X-Force Epic Collection, Vol. 2: X-Cutioner's Song

X-Force Epic Collection

by Fabian Nicieza, Scott Lobdell, Peter David

Stryfe strikes! First, Cable dives headfirst into his own explosive limited series as secrets from his past are revealed! Then, when Professor X is attacked - and Cable is the prime suspect - X-Factor and the X-Men hunt down X-Force! Mr. Sinister, the Horsemen of Apocalypse and the Mutant Liberation Front are all embroiled in the epic confl ict, as Cable's archenemy Stryfe orchestrates his vengeance on the world! Can the combined X-teams rescue Cyclops and Jean Grey? Will Apocalypse save Professor X's life? And what is the shocking connection between Stryfe and Cable? In the battle's aftermath, X-Force must decide their own fate. It's time for new costumes, new purpose...and a new direction!

COLLECTING: CABLE: BLOOD & METAL 1-2, UNCANNY X-MEN (1981) 294-296, X-FACTOR (1986) 84-86, X-MEN (1991) 14-16, X-FORCE (1991) 16-19, STRYFE'S STRIKE FILE 1, NEW WARRIORS (1990) 31

Genres: Comics, X Men, Marvel, Comic Book, Graphic Novels

496 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2019

About the author

Fabian Nicieza is a writer and editor who is best known as the co-creator of DEADPOOL and for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, and Robin.

His first novel, the Edgar Award-nominated SUBURBAN DICKS, a sarcastic murder mystery, is on sale now from Putnam Books.

The Dicks will return in THE SELF-MADE WIDOW, coming June 21st.

Reviews

[Tom Ewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Image founders’ rapid ascent at Marvel and equally rapid departure left the editorial staff and remaining creators with a problem - Rob, Jim, Whilce et al had left them with an absurdly bombastic style and an excess of new characters, and readers who wanted more of both. But some - most, even - of these new characters were, to put it mildly, dumb as fuck. Perhaps the worst of them all was Rob Liefeld’s Stryfe, a man in a ridiculous suit of spiky armour with no motivation or background except for the fact that he looked exactly like Liefeld’s other character Cable. What could their mysterious connection be? Rob buggered off before much of anything had been revealed, leaving his absurd inheritance to his successors.

So the idea of a 12-part Summer crossover entirely centred on Stryfe and tying up these loose ends was inevitable (demand, meet supply) but also should have been terrible. And at the time, it felt terrible - this was the storyline that finally got me to throw in the X-Towel as a serious-minded teen.

But revisiting X-Cutioner’s Song was, to my amazement, something of a joy. It’s a condensed blast of everything entertaining about the 90s X-Men - the angst, the preposterous dialogue, the power poses - done by a bunch of creators who, at this point at least, aren’t entirely taking it seriously. There’s a carnival spirit about the whole thing - a story that is basically a 12-episode fight scene between everyone regularly in the comics at that point, including three separate teams of cannon-fodder henchmutants. Bits - the bitching between ultra-macho trio Cable, Wolverine and Bishop - are intentionally funny. Other bits - dialogue like “Very well then - if FORCE is the tongue you wish to hear - then listen to my TORTURED SOUL!!” - perhaps not quite as intentional.

Readers who find themselves emotionally invested in the fate of Stryfe and Cable - unlikely but not impossible - may be angry to discover that after 400 pages of this stuff Stryfe never actually sits down and explains his motivation to anyone (I had to look it up on Wikipedia). “I have no idea what you’re talking about”, says Cable before their final confrontation, a beautiful moment. For me, that irresolution is the icing on this cake of glorious stupidity. The dedicated reader may glean some background from STRYFE’S STRIKE FILE (included here alongside a completely irrelevant NEW WARRIORS issue). In a moment that sums up the 90s X-Men, this sourcebook features a brand new character who not only didn’t turn up in the actual story, he never actually appeared again at all.

Later crossovers by the writers involved are less berserk, though just as bombastic - but for all their various merits I doubt they’re as fun as this. And for that you actually have to give credit to the ghost in the crossover, Rob Liefeld. Something of Rob’s Wrestlemania energy, his kid-playing-with-action-figure enthusiasm and his hacky but genuinely unique artistic sensibility can’t help but crackle through this story and make it vastly more enjoyable than it has any right to be.

