| Slot: |
X-Force 1 |
| Item: |
X-Force 1 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1165012019
|
Owner Comments
Published: August 1991 but Second Printing done in September 1991
KEY ISSUE: Hells yeah, first official X-Force. While they originally named themselves X-Force in New Mutants 100 and were X-Force for an additional New Mutants Annual #7 this is where it all started.
Fabian Nicieza & Rob Liefeld story
Rob Liefeld Art
Rob Liefeld Cover
For the 2nd Printing there are officially 14 that have reached the coveted grade of 9.8 with not a single Signature Series issue…..yet. This officially will be the next one I get signed by Rob Liefeld at his next appearance. If anything to at least remedy the non-SS but hopefully retain the Golden OAK standard of 9.8SS. Fingers Crossed
Story Title: A Force To Be Reckoned With
SUMMARY:
Antarctica
X-Force arrives at a Mutant Liberation Front base in Antarctica. They enter the base and go looking to find Stryfe and bring him down. MLF members appear and start attacking. Shatterstar attacks Reaper and cuts off his left hand, showing they mean business. Forearm grabs Cable and Warpath comes to his aid.
Meanwhile, Stryfe and Thumbelina monitor the situation on a video-feed from another room. Stryfe decides to run and initiates a self-destruct sequence on the base. While the clock starts ticking, Feral fights Wildside and breaks his jaw. Zero suddenly appears and teleports the MLF away. X-Force escapes before the timer hits zero. The team discusses how they are upset that the MLF has gotten away again.
Gideon's Manhattan Apartment
Gideon and his apprentice, Sunspot, spar with robots in Gideon's apartment. Gideon speaks to Sunspot that he is finally ready to take on bigger tasks. Gideon invites him to his meeting on the buyout of the Jankos Corporation at the World Trade Center.
Antarctica
Commander Bridge and other SHIELD agents examine the ruins of the MLF base in Antarctica. They come across evidence of Cable's weapons and think that he is a threat to everyone. Bridge determines that this is beyond the scope of SHIELD and that he needs to call in help to take down Cable and X-Force.
Adirondack Mountains
Cable works does maintenance on the scouting craft when Cannonball enters and asks if he needs help. Sam asks if Cable is holding the team back from battling Stryfe because of Cable's loss of his son, Tyler. Cable says no and explains how Tyler was brought over to the MLF in his own timeline and that he died during a mission with them. Cannonball leaves and Domino enters to help consul Cable.
World Trade Center
Gideon and Sunspot join other board members at the Jankos Corp buyout. Arianna Jankos enters and reveals that she is glad that everyone is together because she is holding them all prisoner and is going to use Black Tom to keep them there. She will then extort money from everyone else's corporations to keep hers from being bought out.
Laurentian Mountains, Quebec
Aboard his helicopter flying into Canada, G.W. Bridge contacts Nick Fury to ask him for help with bringing Cable and X-Force in. Nick Fury authorizes whatever is needed. Bridge decides then to get help from Weapon X in Department K.
PERSONAL COMMENTS:
Absolutely fell in love with this series from go. Originally purchased so I could get the trading cards I quickly put aside collecting cards for comics with this one. Anyways in this land mark issue Cable finally shows he’s more than simply a Military Strategist and actually begins to earn his Mutant weight showing he has a little bit of TK power here.
Also first appearance of G.W. Bridge. Gotta say really looking forward to finding that 9.8 1st printing and hopefully with a little luck my 9.6 double cover with a little press and a nice signature by Rob will be able to OAK itself as the only 9.8SS Double cover one day… Here’s to hoping.
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| Slot: |
X-Force 2 |
| Item: |
X-Force 2 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0992279003
|
Owner Comments
Published: September 1991
KEY ISSUE: the first Weapon X… Yeah what I said, but this ones Kane, and the second Deadpool which is slightly more Key
Fabian Nicieza & Rob Liefeld story
Rob Liefeld art
Rob Liefeld Cover
First off there are ONE HUNDRED and SIXTY FIVE of these graded with 121 9.8’s for the first printing with 17 SS’s and a single 9.9 out there. Needless to say there are quite a few of these readily available just none seem to ever be decently priced until I picked this one up from mycomicshop.com’s June Auction.
