X-Force #16 Writer: Craig Kyle, Chris Yost / Artist: Clayton Crain

The final chapter of the Messiah War is effective in that it proves what the story has been telling us for two months. Messiah War is pointless. Cable and the Hope are in the exact same predicament they were before this story. It was nothing more than a side-quest in an RPG, a lame item-gathering one at that.

Maybe the final fight with Stryfe was cool, right? Wrong. It plays out the same way all the others did. Stryfe says "Ha you can't beat me," as Bishops stalls, Wolverine leaps, Cable crawls, and did I mention that Bishop stalls? Apocalypse was supposed to be the climactic addition to the scene, but he just replaces Stryfe as the unbeatable guy on the field. His inner monologue was fairly interesting, however, something gets lost between that and his actions.

Some tension was supposed to provided with X-23's relationship with Kiden, but it was lost on me. I couldn't tell why 23 was so distraught at killing the vegetable girl to save her team. Isn't she usually a total badass? When Kiden finally died, I neither wept nor cared. I would have prefaced that with a "spoiler alert" but I'm sure none of you cared either.

The one thing I was hoping for from this arc was the explanation of Hope's power set. At least Messiah War is consistent in its disappointment. Apocalypse just looks at the girl and says something resembling, "I know you're gonna be powerful one day." How does he know? I want to know. Someone tell me. It's been two years since Messiah Complex told me she's important and I still don't know why.

Carrying out the disappointment theme through its entirety, Clayton Crain provides some of the most confusing pencils I've ever seen. In almost every panel, the characters blend into the background so much that I can't tell what is going on. The action scenes are impossible to decipher. The only way I know Apocalypse won the fight is because the writers told me. Not only that, but even when I can actually see the characters, it's an ugly sight to behold. In a few panels it actually looks as if faces are drooping off.

Messiah War was an epic failure. I've really never read a more insignificant story than this one. Every character involved in it will go back to the way things were before this without it having any effect on them whatsoever. So what was the point of Messiah War?