[Marcelo Soares · Rating 2 out of 5]

Que fase, hein?
Lobdell, Nicieza e David nos argumentos.
Romitinha, Andy Kubert, Capullo e Jae Lee nos desenhos.
Em linhas bem gerais, um tal de Kane - eu não sei bem quem ele é - descobre que o Cable e o Stryfe tem a mesma cara - talvez sejam a mesma pessoa? Vai saber.
Num concerto no parque, um Cable mete umas balas tecnorgânicas no Xavier. Por quê? Vai saber.
Automaticamente, todas as equipes X - Factor, Force e Man - começam a brigar entre si. Por quê? Vai saber.
Enquanto isso, Scott Summers e Jean Grey são raptados pelos Cavalheiros do Apocalipse. Porém, na verdade, é o Senhor Sinistro fingindo ser o Apocalipse para trocar os dois capturados por material genético da família Summers com o Stryfe, mas se ele estava com Scott Summers por que ele mesmo não colheu o materail? Vai saber.
Os três lobos solitários que não sabem trabalhar em equipe, apesar de fazerem parte de equipes o tendo todo, Cable, Wolverine e Bishop saem invadindo lugares aleatórios, como o Departamento K. Por quê? Vai saber.
Se agora já se entendeu que o Cable é bonzinho porque a X-Force continua presa? Vai saber.
Peraí, tá todo mundo na lua? Por quê? Vai saber.
Peraí, se na fortaleza final só pode entrar os familiares Summers-Grey, porque o Cable o Stryfe entraram? Vai saber.
Quer dizer não fica muito claro, mas seria mais fácil levar todo mundo no "Casos de Família" dessa semana do que gastar 12 edições nisso.

[Tommy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually liked it a little bit better than I remembered. Interesting to see the interactions between the former New Mutants and the X-Men without Cable as the focus....I wish there had been more of that in the Marvel 90s, and less focus on Cable....

[Tiag⊗ the Mutant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cable attacks Professor Xavier and the X-Force goes missing, the X-Men and X-Factor are now on the hunt. X-Cutioner's Song is a classic x-crossover, style over substance, but oh so entertaining, with cool iconic art all around. Recommended to all X-Men fans, a must-read if you're into X-Force.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually better than I thought I’d find it, after all these years. There’s a lot of 90s X-CESS, but it’s fun to read. The Peter David/Jae Lee X-Force issues stand out, they’re a notch above the rest.

[Milan Konjevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obozavam ovaj krosover... nostalgija, nema tu pomoci... a i ovo nekako super zapocinje 90te u Marvelu. Li, Lajfeld, Mekferlejn i ekipa su napustili Marvel da naprave mega-uspesni Image, i onda urednici Marvela krecu da pucaju iz svih cevi kako bi i dalje ostali relevantni i komercijalno uspesni... Ovde Skot Lobdel i Fejbijan Nicieza dobijaju (uz pomoc Pitera Dejvida koji pise XFactor) cini mi se odresene ruke da stvore jedan od najboljih krosovera tog doba, koji se vrti oko misterije zvane Strajf i njegovog odnosa sa Kejblom, a time zapocinje i prava Kejblova prica koja ce u kasnijim epizodama biti potpuno razjasnjena... od crtaca ovde su mladi Endi Kjubert i Greg Kapulo, kao i megatalentovani Dzej Li koji se poslednjih zilion godina bavi ilustracijom, a koji je ovde zablistao svojim radom na XFactoru, donoseci potpuno neobican vajb za ovu vrstu komercijalnog stripa... u ovom izdanju se nalazi i prva Kejblova mini serija Krv i metal, koju spektakularno crta Dzon Romita mladji, meni inace jedan od omiljenih crtaca ikada... i kako da ovom izdanju dam bilo sta drugo osim svih pet zvezdica velikih ko kuca?

[John_H92 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cable and the man known as STRYFE! This book is an absolute treat to any 90's comic fans with Rob Liefelds X - Force and Cable. Big guns, big character drawings, big pouches and big action. I had such a blast reading this from start to finish. Though the 90's extreme over the top everything does start to feel a bit tiresome at times. It's great to have at a great time to look back on.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desde el buen resultado de ventas de la Masacre Mutante, los eventos mutantes se habían ido produciendo de forma más o menos continuada, y en los últimos años de Claremont habíamos visto La Caída de los Mutantes, Inferno, Proyecto Exterminio y la Saga de la Isla Muir (además de algún cruce adicional en anuales, como el caso de Los Reyes del Dolor o Días del Presente Futuro), y ahora, pasado el primer año de la revolución que habían supuesto Jim Lee, Whilce Portaccio, Rob Liefeld, John Byrne, Larry Stroman y Peter David... pues solo quedaba este último, al frente de Factor-X. Todo el resto de los artífices de esta revolución mutante habían dejado Marvel, y los nuevos equipos creativos tenían que hacer frente a un nuevo cruce cuya preparación tuvo que ser, como poco, curiosa, con todas las grandes estrellas saliendo una detrás de otra, yo me imagino a los nuevos con cara de susto y diciendo "pero qué hacemos nosotros aquí...". Y sin embargo, a mi parecer hicieron un gran trabajo, un trabajo excepcional. Scott Lobdell y Brandon Peterson se quedaban en Patrulla-X, Fabian Nicieza y Andy Kubert en X-Men, de nuevo Nicieza y Greg Capullo en X-Force, y Peter David y Jae Lee en Factor-X, un buen puñado de nombres que, quizá con la salvedad de Brandon Peterson (que ya en aquel momento era probablemente el más flojo de los dibujantes), demostraron no estar ni un paso por detrás de las grandes figuras que habían salido de Marvel.

