I really enjoy the tone of this series, but Hopeless includes two sequences here that actually speak to two issues that I've been having lately with the X-books. Namely, the X-books seem to be excessively focused on the legal and moral repercussions of their characters' actions even though they're also being wildly inconsistent on how this responsibility is being applied.
Take, for example, Logan's conversation with Colossus. I get that Logan and Peter go way back, so Logan knows that Peter's not a killer. But, can he really let Peter off the hook, morally, for his actions while under the influence of the Phoenix Force while holding Cyclops responsible for his actions? If we're really buying this moral argument that the Phoenix Force corrupted the Five to the extent that they weren't responsible for their actions, why is it true for Peter but not Illyana or Scott? Logan seems actually to be arguing that Illyana and Scott were already bad seeds, but it seems a stretch in Scott's case. (Illyana, I'm willing to concede.) Sure, he disagrees with Scott and dislikes him, but I think that it's hard to argue that Scott is any more of a natural killer than Peter is. Moreover, Logan certainly is more of a natural killer than Peter or Scott, so it's not like he's really in the place to sit in judgment of either of them. To me, this whole conversation shows a certain sloppiness when it comes to the X-Men's moral assessment of their fallen teammates, even if it does at least acknowledge that Logan himself has managed to escape being held against this standard.
On the legal issues, I'm starting to wonder why exactly Cable and his team can't explain what they're doing. When Alex asked Cable why all those guys were dead, couldn't he have just explained what happened? I think the implicit argument is that they couldn't possibly get a fair trial (or be delayed by one), something that Cyclops and his team also implicitly argue. It seems to be the way that Marvel is establishing that Cable and his X-Force and Scott and his X-Men are renegades. But, honestly, part of the willful suspense of disbelief with comics is that no one really goes to trial for their actions ever. I mean, how many people have accidentally been killed or how much property has totally been destroyed by superheroes? Shouldn't they all be brought to trial? Should Alex been on trial for his repeated attempts to kill Gabriel? Should Logan be on trial for his numerous (I mean, numerous) homicides? Should Wanda be on trial for the mutants who died when they suddenly lost their powers as a result of M-Day? Should Rogue be on trial for all the people that she put into comas? (I'll assume Thor, as a god, is above the legal authority of the United States.) Basically, Captain America is probably the only person on the "Uncanny Avengers" squad who shouldn't spend a few years defending himself in the American judicial system. Why are we suddenly starting to care now? Previously, outlaw status had more to do with the fact that you were being hunted because your team was a national-security issue, not because someone needs to serve you with a subpoena.
Anyway, I know it's a somewhat weird digression (and I never really address the issue itself), but I feel like both these trends affect "Cable and the X-Force" and Hopeless would do well to try to start avoiding them entirely. I mean, I'm all for them running from the law; I just don't need to be provided legal briefs telling me what USC statute they broke in doing so.
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