X-Force 31 spoilers: WTFH happened to Sage?!

[Hulkout42]

But here's the deal- we've been shown over and over again that doesn't work. Breevort has always said that angry fans sell, but look at how the Avengers line is doing right now, nobody gives a crap anymore. Or the Inhumans push.

And is X-force really selling that well? While we don't really know numbers anymore, from what I could gather, is not even making the top 50 of best selling comics anymore.

If the book is still going on then someone is buying it no matter how stupid the plot is.

[jwatson]

If the book is still going on then someone is buying it no matter how stupid the plot is.

But it could be shops are buying it and willing to take the hit. That's what i am interested in knowing. Those books in bins were paid for too. What is more important? books in a bin or books in hands when it comes to sales. I know what the answer would be for me but it seems the industry or at least marvel is beholden to the one that makes least sense to me.

[Omega Alpha]

But it could be shops are buying it and willing to take the hit. That's what i am interested in knowing. Those books in bins were paid for too. What is more important? books in a bin or books in hands when it comes to sales. I know what the answer would be for me but it seems the industry or at least marvel is beholden to the one that makes least sense to me.

Also, like I said, some books will sell a certain amount no matter the quality. But if you have an X-Force title with Wolverine and an Avengers title and both are barely if at all making top 50 titles, selling below the likes of Moon Knight, you're doing something wrong

[jwatson]

Also, like I said, some books will sell a certain amount no matter the quality. But if you have an X-Force title with Wolverine and an Avengers title and both are barely if at all making top 50 titles, selling below the likes of Moon Knight, you're doing something wrong

I generally don't give much credence to charts because it's hard to understand exactly what the industry and success is judged on when so few have control over the optics of what is successfully and it is demographically dominated by a certain type of demographic and i don't know where they fall on where they want or demand the industry to be. But i think we agree on the basic principal that someone who has a job to do isn't doing a good job or has some ulterior motive in place over the overall potential financial gain, potential demographic gain the franchise has and has shown to offer even as recently as the trades of the CONNECTED Dawn of trades etc compared to what is being offered now. And i kind of question anyone willing to sign their name on that without having a least a few more answers. I just honestly don't understand the situation here and Marvel and the comic industry in general is feeling like the U.S postal system to me and admittedly i'm not an inside guy so i just can't seem to follow the logic here.

[Gripstir]

I have nothing against Kraven. But I have no clue why in the world he is getting all this storytime in an X book? It makes no sense. He wants to go get naked infront of the Celestial for why now?

Most Marvel comic books don’t even matter. It’s literally just a MCU draft industry now. Kevin Feige said comics don’t matter just use comics to set up stories and characters we need to bring to the MCU. Kraven getting a Sony movie and potential crossover with X-men

[Steroid]

Also, like I said, some books will sell a certain amount no matter the quality. But if you have an X-Force title with Wolverine and an Avengers title and both are barely if at all making top 50 titles, selling below the likes of Moon Knight, you're doing something wrong

Moon Knight is pretty much outselling everything including plenty of X-Books and while the show plays a big role it's honestly one of the best comics out there on a quality basis. X-Force on the other hand is just terrible and needs a major overhaul. I need someone to free Sage from Percy's pen.

[Jackraow21]

Them shops keeping Percy going at this point because i KNOW I KNOW! people aren't leaving the store in droves with this in their hand. I don't know much but i KNOW this. I mean i think everyone gets to a point when they know something is just going in a circle and get off the ride. So i really have to say i wish there was a post it if you got it thread cause i just don't believe actual people, like individuals are reading this and buying it. I just don't. Even those who enjoy it can't muster passion about it. So come on, who has this on their pull list? I honestly mean no shade to those who do though, something just feels off here.

I’m still buying it. Because I love X-Force and its whole concept, plus I’m a Wolverine fan. And, despite the poor plotting of this book and how mediocre I find it, I’d still rather buy it than most of the X-line. The books I’m buying and enjoying are X-men Red, Wolverine and Immortal X-men. The books I’m buying despite not enjoying them that much are X-men and X-Force. Everything else is just a hard pass for me because I don’t care about the characters and/or the concept. At all.

