Forge tasks himself with an admirably impossible task —fixing the whole dang world, no pressure— in X-Force #1.

The second team book launching out of From the Ashes (third if we’re counting NYX, which is debatable), X-Force #1 puts an unexpected character at the forefront: Forge. The X-Men’s stalwart support player rarely gets a spotlight like this —despite him very much being a fan favorite to some— which makes his prominence here pleasantly surprising. Even more intriguing about this new run is that he’ll be established as an omega-level mutant, placing him in an exclusive class of characters (Iceman, Storm, Magneto, et. al.) who are among the most potentially powerful in the universe. But what about the story?

X-Force, though broadly the “tough guy” division of the X-Men, is always reinventing itself with a new premise (i.e. Krakoa’s X-Force were essentially their CIA) and this iteration is no exception. Brought into action when Forge invents an incredible device that identifies every spot on the globe, Forge quickly assembles a team of mutants —Sage, Captain Britain, Aksani, Tank, and Surge— to do what most would consider impossible. Fix the world. No pressure! Also, Deadpool is here for an “unofficial movie-tie in” guest spot. (Every issue moving forward will reportedly feature a different character to fill that slot.)

As a first issue, X-Force #1 does a rather remarkable job of establishing the premise, introducing the cast of characters, and delivering a standalone story that will also fit in a longer narrative arc. You would think that should be the baseline metric of any team-based book’s #1 but so many do not clear it! (Example: this month’s X-Men #1 didn’t quite scratch that itch for me.) A cursory web search tells me that writer Geoffrey Thorne has experience in television, and that comes across here in how efficiently the story is presented. By the final page, the reader has a clear idea of what to expect in subsequent issues without feeling like they already just read something substantial. Artist Marcus To is another strong asset for this book, and his characteristically clean, detailed art makes for a pleasant reading experience. It’s an overall strong package that has me a little more interested in the title than I previously was, and isn’t that what you want from a first issue of something?