X-FORCE (1991) #101
"Powerless!"
 
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: April, 2000
 
Writer: Joseph Harris
Penciler: Steven Harris
Inker: Rick Ketchum Harris
Colorist: Matt Hicks Harris
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos Harris
 
What happens in X-FORCE #101?
 
By the time X-Force #101 rolls around, the team’s gone through every kind of trauma buffet imaginable — body horror, cosmic nonsense, leadership shifts, and an ever-revolving door of teammates. But this issue? This one kicks ‘em square in the DNA.
 
Titled “Learning to Fly” (ironic much?), this 1999 gut-punch courtesy of Joseph Harris and Steve Harris doesn’t drop a villain. It drops reality. Cannonball takes a joyride over San Francisco — classic Sam Guthrie maneuver — only to nosedive into the bay like a rocket-powered rock. No mutant blast field. No nothing. Just a high-speed splash of helplessness.
 
Cue Meltdown, Tabitha Smith, always ready with a spark and a snark, rushing to help… only to find her powers have ghosted too. And she’s not alone. The whole damn team — from Warpath to Bedlam — is suddenly and shockingly powerless. The source? None other than the High Evolutionary, doing his best Thanos cosplay and wiping mutant powers off the face of the planet like he’s spring-cleaning genetics.
 
But this isn’t a typical save-the-day scenario. X-Force #101 strips everything back — no flashy battles, no supervillain monologues — and asks the uncomfortable question: Who the hell are you without your powers?
 
It’s identity crisis city for every mutant in the room.
 
What follows is raw introspection. Meltdown flinches at the idea of being “normal.” Cannonball’s broken wings leave him grounded and furious. The team isn’t just disarmed — they’re disoriented, staring down the barrel of a future where they’re not special, not dangerous, not even relevant.
Steve Harris' art leans into that vulnerability, ditching over-the-top spectacle for quiet devastation. No explosions, just implosions — of ego, purpose, and self-worth.
 
X-Force #101 is that weird, rare moment where a superhero comic trades capes for crisis. It’s not an action-packed thrill ride. It’s a character study in slow-motion — a somber, brave deep-dive into what happens when the extraordinary becomes ordinary.
 
Stripped of their gifts, this team might finally figure out what it means to be human. Or fall apart trying.