Issue(s): Die-Cut vs. G-Force #1, Die-Cut vs. G-Force #2
Cover Date: Nov-Dec 93
Title: "Grave incisions" / "Against all odds..."
Credits:
John Freeman - Writer
John Royle - Penciler
Tim Perkins - Inker
Stuart Bartlett - Editor

Review/plot:
Underneath the writing credit, thanks is given to a Peter Pinto of IMT.

The first thing to know about this series is that G-Force is a single character. I assumed G-Force was a team name, but what do i know? The second thing to know is that G-Force never appears again, so it's not worth worrying about his situation too much.

But he does have connections to the larger Marvel UK corner of the Marvel universe. He was recruited by Albion to infiltrate Mys-Tech.

Note that Albion was a member of Dark Guard by the time of this flashback, which was "three months" before the start of the story.

G-Force, or rather Professor Daniel Jones, was able to join Mys-Tech because he's developed technology that will allow Mys-Tech to direct the Warheads' wormhole portals (normally they open the portals at random and then raid whatever world they get access to). So Jones is joined up with a Warheads unit (not the Kether Troop unit that we know) and sent on a mission to test out his tech.

The Warheads move ahead of Jones, who remains behind in a tube connecting our world to the one they are headed to.

Meanwhile, Die-Cut feels himself compelled to go to a planet where robots are fighting humans, and he gets possessed by some kind of artifact.

It forces Die-Cut to use his scythe (excuse me, "Pscythe") to cut a dimensional warp, and he winds up where Jones is.

Jones gets tossed into the dimensional void. But then something trippy happens. It's said that whenever Mys-Tech open a wormhole, a new universe is created. And Jones is tossed into that new universe, where he inherits the ability to draw on its gravitational power. Hence, G-Force.

He returns and fights Die-Cut with his new power. Die-Cut tries to convince him that he's not in control of himself.

G-Force isn't really listening, but Die-Cut manages to cut a hole in the "tube" and toss the artifact out of it.

Die-Cut then tries to get them out of there using his Pscythe, but - if i'm understanding this right - they get sucked back to G-Force's new universe, and so do the other Warheads and some of the robots (i think the Warheads ended up on the same planet that Die-Cut was initially summoned to). It's kind of messy and i admit i wasn't trying too hard to follow the plot, but it's something like that. Wherever they are, they are fighting lots of robots and they have to stop a "gestalt bomb". G-Force is unable to control his powers; it seems they're tied to his emotions and he has to get angry to use them.

Meanwhile, Albion returns home from the dimension that he and the other Knights of Pendragon were helping to rebuild.

So this is interesting. It confirms that Albion became a member of Dark Guard while he was still with the Knights of Pendragon (see the Considerations for Dark Guard #1-4, though).

The Time Guardian gives G-Force a pep talk about using his powers (hey, is G-Force's daughter Jubilee?).

G-Force is then returned to the battle. The robots begin an absorption process (the detonation of the gestalt bomb, i assume)...

...but G-Force and Die-Cut reject it.

Mys-Tech find a way to open a wormhole to G-Force's universe, and they try to retrieve G-Force. But the robots attack. G-Force holds them off until the wormhold is closed again, with only Die-Cut going through. Die-Cut tries to take his vengeance out on Rathcoole, but Rathcoole is immortal.

So Die-Cut just leaves.

Things end kind of on a cliffhanger. The artifact that had previously possessed Die-Cut is now on Earth.

Albion never gets directly involved and doesn't know G-Force's final fate.

G-Force is left passed out on a floating asteroid.

But G-Force's "next exciting appearance" is not to be.

This story is a mess in terms of plot and art, especially in contrast to the other Die-Cut series that was being published at this time, which was (mostly) clear and a lot of fun. As usual, it's hard to fathom Marvel UK's publishing strategy. It just seems totally random.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This definitely takes place after Dark Guard #1-4. It doesn't seem to matter whether this comes before or after the other Die-Cut series that launched the same month as this. I put the other one first figuring we might as well let Die-Cut establish himself as a solo character before helping out another newcomer.

References:

• We get a summary of Die-Cut's origin, which was first seen in Death's Head & Die-Cut #1-2.
  
• See Knights of Pendragon #13-15 regarding where Albion has been.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A