X-Factor #10

Written by Peter David

Pencils by Renato Arlem

Additional Pencils by Roy Allen Martinez

Cover by Ryan Sook

 

X-Men could use a large dose of what Peter David gives to this book—true depth for the villain. Tryp, the evil owner of Singularity Investigations, has a memory (or time travel incident) with what appears to be himself as a child in the Middle Ages. He was a bright boy, too bright, and blamed for a spreading plague/famine. We still don’t know if he’s immortal, found a way to clone himself, or actually time traveling, but this kind of character is intriguingly mysterious because we are given real hints, rather than promises of real hints, about his past. A good mystery means that the more you know, the more questions you come up with.

 

The Civil War is still reverberating inside the comic—Jamie gives the press conference where he comes out against the Registration. Peter David then dances a tightrope along the sketchy premise that keeps X-Factor thoroughly out of the Civil War, since they’d normally be high on the list to take down. David has had most of the team sign up for the Registration Act, mostly through apathy, and Jamie Madrox himself has a dupe working for the F.B.I. so we can assume he’s signed up too.

 

This is the best X-book on the shelf at the moment, bar none. Astonishing is more classic than revolutionary, ‘Adjectiveless’ is regurgitating the early 90’s story arc formula, and Uncanny is solid but also not ground-breaking. X-Factor on the other hand is simply great writing. This is a character development story with a brisk plot full of genuine intrigue and drama.

 

This issue alone has Jamie rekindling romance with Siryn and starting it with Monet (to say nothing of Layla’s insistence that they will get married), a whistle blower from Singularity comes to X-Factor for protection, and the revelation that Tryp can manipulate people with psychological ‘suggestions’. The only problem is what the traitorous Singularity employee is blowing a whistle on, another Legacy Virus (a virus that kills only mutants).

 

The resurrection of the Legacy Virus is hardly creative. I think we’ve all had about enough of that concept to last several editorial teams. Considering that even the aftermath of that affair has already been undone, Colossus is now alive—I can’t imagine getting more out of the idea. David does put a considerable amount of effort into making it work though. Madrox, who had a dupe die from the disease, is sufficiently unnerved by the idea.

 

Running around in the background of all this is Quicksilver, whose set up shop in mutant town as some kind of New Age prophet for mutants. He claims that his new Terrigen Mist power to restore de-powered mutants (although always with harmful and extreme results) is only not working because the de-powered mutants weren’t worthy enough. Like all good liars, Pietro mixes in some truth, using the logic that all the original mutants were powerful so only those worthy of his gift will get their original powers back. What? I don’t really see the logic there but that’s the point, he’s a lying a-hole who’s obviously ignoring such weak mutants as Angel, Toad, or Blob.

 

My calls for Ryan Sook’s return to the book, especially when he’s forced to help make crappy books like the Ultimates Annual, still go unheeded. Arlem does a decent enough job, if not a slightly underwhelming one, and it fits the book well enough.

 

David is back on my Favorites List again after a brief hiatus because of his poorly thought out second Hulk run. This is good comics people, for all good girls and boys.

 

Rating - 8