Story Title: The Blood Hunters
SUMMARY:
Port Menier, Anticosti Island, Quebec
Weapon X finds his quarry Deadpool. Deadpool has been assigned to obtain some Japanese software while it is en route to a NATO research facility in Manitoba. Weapon X, otherwise known as Kane, monitors the situation and then finally strikes and catches Deadpool off-guard. Tolliver's men escape while the two fight it out. Weapon X gets the upper-hand and Deadpool is cornered. Then, G.W. Bridge appears and wants to get Weapon X to help him bring in Cable for SHIELD. While talking, Deadpool escapes and Kane tells Bridge that he will not help.
Adirondack Mountains
X-Force decides to go through a training run in the woods of their new base. Cable says that he has Feral hiding in the woods and the team has fifteen minutes to find and contain her. They set out and Feral watches from the trees. She then pounces on Cannonball as he flies by. She steers his flying body to ram into Warpath, taking them both out. Boom-Boom uses her new wrist-launchers to surprise Feral and stuns her. Feral recovers and then takes out Boom-Boom and Domino. Shatterstar is finally able to match her ferocity when suddenly Cannonball flies into her to stop her. The team gathers around when suddenly Feral lashes out and slices Cannonball's stomach. Cable knocks out Feral and they all teleport back to their base.
World Trade Center
On the roof of the World Trade Center, Arianna Jankos' scientists finalize building their inter-dimensional teleportation machine. Black Tom has them turn it on while commenting that he has wanted to see his friend's "pug-ugly face" again. The machine stirs to life.
X-Force Adirondack Base
Cannonball lays in the med-lab recovering. Cable and Domino enter and all three discuss that Feral is almost to animalistic for to be contained and to work with the team. Cable continues to try to see what they need to do to deal with her.
World Trade Center
Black Tom waits while the machine continues to whir away. He spouts off that he is ready to finally see his friend again. Then, there is a giant explosion. The dust settles and the Juggernaut is seen and announces he is back and it is ready to kick some butt..
PERSONAL COMMENTS:
So I sent my original one in… not so much, decided to just go the Auction ebay way with this one after that debacle. Anyways finally got it and now pushs me to get that much closer to gaining the Merc with a Mouths first issue in New Mutants 98.
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| Slot: |
X-Force 5 |
| Item: |
X-Force 5 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0209696014
|
Owner Comments
Published: December 1991
KEY ISSUE: Not really. This is the first time we actually see Tolliver aka Genesis who eventually turns out to be the son of Stryfe / Step-son to Cable.
Fabian Nicieza & Rob Liefeld story
Rob Liefeld, Marat Mychaels, Brian Murray art
Rob Liefeld Cover
Total of 8 graded at 9.8 with me owning one and eBay showing one easily available. There’s also one that has been signed and remains the loan OAK in its 9.8SS status. Gonna have to get this one signed along the Blob’s bicep. While I would like Liefeld to sign this one, may go with Marat Mychaels at Wizard World Austin this coming November since he did add his pencil work to this one. Would be cool to have him do a little remark or Cables or Deadpools face on the Bicep now that I am thinking about it
Story Title: Under the Magnifying Glass
SUMMARY:
Somewhere in Europe
Deadpool teleports into Tolliver's lair. He tows the bodies of Juggernaut and Black Tom to give to Tolliver. He offers them to Tolliver and Juggernaut wakes up. The Juggernaut thanks Tolliver for saving his butt but is more concerned with the health of his partner in crime. Tolliver says he will take Black Tom to a doctor and that after he is healed, they both will pay him back for his services rendered.
Manhattan
Dr. Karl Lykos walks home with groceries in hand. As he opens his door, he is greeted by the Toad and the Blob. They have captured Karl's girlfriend, Tanya Anderssen and threaten to harm her. Toad wants to use Karl to bring out Sauron. He plans to have Sauron join his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
X-Force's Adirondack base
X-Force is gathered in a large media room watching news coverage of the World Trade Center attacks[1]. On the report, Gideon blasts the team as being behind the hostage situation. As the team tries to figure out what to do, tensions in the team rise.
Warpath runs through the woods and thinks of past Apache tribesmen that have helped the Apache cause. He feels at peace with his ancestry. In the base's Danger Room, Shatterstar trains. His training session is interrupted by Feral who flirts with him and then leaves. Siryn watches their interaction from the control room above. She is greeted by Cable who offers her an official spot on the team. She accepts and understands that there will be difficult times ahead.
Washington, D.C.
