There are a lot of X-titles currently being published. I mean, A LOT. Some may argue that there may be too many and too much of a good thing. If you read my Marvel columns regularly, you won’t be surprised that I actually think the abundance of X-titles is a good thing, as it allows for the massive amount of mutant characters in the Marvel canon to get their share of the spotlight.
Case in point, one Quentin Quire. The narcissistic, Omega-level mutant who was first introduced back in New X-Men #134, created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely has been in and out of X-focus over the last decade, and he’s recently become a focal point of the ongoing X-Force series written by Benjamin Percy and illustrated by Joshua Cassara.
In issue #17, the story focuses around Quire’s relationship with Sophie Cuckoo, one of the Stepford Cuckoos, and dives deeper into the character’s origin and what lays underneath his admittedly obnoxious veneer. We watch as Quire deals with the repercussions of of constant death and rebirth that the mutants of Krakoa now face.
Percy gives greater depth to a character that, I must admit, I never really cared for whenever he appeared. But, every great character has a great backstory to go with it. Along with Percy’s words, artist Joshua Cassara does excellent work in an issue that is less action heavy and more conversational. Particularly exceptional is the first three panels of page 19 (digital) where Quire sheds a tear that Sophie catches and tastes. It’s dramatic without being heavy-handed, and helps open up the dynamics between the two.
There have been many books that have had the name X-Force, many of them classic and enduring. While it’s relatively early in this volume’s run, with storytelling like what’s found in X-Force #17, it feels as though this X-Force could very well wind up joining the pantheon.
