X-Force #10
X-Force #10 is the first appearance of the Externals as a group — a cabal of immortal mutants including Saul, Nicodemus, Burke, and Absalom — making it a foundational issue for one of the more ambitious (if short-lived) world-building efforts of the early 1990s X-line. The issue also delivers the pivotal Cable-to-Cannonball revelation that Sam Guthrie is an External and the 'High-Lord' Cable has been seeking, a plot thread that redefined Cannonball's role in the series for years. Simultaneously, the issue seeds two of the era's most consequential subplots: Stryfe unmasking to reveal Cable's face to a stunned Garrison Kane, and Tolliver dispatching Deadpool to coerce Copycat — the mole inside X-Force posing as Domino — marking the first on-page scene of Deadpool being sent after her. Taken together, issue #10 is a dense narrative hinge point that simultaneously launched a new faction, escalated the Cable/Stryfe mystery, and moved the Copycat infiltration arc toward its explosive payoff in the following two issues.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 8 grades ▾
Find on ebay
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
X-Force #10 (cover-dated May 1992) was plotted by Rob Liefeld and scripted by Fabian Nicieza, continuing the creative partnership that had launched the series in August 1991 after they transformed the New Mutants into X-Force with New Mutants #100. Crucially, issue #10 marks Mark Pacella's first full issue as penciler, with inks by Dan Panosian; Liefeld, who had been penciling the title himself, did not return as interior artist after issue #9, and departed Marvel entirely later in 1992 when he co-founded Image Comics. Bob Harras and Suzanne Gaffney served as editors under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. The issue's cover and story were therefore produced during a transitional moment for the title, with Pacella stepping into a Liefeld-defined visual template for what would prove to be a brief but eventful run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of the Externals as a group: the immortal mutant collective is formally introduced here, with Saul, Nicodemus, Burke, and Absalom all making their debut alongside Gideon, who had appeared previously.
- Cable reveals to Cannonball that Sam Guthrie is an External — an immortal mutant — using his resurrection as proof; this is the issue that formally establishes Cannonball's status as the Externals' sought-after 'High-Lord.'
- Stryfe removes his mask and reveals to Garrison Kane (Weapon X) that his face is identical to Cable's, escalating the series' central mystery about their shared identity.
- Tolliver dispatches Deadpool to coerce 'Domino' (actually Copycat/Vanessa Carlysle) into resuming her intelligence reports on X-Force, setting up the mole's exposure in issue #11.
- Plot by Rob Liefeld, script by Fabian Nicieza; Mark Pacella's first full issue as penciler (replacing Liefeld on interiors); inks by Dan Panosian, colors by Dana Moreshead, letters by Chris Eliopoulos.
- The issue has been reprinted four times: in X-Force: Under the Gun (2011), X-Force Omnibus Vol. 1 (2013), X-Force Epic Collection Vol. 1: Under the Gun (2017), and The All Killer No Filler Deadpool Collection (Hachette Partworks, 2018).
- Also included in the Deadpool Epic Collection Vol. 1: The Circle Chase (2021) as a quarter-page reprint, reflecting the issue's significance to Deadpool's early continuity.
- The Externals concept — a hierarchy of immortal 'High Lords' — was later largely abandoned by Marvel's editors, and most members introduced in this era were eventually killed off in subsequent storylines.
Cast · 25 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in X-Force: Under the Gun #[nn] (2011), X-Force Omnibus #1 (2013), Deadpool: Beginnings Omnibus #[nn] (2017), X-Force Epic Collection #1 (2017), The All Killer No Filler Deadpool Collection #1 (2018), Deadpool Epic Collection #1 (2021)
Key issues in X-Force
Variants (2)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.