimura in the head. She frees Laura and X-23 grabs her severed arm and they start to exit the room while Kimura is regaining her wits. The agent is unaware of X-23’s healing and is shocked at how she is able to function.

Back with the X-Men, Elixir has gone into a coma after saving Surge and is being helped by the Science team while his friends look on. Heller wants to look for X-23 but Scott refuses saying Wolverine will handle it.

Bastion contacts Pierce within the X-Men’s prison and tells him to remain in place and monitor the Leper Queen’s body. Meanwhile, Wolverine and Domino are pushing the Cuckoos to their limit to locate Laura. They fail repeatedly but do find Rahne.

Wolfsbane and her Prince have just defeated the Frost Giants and Rahne transforms to her intermediate form and immediately collapses to the snow. At the same time, Selene is in New Orleans and has gotten a new reanimated mutant that Caliban has found. It is Destiny.

Back in the Facility base, Laura has informed Morales that Kimura is bulletproof. The agent asks what they should do and X-23 tells her to run. They flee down the hall and Laura is able to drop a security door on her enemy pinning the woman in place. Kimura then orders the building to be locked down.

The fugitives are trying to figure out a plan. Morales thinks Laura would know the layout but the girl did not grow up there. She gives Morales a hard time about not doing proper research and then asks why the agent wants to help her. They are interrupted by guards but manage to flee through a closing security door.

The women end up in a lab where they continue their argument. It ends when Laura sees a vial of the trigger scent in Morales hand. When X-23 pops her claws, Morales drops the vial but Laura catches it. A look around shows huge vats of the scent being manufactured.

MY TAKE: This was another strong issue which thankfully kept most of its focus on Laura’s plight. I admit to immediately opening the issue and checking on her status after last month’s ending and that is definitely a good sign for any comic. I cared enough to feel a legitimate sense of urgency about her situation.

That is not to say there are not weak points. As much as I like Wolfsbane, I do not think her current story line is very interesting. Hopefully that will change because right now it is taking up pages. I feel the same about Bastion. It seems like they are trying to balance too many plots and bad guys rather then focusing just on the current one, The  Facility, and the next, Selene.

The big reveal of Destiny returning was not much of a surprise considering her power. Though I am not sure how much of an impact her coming back will have without Mystique being on the team. But assuming the techno-zombies survive Necrosha we could see some interesting interactions later.

The X-23 bits were good although I would prefer to see her breaking out of her mold a little more. She did have some nice moments at the end when she admitted her past, but it was a bit too confrontational otherwise. Also, I kept wanting her to put her arm back on the whole time rather then carrying it.

I am interested in how this is going to end up and Agent Morales is a good enough character to want to see her continue past this storyline. I hope it ends with the Facility being neutered or destroyed, however for they are too generic to be villains that I care about and having it hanging over Laura’s head is just a distraction.

In the end this was another good story in a very well-done series. I am glad that X-23 is getting the spotlight for this run and I hope it leads to more character development and a stronger personality in general. While I enjoy the tough girl, Laura is better when she can express her vulnerability as well. Hopefully this will all be addressed before the next story begins.

Thanks for reading my review for Wolverine Files. I will be keeping to this format for the most part but please keep the comments coming and I will see everyone again next time.

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