It is what it is I guess, and yeah I know I’m part of the problem. Oh well. Eventually this book will get a new writer. I can wait.

[Jackraow21]

I will say, personally I like the idea of Al Ewing taking this book over so that he can expand some of his ideas and his cast from X-men Red, which is getting a bit crowded (albeit still not as crowded as S.W.O.R.D. was). Once Cable springs his trap for Abigail Brand in X-men Red #8, depending on what happens after that, it could be fun to see him and Thunderbird and Manifold move over to this book with Al taking over for Percy as writer.

My concept for X-Force at that stage would be to merge it with X-Corp, in that they’re still the mutant CIA but X-Corp acts as legitimate cover for them so they can perform their clandestine operations around the world. Nathan would of course be its CEO, but obviously he doubles as an operator and heads up the field team.

I’d keep Sage and Beast (assuming they can salvage his character somehow), and bring in Danger too who hilariously does not get along with Cable’s internal A.I. system, Belle. The three of them are the intel branch but also in constant communication with Magneto on Planet Arakko, who is still part of Storm’s team there but also part of the intel branch who is keeping them abreast of things on the red planet — as X-Force is tasked with protecting mutants and mutant interests on both planets.

Manifold provides transport for the field team, though Cable can also bodyslide (as a backup/redundancy if something happens to Manifold); and the rest of the field team is comprised of Thunderbird, Domino, Penance and Archangel. So the full team is…

Field Branch
- Cable
- Penance
- Thunderbird
- Domino
- Archangel
- Manifold

Intel Branch
- Sage
- Beast
- Danger
- Magneto* (not a full cast member; more like their intel guy on Mars)

[Kingdom X]

End game?

It's X Force Mutant CIA kill those who do mutants harm before they kill mutants what do you mean no end game. That is the game

That actually isn’t the pitch of this book at all… they’re almost entirely reactive. Even when they did end up killing threats on Terra Verde, that was supposed to be an intelligence gathering mission that got jumbled up.

[JB]

But is it individual purchases are high or are store orders consistent. I mean in the end it doesn't matter to marvel but somewhere in the middle i as a fan wonder how much fluff there is in that padding.

I guess being such a long-running title that "X-Force" is, I can see it being very important to completionists. Especially Wolverine completionists.

[Jman27]

im just glad someone remembers that kraven is a clone

[Triniking1234]

I’m still buying it. Because I love X-Force and its whole concept, plus I’m a Wolverine fan. And, despite the poor plotting of this book and how mediocre I find it, I’d still rather buy it than most of the X-line. The books I’m buying and enjoying are X-men Red, Wolverine and Immortal X-men. The books I’m buying despite not enjoying them that much are X-men and X-Force. Everything else is just a hard pass for me because I don’t care about the characters and/or the concept. At all.

It is what it is I guess, and yeah I know I’m part of the problem. Oh well. Eventually this book will get a new writer. I can wait.

Yeah. As a New Mutants fan, I'll stick with this and NM. The writers haven't done anything as bad as Aaron did to make me leave Avengers.

[Jackraow21]

I guess being such a long-running title that "X-Force" is, I can see it being very important to completionists. Especially Wolverine completionists.

I’m both. An X-Force mark (whether it’s a Cable or Logan-led team) and a Wolverine mark. So double whammy.

[Saithor]

That actually isn’t the pitch of this book at all… they’re almost entirely reactive. Even when they did end up killing threats on Terra Verde, that was supposed to be an intelligence gathering mission that got jumbled up.

I'd actually count Terra Verde as -1 to threat elimination considering all the stuff Beast caused by using those materials for his own gain. Despite being at a snail's pace this book is speedrunning everything the CIA has ever done wrong asap.

Just thought on it. Bets on how long till Beast tries to either coup or kill T'challa and replace him with a mutant friendly puppet? Or any other world leader actually.

Need to hurry up Hank, Betsy already beat you to this in Excalibur!

[Kurolegacy]

im just glad someone remembers that kraven is a clone

It’s the kind of detail I’m surprised they haven’t swept under the rug given that, ever since he took over the mantle of the original there’s been virtually no difference between the 2. Which was odd given how he definitely didn’t have the same voice as Kraven back during Hunted.