Henry Peter Gyrich, Valerie Cooper and Nick Fury attend a meeting by G.W. Bridge. He explains that Cable and his team are a threat to National Security as well as the public at large. He is requesting to be given sanction to bring Cable in. Gyrich feels that he is not up to the job, but the others welcome his decision.
Manhattan
The Brotherhood of Mutants has chained up both Tanya and Karl in what the Toad calls a Genetic template reconfigurator. He explains that he knows of Karl's ability to take on the Sauron persona if he drains the life essence of someone. The Toad states that this is what Tanya is there for. Suddenly he throws the switch and the machine whirs to life. Karl screams and then rises up as Sauron, while Tanya is seen dying...
PERSONAL COMMENTS:
The Brotherhood of Mutants was always a cool idea for me. Mutants that would do anything for either profit or to better their stature in life. In hindsight it almost looks as if this team was a template for the future Uncanny X-Men. Additionally any storyline for me that features the Juggernaut and Deadpool was a winner. I just wished they had kept Toad as the crafty villain rather than the throwaway good guy/ janitor he currently is portrayed as in the current Wolverine & X-Men series. He was always put down by his superiors and it would have been nice to not have seen it all just put so much on him so as to officially break the guy into the character he is now. At least back then, while maybe not successful he at least look the part of being a decent enough character.
This was one of several I picked up through a quick and easy ebay auction and one of the best priced I do have to say.
|
| Slot: |
X-Force 6 |
| Item: |
X-Force 6 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0214496007
|
|
| Slot: |
X-Force 8 |
| Item: |
X-Force 8 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0214496008
|
Owner Comments
Published: February 2000
KEY ISSUE: Yep, First Wild Pack Appearance, even if it is in a flashback
Fabian Nicieza & Rob Liefeld story
Rob Liefeld & Mark Mignola Art
Rob Liefeld Cover
This one is the first OAK of the bunch. Only mine for now has ever been graded and I am proud to say this was based off my very own submission back in June. I had picked up one heck of an amazing looking copy at Austin Books and Comics just off a whim in the .99 cent drawer and a few months later shipped with the single graded book in this Series as a 9.8.
Story Title: Flashed Before My Eyes
SUMMARY:
Sauron gloats about killing Sam. Boom Boom's yelling causes Cable to have a flashback. We're given a glimpse of Cable's past for almost the rest of the issue. He's the leader of a team called Wild Pack. They're invading a Hydra research facility in search of a stolen component. After dispatching the goons, they get inside the lab. Hammer accidentally triggers a fail-safe and Baron von Strucker's image appears everywhere. He threatens to kill them so they quickly retrieve the device and body slide out of there. It turns out that they were working for A.I.M. Later on, the team goes their separate ways. Cable ends up time sliding into the future where he's actually from. He finds out from his computer, Professor, that there's a new possible awakening. The name of the possible High Lord, Sam Guthrie. Cable decides it is his duty to train Cannonball and heads back in time, six months to a year before his Awakening. Back in the present, Sam isn't waking up. Cable wonders if he truly was a High Lord. He vents his anger on Sauron, by blowing him away.
PERSONAL COMMENTS:
As mentioned above this was a cool one to say I had graded on my own and one of my first CGC send off’s of an older comic to send and retain the 9.8 status. Although now I do plan to start sending more from this series I will most likely go the cautious route of pre-grading so that I don’t end up with a ton of 9.4’s and 9.6’s for which I am trying to avoid.
Edit: As of today, December 15th 2013 - mine is no longer the OAK of the group with a total of 8 graded to include mine since then. I guess if anything its cool to know mine was the first ever graded. Now if I could only get it signed by Rob and get back that OAKedness...
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| Slot: |
X-Force 11 |
| Item: |
X-Force 11 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1136726004
|
|
| Slot: |
X-Force 37 |
| Item: |
X-Force 37 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0905397022
|
Owner Comments
Published: August 1994
KEY ISSUE: Nope
Fabian Nicieza story
Paul Pelletier art
Steve Epting & Al Milgrom Cover
At only 2 graded so far both at 9.8 this ones a pretty rare issue to find and I have to thank Stephen of World Wide Comics for getting me set up with this one. Could only be happier if it was signed I guess. Then it would be back to being an OAK.
Story Title: The Young and the Restless
SUMMARY:
Mongolia, Twelfth Century
En Sabah Nur fights his way through a horde of Mongols. He finally arrives at a figure who sits on the ground waiting for him. The figure reveals himself to be Saul (then named Garbha-Hsien). He reveals to En Sabah Nur a giant Celestial ship that he has never entered. En Sabah Nur is intrigued and stabs Saul so that he can get into the ship. Nur then walks into the ship and leaves Garbha-Hsien for dead.
