X-Factor #9

Written by Peter David

Pencils by Dennis Calero

Cover by Ryan Sook

 

If you want a good example of how to write a proper tie-in issue then this is it. The main book’s past focus on the Tryp’s and their Singularity Investigations (rival company to X-Factor) is given little thought here, but David does make it a plot point that the Civil War is literally intruding onto their lives. Quicksilver showed up last issue and now we have him ingratiating, mostly blackmailing, himself onto the team.

 

Small continuity problem—he doesn’t have the Terrigan Mist crystals stuck in his hands yet he claims to be able to give mutants their powers back which would set this comic firmly after the mini-series Son of M where, you guessed it, he had crystals embedded in his hands.

 

Along with Quicksilver’s arrival is the revelation to the team of why all the mutants lost their powers. Understandably upset, X-Factor picks a fight with the core X-Men who lied to them. What they intend to do now that they know the truth is unclear, they certainly seem to inclined to keep it a secret amongst the X-Men on what happened. Quicksilver does appear to be staying on however, a small surprise since I expected nothing more than a timely cameo. Cyclops concludes the fight with an ultimatum—if Quicksilver leaves mutant-town then the X-Men will apprehend him.

 

The real fire works come over the Civil War and the X-Men’s decision to stay neutral (as explained in this week’s Civil War). Jamie and the gang officially come out against the Registration Act, which is going to be a bit rough for the book. It hasn’t really been addressed in full, but will X-Factor’s license as private detectives let them slide under the radar of the Registration Act?

 

David is really showing his skills here, Jamie Madrox’s powers are used creatively throughout, Layla is beginning to become a well-rounded character, and his grasp on the team’s interactions and personalities is fairly mastered. Calero too is doing much better here, although his Rahne Sinclair in ‘wolf’ form often looks like a dog head attached to a human body. The last panel has her looking like a large ferret more than anything, the worst he’s drawn her yet. It’s a sorry panel to end it on. Sook for his part continues to do beautiful covers that only serve to tease me with what might have been had he stayed on.

 

The addition of Quicksilver to the team, Layla’s growing amiability, and the endless spring of creativity and interest that is Jamie Madrox (whose role as leader is unwanted and therefore more interesting) all point to a bright future for this book. Now that we’ve got the major Earth shattering problems out of the way, it’ll be nice to get back to the noir-superhero-mystery that the book has established.

 

Rating - 8