As we start to wrap up our massive binge read of “X-Factor,” the series is becoming an ultra-concentrated version of itself. A lot of the dated politics are coming into sharper focus. Peter David’s character work has always been stellar, and he continues to swing for the fences. We get to see a lot of earlier work by contemporary Marvel mainstays like Leonard Kirk and Rachelle Rosenberg. These are some good comics, and even when they falter, they give us more than enough to talk about. So let’s get started Madrox Maniacs!
“X-Factor” #237-240, ‘The Road to Redemption’
Written by Peter David
Illustrated by Paul Davidson, and Neil Edwards
Inked by Karl Kesel, Rick Ketchum, and Craig S. Yeung
Colored by Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by Cory Petit
With the last few arcs ramping things up for a big finale, you’d think that halting the story momentum would kill this series, but far from it. It turns out, “X-Factor” really needed a moment to pause and take stock of its characters. There’s so much going on that introducing new villains and conflicts could be fun, but it’d lessen the impact of the story we’ve already got.
Take Guido for instance. He lost his soul when he was revived way back in issue #218. Since then, there have been fleeting moments, or big reactions, but we haven’t just had a scene where we see Guido just doing his thing. When we get that here, his behavior is fascinating. His personality isn’t all that different, but he says that things feel different to him. He’s less worried about his own drama, and that gives him an almost eerie level of perception. Without a soul, he also lacks empathy, but considering how clueless Guido was with a soul, the differences are subtle. The whole effect makes him simultaneously feel wiser and more dangerous.
All of that is to say, the effects of soulessness are subtle, and this arc gets at a lot of subtle character work. Or less subtle. Rahne’s depression finally gets to be too much for her team, so they drag her off to Vermont to do a confession with Father John, the pastor dupe. The drama of this scene gets an A+. A confession scene is a great way to force a character to make the internal thoughts external, and Rahne has been pushing a lot of stuff down. She’s reeling from the horror of her pregnancy, and deeply guilty for rejecting her son. She’s also still processing the trauma of being an assassin for Wolverine’s black ops squad, which is so reasonable.
The heightened drama of the confession is the kind of soap opera that I tune in for, but there’s an undercurrent of 2012 discourse that is hard to ignore. This has come up a couple of times when Peter David has dipped into heavy topics like politics or religion. I have no doubt that his heart is in the right place, but he’s a little too convinced that a well structured intellectually sound argument will always carry the day. Anyone who’s gotten drawn into an argument with an alt-right troll knows that this isn’t the case. Sometimes big emotions and rationalization drives people to believe illogical things.
I opened this series of reviews by sharing my experience of Peter David’s infamous anti-Rromani rant at NYCC in 2016. David’s writing has been so consistently strong, entertaining, and affecting that I’ve been completely absorbed by “X-Factor.” But that encounter illustrates the hypocrisy in his hyper-intellectual approach. His position (that the Rromani have a cultural tradition of mutilating children to make them better at begging) was not based in fact and logic. That didn’t stop him from defending his (wrong, mistaken, ignorant, bad) belief with fervor. So seeing Father John heal Rahne’s hurt with well constructed argument rings hollow for me.
Between the smarmy arguments and a lot of low-key sexism (Rictor asks Rahne if her depression is “some weird post-partum” thing”) there’s quite a bit of bad vibes in this story, which is too bad, because it is also brilliant. This arc introduces the Celtic goddess the Morrigan into modern Marvel continuity, and that’s a rad idea! It connects the Cassidy/Rourke family to magic and myth, which greatly expands the storytelling possibilities in this corner of Earth-616, and in just a couple of issues, I am totally ready for more.
Continued belowThere’s also some fantastic artwork to be appreciated. If I’m being honest, the linework is okay to above average. The credited penciler changes from issue to issue and while none of the artists are bad, none get a chance to stand out. But these issues see the return of colorist Rachelle Rosenberg who is so good, she elevates every issue she is in. Sometimes it’s subtle. A grim mood here, or a gorgeous sky there. Sometimes, it’s truly transformative. This peaks in issue #240, which is all about Layla. Rosenberg illustrates Layla’s knowing stuff by showing different possible timelines, all color coded. Good scriptwork from David, good panel layout from penciler Neil Edwards, but the strength of this issue belongs to Rosenberg.
I have a lot of criticism of this arc, but that doesn’t really represent my overall feelings. While David seems to be coming from a smug, and sometimes nasty place, his love for his characters shines through. The soapy drama, mythic villains, intriguing machinations… all of it is in such a fun comic that it overwhelms the troublesome stuff. Which leaves me sort of unsure how I want to reconcile that. I guess we are so far into this series now, there’s no denying how invested we’ve become.
