X-Force #44 hammers home the awesomeness of Domino while setting up many key pieces for what is building towards an excellent finish. Read Full Review

The team seems to exist primarily for their to be a team titled X-Force and with middling action sequences to serve their ongoing quest for revenge, the central question of the series and one that remains unanswered in this issue is: What exactly is X-Force about now? Read Full Review

Domino is front and center for this issue, being the only field operative left for X-Force. For being the only one, Domino does her job very well, and it was nice to see the girls of the team working together on a mission, even though Sage never really leaves her desk.

Speaking of Sage, both her and Black Tom get some moments where we are updated on the struggles they have faced in this era. Sage is finding new ways to deal with her alcoholism while Black Tom is probably the only mutant alive who is really benefiting from Krakoa going dormant. These moments are nice character bits that flesh out the cast and makes the story feel grounded.

We also get to see what happened to the remaining X-Force members, and out of all of them, Omega Red looks like he drew the short straw. Though this is still Colossus's story, I think these next few issues may be important for Omega Red too because of what Mikhail is trying to do to him here. We will see how his redemption arc looks when this is all said and done.

This issue did a lot of work to set up the next part of this story arc and has quite a few moving pieces, from Colossus continuing to be controlled and Mikhail's plans with that control, to the captured X-Force team's experiences and the work of the rest of the team trying to free them. Sage said in this issue that the team was on the verge of being something great, and I feel like that also describes the feeling I have reading this issue. We will see if the next few issues give us that greatness or if everything crashes and burns. more

After Colossus kidnapped the rest of their team and brought them to his brother in the previous issue, Domino, Sage and Black Tom enact a covert plan in this week’s X-FORCE #44.

PUBLISHER’S PITCH

X-FORCE NO MORE?! X-perience the FALL OF X at its most dire! X-FORCE is captured - but what power could possibly keep them off the grid, and who is truly to blame? With SAGE, DEADPOOL and DOMINO on the outside, will the WOLVERINE SENTINELS beat them to their quarry, or can X-FORCE reunite to take down the enemies of mutantkind once and for all?

REVIEW

Wolverine, Beast, and the “Weapons of X” storyline sucked up a lot of oxygen before this year’s Hellfire Gala, leaving the rest of the X-Force team to play supporting roles over the past few months. Add in Colossus joining the team and the series having to now deal with the far too drawn out mind-control plot, X-Force hasn’t really been able to find it’s footing in quite some time.

With that said, I was pleasantly surprised to see Benjamin Percy give Domino the spotlight and for the issue to get back to X-Force’s roots as the mutant’s version of a black-ops team. Percy also gives Sage and Black Tom some great moments as they help Domino prepare for her mission, though Sage’s acknowledgement of her past drinking problems is an unfortunate reminder of a very random and poorly handled character arc. The Colossus/Mikhail parts of the issue dragged things down. Maybe it’s just personal preference at this point but I’m so over this storyline and cannot wait to see it wrapped up soon.

Robert Gill draws a fun sequence as Domino infiltrates a Moscow bathhouse to gain info on Mikhail’s whereabouts. She escapes an Orchis Wolverine bot by the skin of her teeth, but not before there are some great action panels. The colors by GURU-eFX are vibrant throughout the book and especially during those scenes.

FINAL VERDICT

It was great to see X-Force get back to the basics but it felt like a fleeting issue in the grand scheme of things. I’m really ready for this Mikhail storyline to be over. Mikhail looking to use the mind-control powers on Orchis offers an interesting wrinkle for the larger Fall of X story, but it doesn’t feel like it’s entirely relevant to this series.

RATING: 7/10 more

Maybe I grew tired of X-Force after 44 issues. Or maybe this Mikhail plot has been going for so long I almost forgot about it. Percy has been amazing on this and Wolverine, but it's clear he's not good on long plans.