My main complaint about the Uncanny X-Force to date is that there has been no cohesive feeling of a team quite yet. Issue #5 STILL does not address either of these issues. While you would think I’d be annoyed by this little tidbit, we were given enough that I honestly didn’t even care .

The vast bulk of this issue is focused on Psylocke using her powers to take both her and Storm into Bishop’s conscious. They want to know what the hell is actually going on with this man who had once been her friend and investigate head on, you know, instead of having a group of X-Men pick them all up with Bishop barely unconscious and Spiral tied up right next to them. That little oversight aside the issue picks up here as we go into Bishop’s mind to find out what has gone wrong.

When they enter Bishop’s mind we quickly see that things are a complete mess and is getting worse. Something is still wrecking things in there in order to prevent anyone from saving Bishop, but we do find out what he’s been doing since being banished to a future to die after almost killing Hope.

Bishop nearly did die as well, though a group of hunters took him in. Hunters whose sole purpose is to stop a group of infected people who are tormenting what remains of humanity. Bishop. of course. falls perfectly into this kind of a role and spends his time continuing doing just this. That is until one of the infected, potentially the first of the infected, lulls Bishop into a trap and takes over his body and mind.

We still aren’t shown who this creature is. but it says it has been waiting for a long time for Bishop. I’m still expecting this to be one of the enemies that the X-Men have battled over the years. For the life of me, though, I can’t figure out who it could be aside from potentially being the Shadow King.

Outside of the mental battle we’ve seen Spiral trying to manipulate Puck and does so by telling him where he can get alcohol at. While she’s loosening him up with booze, she’s also been loosening her bonds. Near the end of the issue she tries to finally attack in order to make her escape. The problem with her plan is that Puck, like his old pal Logan, knows how to fight while intoxicated. While he knocks her down and is about to continue the fight, she points out that something is missing.

It’s quickly clarified that the something missing is actually Psylocke’s body which is no longer next to Storm. The next thing we see is that Cluster, Fantomex’s female clone, has taken Psylocke and is currently speeding away.

We’re not showing what Fantomex and his other clone are up to. I have a feeling next issue we’re going to be focused on this subplot finally, potentially bringing the team actually together, and not a single thing about the mysterious body thief unless it’s in the final panel of the comic.

Writer: Samuel Ryan Humphries