Gangs vs. Gangs [009]

Best X-Men comics in the last 30 years.
Enjoy. Or don´t.

Best X-Men comics in the last 30 years. Enjoy. Or don´t.
[nueve]

Uncanny X-Force #1-4
The Apocalypse Solution
Por Rick Remender y Jerome Opeña.
2010-2011

Rob Liefeld comics with a brain, guts and heart. Un auténtico clásico y una historia de polendas que describe la naturaleza de la venganza y el salvajismo y que pone a prueba la capacidad de auto-censura del comic comercial. Rick Remender se desprende de lo que parece ser un rehash de la típica y eterna historia de los X-Men vs. Apocalypse para brindarle al público algo más similar a una epopeya propia de producciones à la Michael Mann, Ridley Scott o David Fincher, lleno de coloridos y épicos set pieces, un inteligente world building y la incisiva exploración de la condición humana, que colisionan para traer una atractiva historia en la que mutantes como Angel, Wolverine, Psylocke, Deadpool y Fantomex encuentran un punto de reunión en la idea ingenua de que de alguna u otra forma podrán escapar de sus tendencias homicidas.

Uncanny X-Force evoca a los mejores comics de acción de los 80s y 90s, y es anatema al modelo comercial actual, algo que el crítico de comics Tucker Stone describe de manera brillante en un par de párrafos:

“First up, I don’t think it’s emblematic of this year at all. I think it’s an at times very funny action comic with exceptional coloring and strong, unusual art choices. It’s densely packed in a way that many of Marvel’s comics currently are not, giving it a sense that it’s “worth” buying in single issues in a way that so many of these comics are not. Shit happens in those comics—most of it is just people dying, but there’s an actual love triangle as well, and it’s been proven time and time again that superhero comics can do pretty decent love triangles. It’s the X-Men book you can read that practically prides itself on not interacting with any of the five other X-Men titles that exist.

But emblematic—no. If anything, Uncanny X-Force is emblematic of The Teen Titans and older Marvel X books, those sorts of comics where there’s always a massive world-destroying affair going on and all of the big dogs (the Supermans, the Captain Americas) aren’t even in the picture. It’s all up to the smart ass, the creep, the tortured girl, the rich kid and Wolverine. You remember how in Teen Titans, it always seemed like Trigon was about to annihilate all of humanity, and yet there was no sign of Superman on the horizon? They’d never do that now. They’d use Trigon in an event series, and Batman would somehow be involved, and there wouldn’t be any time to find out if Donna Troy was going to break up with that bearded creepozoid.”

Remender aprovecha la creatividad de un Jerome Opeña para darle vida a estos elementos, entregando un destacado producto dentro del noveno arte que podemos releer y hojear una y otra vez, repleto de contenidos tanto explícitos y disparatados como de reflexiones profundas y actitudes sutiles. Y cuando estos inusuales protagonistas creen que el papel de superhéroe los lleva a una zona de confort, Remender nos recuerda que no podemos escapar de nuestros instintos de supervivencia al vernos amenazados.
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