“X-Factor” #241-245, ‘Breaking Points’
Written by Peter David
Illustrated by Leonard Kirk
Inked by Leonard Kirk, and Jay Leisten
Colored by Matt Milla
Lettered by Cory Petit
This is the story of how X-Factor split up. Over five days, five issues, simmering conflicts boil over, and the final conflict is ready to begin. This is how you do a penultimate story. This is how you end an epic run of comics. The last arc was slow and deliberate, which gave us a chance to see the cast take stock of their circumstances, but this was an explosive story that positions everyone for a big resolution. I loved it.
First one to walk off is Guido. He leads the team into battle against the alt-universe Dormammu and Captain Deathlok who have been lingering since ‘They Keep Killing Madrox.’ These villains went out pretty quick, but having some time with them gave the silly one-off fight some weight. The big moment of the issue comes when Monet thoroughly rejects Guido, who storms off, dejected and rejected. For someone without emotions, Guido sure seems sad to be rejected by Monet. It doesn’t quite make sense to me, but at least it’s consistent and interesting.
Then we cut up north, where Darwin is hunting for Rahne’s lost son. It’s amazing how well set up it is. Darwin started his search for a nameless harbinger of evil in issue #214, Rahne’s kid was born in #224, and finally in issue #242 everything comes together. Supremely excellent series pacing! The issue ends with Rahne swearing to be a good mom, and raising her kid along with Jack Russell, Werewolf-by-Night, in a remote cabin. It’s a small ray of sunshine for a character who mostly just gets kicked around.
The most interesting story of the bunch though, is all about Polaris. I’m shocked, because as I may have mentioned, I don’t care for Havok and Polaris at all. But this new development does some great rehabilitation for Lorna’s character. Polaris’ backstory is simultaneously complicated and boring, but after this issue, it all feels straightened out. Lorna’s mom had an affair with Magneto, and when her husband found out, he confronted her on a plane. Baby Lorna freaked out, and her nascent powers crashed the plane, killing her parents. All of her trauma is traced back to that repressed memory.
That’s much simpler than all the other iterations of this same story, and also has some familiar elements that give Lorna a lot in common with the likes of Jean Grey, or Wolverine, or Cyclops (down to the plane crash with ‘ol Slim). It explains some of her mental health struggles in an understandable way, and it positions Polaris to own her power and live her own struggle. This apparently drives Alex away, and he too quits the team.
Continued belowHavok doesn’t have a plan, he just wants to run off with Lorna, but she’s not having it. “If you’re not running towards something, than you are running away,” she tells him and damn if that isn’t actually kind of wise. It doesn’t stop him though, they break up and Alex walks out the door. And though it isn’t in “X-Factor,” I’d like to note that Alex remains a freaking disaster. He goes on to (poorly) lead the Avengers Mutant Unity Squad. There, he delivers a deeply controversial speech saying, “Please don’t call us mutants. The “M” word represents everything I hate.” And then he was off to an alternate reality where he married Janet van Dynne, had a daughter with her, and all of it was erased. Before too long after that, he was turned evil by a magic spell and kidnapped Janet in a weird gross story that went nowhere. Havok shouldn’t be permitted to run towards or away from anything. Lock this creep in a cell.
There’s more to the Polaris story though. It’s got to do with Theresa. Terry isn’t done with the Morrigan, and after circling each other for a while, Theresa Rourke Cassidy aka Siryn aka Banshee, becomes the freaking Morrigan, goddess of war, fate and death! Holy crap, that’s no small thing. I checked the Marvel wiki, and after “X-Factor,” Theresa literally has never appeared in a Marvel comic. She’s still a god, and there are amazing stories to be told. Like this one! Theresa as Morrigan uses her new god powers to help heal the psychic trauma done to Polaris and then she disappears, returning to the Otherworld. It rules!
This arc was relentless, and I could not get enough of it. It stands up to scrutiny in a way that the previous arc does not, but it has all of the excitement and top notch character work. The one-issue-one-day structure gave the story a shape, and the ever-changing tone worked in its favor. I was barely over questioning Guido’s rejection before I was faced with the mystery of Polaris’ origins. I guess a good story is one that entertains, but a great story can convince you to change your position on something. I don’t know that I’ve been made a Havok and Polaris convert, but after this issue I’m very excited to see what Lorna does next. Too bad the Hell on Earth War is coming.
