Review: Uncanny X-Force #29 - No trust in tomorrow

Issue 29 of Uncanny X-Force leaves our band of killers in a race against time in order to save one of their own.

Having performed seppuku at the end of the final issue, both the future and present versions of X-Force race to find and save Psylocke before her life, along with the future timeline they inhabit, perishes. Unfortunately for them, Psylocke will not take any answer other than death as she continues to evade and take down her would-be rescuers, all the while inch ever closer towards the end. Will she die, or will her own future self help see the error of her ways?

This issue contains (again) a very Psylocke-centric story. Rick Remender should have this retitled "Pyslocke and the Uncanny X-Force" because at the end of the day it is this character who is put through the ringer most often. Remender continues to channel through Psylocke the various philosophical questions that this book continues to raise, doing so with tremendous depth and gravitas. Remender continues to make this book, and it's overall theme, compelling, never missing a chance to imply deeper meaning in the writing while at the same time providing a clear idea of each character who has their own voice. He also, continually provides much needed comic relief given the subject matter, with the panels where Deadpool and Punisher interact coming off to me as absolutely hilarious.

The art is good and continues to aid the story, but in honesty, I do miss Jerome Opena on this book. Julian Tation Tedesco's style is incredibly moody and evokes a very Blade Runner sense to this issue (which is ultimately what the story is going for), and while it is good, it struggles to compare to the early stylized issues of the series which Opena provided. That said, the "time quake" sequence at the beginning of the issue is incredibly surreal and definitely is a great way of showing time falling apart.

Gearing up for a conclusion to it's second major storyline of it's run Uncanny X-Force is feeling a little more like it used to for me; deep, compelling and epic. If Remender will end this arc as fantastically as he did with the Dark Angel's saga is anyone's guess, but it's certainly one I'm want to see.