Guthrie Farm
Saul tells this story to Cannonball to show him that he has been around for a very long time and he has learned that there are always worse people out there than yourself. Cannonball tells them that he is not too sure he wants to join their team of Externals if he has to deal with all the bad guys on their team. Absalom then erupts in fury. He chides Cannonball for his arrogance and that they have come to seek his help and he refuses. He reveals that he has the Legacy Virus and that they need his help to cure it.
The others calm Absalom down and he tells them that he originally learned he was an immortal after shooting an old man in the back in the Old West. He was hung and died but then manifested his mutant powers as well as his immortality. This saved him and he was then gunned down for being a mutant. He escaped from the town a few days later. The Externals then tell him that they came to Cannonball to bring them hope for their future.
Camp Verde
Cable meets with Domino. She is busy taking a dip in the hot tub and he comes to her to see if she will help him find a new place for X-Force to make their headquarters. She tells him yes, after her time in the jacuzzi.
South Bronx, New York
A bum walks into a run-down building. He is looking around when suddenly he is attacked. The phone then rings at the 44th Precinct. Detective Hidalgo answers and tells the person on the other end that he is going to finally shut the case on the Callasantos murders and bring both the sisters down.
Guthrie Farm
Gideon then tells of his past. He was aboard the Pinta when it came to America. He died of scurvy and then was suddenly alive the next day. He thought it was a miracle and chose to live his life to the fullest after that. Cannonball still is reluctant to help the Externals. Absalom gets upset again and this time he cannot control his powers. He pleads with Cannonball to help save them. He then burns out his powers.
Surprisingly, they find that Absalom has not died, but still breathes. The Externals finally speak to Cannonball and tell him that he or someone close to him has the cure for the virus. He tells them that he gives his word that if he finds a cure, he will give it to them. They then leave with Absalom's body in tow.
PERSONAL COMMENTS:
I can honestly say that by this time in my childhood I mush have ate my comics as this one was in really rough shape when I looked at my raw copies. Man what was I thinking. Oh yeah, that I really enjoyed reading comics and that at that age, really who cares.
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| Slot: |
X-Force Annual 1 |
| Item: |
X-Force Annual 1 |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1097012011
|
Owner Comments
Published: May 1992
KEY ISSUE: Nope… Part Four of the Shattershot Series
Fabian Nicieza story
Greg Capullo, Mike Thomas & Harry Candelario art
Greg Capullo Cover
This one is actually pretty common compared to the rest of the Set. There are a total of 12 graded as 9.8 with this one included. Seeing as Greg Capullo did both interior and cover and he will be at the Wizard World Austin I will have to crack this one open to truly make it an OAK. I guess on the bright side if this one doesn’t retain its grade there are currently 2 more on eBay that I can attempt it with.
Story Title: Shattershot Part 4: The Mirror Liars
SUMMARY:
In the distant future on Mojoworld, Shatterstar rules the world while the Spineless Ones attacks in a rebel uprising. In the not-quite-as-distant future on earth, Arize arrives to ask the future version of X-Force to help overthrow Shatterstar (unaware that Shatterstar is being manipulated behind the scenes by "the Board" and the Scheduler and has already begun to dislike the condition of his newly "free" world). Back on Mojoworld, X-Force and Arize attack along with rebel forces and (with Shatterstar's help) manage to take down the Scheduler and the Board. And in the distance of the celebrating crowd Cannonball almost catches a glimpse of what looks like an aged Longshot.
The Crush:
Whiz Kid, Artie, and Leech protect a young girl at their school.
Know Your Enemy:
This story takes place right after X-Force #10. Cable rounds up his crew to take an inventory on the known threats to X-Force. Some enemies are questionable, but Cable wants to make sure his team knows what to expect in the future.
PERSONAL COMMENTS:
This was from a series that spanned across X-Men’s Annual, Uncanny X-Men’s Annual, X-Factor’s Annual and finally completed here in X-Force. An ok story-line but did help to set Shatterstar apart from the rest of X-Force as a force to be recon with. Hated what Marvel did to his character in first toning him down and then making him gay from being this psychopathic killer but I guess they wanted to either take him in a new direction, or go for the ah factor.
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