Writer, Rob Williams takes advantage of the chaos spreading through the world thanks to "Fear Itself", by creating a standalone story that has little to nothing to do with "Fear Itself"...itself!
Issue two of this three part mini-series sees the members of X-Force race to various cities to try and stop renegade Purifiers, who are opening fire on anyone in site. The Purifiers; lead by a racist fear monger named Jonathan Standish, are bent on convincing the world that super powered beings are going to be responsible for ushering in the apocalypse.
Not only does this story not fit in with the "Fear Itself" arc at all, it utilizes an age old X-tool which quite frankly has become tiresome. Racist hate mongers targeting mutants because they are unnatural abominations that violate the purity of humankind is hardly a new concept. And unfortunately, Williams does little to add to this recycled concept.
Simone Bianchi's art is definitely distinctive. It has a realist feel to it which has been washed out using computer filters. The figurative details are impeccable and often gritty. Where the art falls short is in the overall composition of the panels. Bianchi's attention to detail usually only applies to all things organic. When it comes to background elements and landscape, Bianchi tends to leave them blank or insert some type of stylized design. This often hampers the flow of the storytelling, as the panels seem to jump a little being the reader can't always place the storytelling.
Overall, the book isn't horrible. It is definitely non-essential though. Whether you are an X-Force fan, a Fear Itself completionist or simply a Wolverine worshiper, you won't be missing out on much if you decide to skip over this issue, and this series in general.