No, I can’t believe we’ve never had a Friday Recommendation for this title either.
Allow me a moment of self-indulgence, but this week saw the release of my new webcomic Detective Space Cat, something I’ve been toying with doing for at least a year and some odd months now. It’ll be silly, for sure, but the first word of the eponymous character is basically how I see the comic: as a noir story (a funny noir, yes, but a noir story all the same).
To that end, there are several books that have influenced what I bring to the table when doing my half of the scripts, and I thought it would be appropriate to spotlight the comic with the biggest influence on how I try and approach the book: the current run of “X-Factor” by Peter David. (Most people probably guessed it would be “Blacksad.” Most people are wrong!)
I was never a big “X-Factor” reader when I was younger. Sure, I was familiar with all of it; Cyclops and that weird blue/white costume, and Forge as a central character and not a villain. All of that was quite fun, and while I haven’t the foggiest idea where any of my old “X-Factor” issues are, I have fond memories. Yet when it came to the current book, I had never really bothered to take a look at it. Not because of any specific reason or anything, mind you, I just never really picked the title up. But with constant recommendations of it and “Secret Invasion” bringing a good time to check out just about any book on the stands at the time, I picked up an issue of “X-Factor” — and I loved it.
The premise is this: instead of trying to take a traditional handle of the team dynamic, “X-Factor” reinvented the idea of a team of mutant superheroes. This wasn’t just some motley crew of heroes trying to make the world a better place. No, this is a motley crew of misfits and mutants who have no place better to be, solving crimes and firing out quips at one another. “X-Factor” (which spun out of a short and out of print “Madrox” mini-series) is really “X-Factor Investigations,” led by Jamie Madrox as he satisfies his inner Bogart. With a (somewhat shifting) cast that includes Layla Miller (from “House of M”, who knows things), Strong Guy, Longshot and more, it’s easily the most consistent and entertaining X-Book on the stands, as pretty much everyone will tell you.
There’s something to be said for that as well. In the time since “X-Factor,” many things have happened to the mutant population: Utopia was established, Wanda returned and gave people back their powers, Cyclops and Wolverine broke up, J Jonah Jameson became mayor and the Heroic Age dawned. All of those previously listed things, though, are written by different people. “X-Factor,” on the other hand, has been singularly written by Peter David, who has guided the book along many unpredictable paths, all of which have resulted in satisfying pay-offs, resolutions, seeds, teases and more shocking/surprising finales than I’d say more than half of Marvel’s output has. All the hoopla in the media about gay superhero characters right now? “X-Factor” did it in 2009. You want big, meaningful deaths that matter, without all the media coverage? “X-Factor” does it. You want a diverse cast with strong female characters? Guess what: “X-Factor” has it all. It has all these things and more, and it doesn’t get half the amount of credit it so deserves.
It’s all down to Peter David just loving the heck out of what it is he’s doing. As you begin to become familiar with David’s tricks and favored techniques, you can see how much he loves every character in every aspect of every page. Jamie Madrox, for example, has gone from “that one villain with the doubles” to a fully three-dimensional humorous and tragic figure, like something out of a out of a Dashiell Hammett novel if it was edited by Joss Whedon. David’s handle of the characters, the things that make them tick and why they matter to us, is absolutely uncanny, and he makes the entire line-up of unbelievable characters entirely believable. They watch TV, they take time to relax, they shoot the shit — and yeah, they go out and do something kind of like superheroics, but it’s not the same as “Uncanny X-Men” or “X-Force” where everything is for the fate of existence itself These are our heroes, the ones you see on the ground running to help you out, not just flying above in the sky and taking care of cosmic-level threats. These are the ones we can truly connect to.
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And don’t get me started on all of the artists who’ve graced the book with interior art and covers: Ryan Sook, Dennis Calero, Ariel Olivetti, Pablo Raimondi, Khoi Pham, Valentine De Landro, Sebastian Fiumara, Emanuela Lapacchino, Leonard Kirk, Paul Davidson… it’s a damn beautiful book, people. Each artist always brings something new to the table that keeps the book feeling consistently fresh, and that combined with David’s vision for the book and it’s future are what keep this title forever a winning combination.
One would imagine that if there was a formula to what makes “X-Factor” work, it would be something like this: ((witty dialogue + engaging characters) – delusions of grandeur)/(noir + superheroes) = “X-Factor,” and that’s perfect. “X-Factor” is the type of book every other title should aspire to be. It takes your basic idea of superheroes, filters them through an usual lens (a detective agency), makes you connect with what’s happening and stays focused throughout without being burdened by the universe-wide events and crossovers and yadda yadda yadda. It’s streets ahead, simply put, and it always has been.
