X-Statix is a difficult comic to review because it's been consistently excellent for over a year now, and there's a limited number of times you can say this before it starts to become painfully repetitive to write, let alone read.

As usual, the issue is a strange hybrid of conventional team book character material and faintly demented satire about the commercialisation of the team.  The conventional side of the book continues to focus on Venus settling into the team, and the Orphan's rather ambivolent attitude to her being there at all.  The question is raised of whether he's actually trying to get her killed, and in this book, nothing would be entirely implausible.

Meanwhile, the team set about getting rid of their new competition, O-Force, by sending them a tip on a ridiculously powerful teenager who's taken over a town and wants to fight X-Statix instead.  O-Force are, of course, going to get themselves killed, but that's life in the superhero business.

By this stage it's unlikely that there's anyone who hasn't already decided whether they like X-Statix or not.  In the extraordinarily unlikely event that you're reading this and don't know whether you like the book or not, then go and buy it.

Rating: A

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