En La Canción del Verdugo, nos vamos a encontrar con una historia en doce números, tres de cada colección, centrados en la figura de Cable y de sus némesis, Dyscordia, una saga que repite un poco el esquema que Inferno había seguido para despejar las incógnitas sobre Jean Grey, y que aquí llega para poner sobre la mesa todas las dudas y pistas que se habían ido poniendo sobre la mesa desde la aparición de Cable y Dyscordia, ambos exactamente iguales y opuestos. Así, tras un atentado supuestamente llevado a cabo por Cable contra el Profesor Xavier, que queda en coma y víctima de un virus tecnorgánico, la Patrulla-X y Factor-X se van a reunir para tratar de encontrar a Cable y a X-Force... para descubrir que realmente Cable no había sido el artífice del ataque, sino que este era obra de Dyscordia, que también estaba detrás del secuestro a Cíclope y Jean Grey por los Jinetes de Apocalipsis... Dyscordia, que hasta este momento solo había sido un villano secundario al frente del FLM se convierte aquí en el manipulador absoluto, en cuyos planes se incluyen la propia Patrulla-X, Mister Siniestro, Apocalipsis, los Jinetes Oscuros, y el propio Cable...

A lo largo de La Canción del Verdugo encontraremos varios grandes momentos, como los enfrentamientos con X-Force y la unión de Bala de Cañón a los "adultos", el liderazgo de los equipos por parte de Kaos (que se convierte aquí en el principal líder de los equipos mutantes), las torturas psicológicas de Dyscordia a Cíclope y Jean, y, por supuesto, la revelación final del vínculo existente entre Apocalipsis, Cable, Dyscordia, Cíclope y Jean, e incluso Kaos...

Para mí... una maravilla.

[Jordan Risebury-Crisp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on from 1990's X-tinction Agenda, the next big x-event was 1992's X-Cutioner's Song, a 12-issue story over 4 x-titles (and 3 writers).

I hadn't read this storyline before but was familiar with the Cable and Stryfe plot, though I didn't expect that Stryfe would constantly allude to his origin, relationship with Cable, Cyclops and Jean, but never explicitly states it! Which is a bit frustrating, but it's also typical of 90s comic story telling, dangling a multitude of clues but failing to provide many answers!

The story was a bit clunky to begin with, with the 3 teams (X-men, X-Factor and X-Force) spread across the US and it was a time when the X-men were the humanitarian super hero team, X-Factor worked for the government and X-Force were the parliamentary underground kids. But after the furst 4 issues I did enjoy the cross team relationships in play across the storyline. Though Havok and Sam were on different teams, their history with Storm, Beast, Iceman etc allowed them to interact seamlessly. A reminder that the X-books, even in the 90s, were all an extension of Xavier's dream and were all one big family.

The additional material in this collection includes a Marvel-Age interview with the writers and editors behind the story, and an introduction from Fabian Nicieza, which gives an interesting insight into the impetus behind this cross over.

If you like your mutants with big guns, convoluted timey-wimey origins and mullets, give this a read!

[luciddreamer99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps not as polished as some of the previous and following X-Men crossovers, X-Cutioner's Song remains entertaining. Recalling that this is the first X-crossover of importance without Claremont or the artists who left for Image, Marvel really did a good job with these characters. Yes, there are some plot holes, which I won't go into for fear of spoiling the plot, but this series is enjoyable, particularly the X-Factor chapters by Peter David and Jae Lee (an artist Image would later steal). Capullo and Andy Kubert present some earlier work here, and both would be better later. Still, I highly recommend this volume for fans of the X-Men and their convoluted crossovers. If you've been following along like this reader has, this one is rewarding.

[Alex Perez · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the artwork is as colorful as ever, the conclusion to Cable’s epic mutant battle is lackluster leaving a lot to be desired. Cable’s tale ends with a lot more questions and a lot of unspoken answers.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

It must be 20 years since I last read these. Not as good as I remember and a little disjointed, but still fun. Plus I hadn't read the Cable two-parter before, which was a bonus.

[Terrance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recovers what it can from the horrid Liefeld years, but this still makes me wonder what we were all thinking in the 90's.

[Liam C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun art, good premise however it’s badly executed and overall this is a real struggle to read. Which is pretty common of events of this era.