X-MAN #10 - #13, December 1995- March 1996

Continuing the mini-reviews of X-Man, the spinoff I didn’t mind missing out on, even as a completist teenager.

#10 (Ostrander/Skroce/Duursema/Jones/LaRosa/Atkin/Hunter/Thomas/Webb/Malibu/Comicraft) – Good lord, look at those credits. This is Xavier’s first meeting with X-Man, a confrontation the series has been building up to for a few issues. It mainly consists of Xavier seeking out X-Man in his astral form, X-Man irrationally attacking him, and Xavier playing possum so that he can escape. I’m not sure what Marvel was thinking with this; establishing that a new, teenage character is a more powerful telepath than Professor Xavier. Isn’t Xavier a more valuable character if it’s firmly established that no one can top his mental expertise? Isn’t Xavier a more important commodity to Marvel than X-Man? Building up a new character by giving him such over the top powers feels cheap. The art in this issue is also a mess, as Skroce turns in a rush job and two other pencilers and multiple inkers have to come in and finish it off.

#11 (Ostrander/Skroce/LaRosa/Thomas/Brosseau) – X-Man, conveniently enough, runs into Rogue at the beach. Of course, he behaves irrationally and his powers explode, since there’s apparently some edict to have this happen in every issue. Rogue calms him down and the two become friendly. The X-Cutioner, blaming Rogue for the death of her first kiss Cody, appears and attacks her. Rogue and X-Man team up against him, and he teleports away soon enough. Skroce does energetic work on the fight scene, and the fight thankfully consists of more than just splash pages of X-Man’s powers exploding (although that happens too). The issue ends with Rogue suggesting X-Man seek out Moira MacTaggert, since he seems to distrust Xavier so much. This isn’t as awkward as the previous issues, but it does increase the sense of aimlessness the series has. It now seems as if the new direction is to have X-Man meet a different X-character from another book in each issue. This issue is filled with re-lettered word balloons, which makes me curious about what might’ve been happening behind the scenes.

#12 (Ostrander/Skroce/LaRosa/Thomas/Comicraft) – This issue opens with a gratuitous fight scene between X-Man and Excalibur. The idea that the team would automatically attack a stranger approaching the island is already dodgy, but having super-powerful characters like Colossus just punching the crap out of someone with no provocation is ridiculous. For all Colossus knows, he could’ve easily just killed X-Man. The fight thankfully gets brushed aside after the first few pages (because Moira just “forgot” to tell Excalibur that X-Man was coming). The next few pages aren’t bad, as Ostrander establishes that Moira is afraid of X-Man turning out like her son, the power-mad Proteus. That’s a smart use of past continuity, and Ostrander is able to get some decent emotions out of it. Wolfsbane develops a crush on X-Man and they spend a few pages together exploring the sea. This is probably the first creative use of X-Man’s powers we’ve seen so far, as X-Man uses telekinetics to part the water around a sunken ship like the Red Sea. The rest of the issue just goes back to X-Man acting irrational and having his powers explode, unfortunately. After meeting Excalibur’s prisoner Spoor, X-Man is slightly suspicious of Moira. When he reaches into her mind to verify Spoor’s claims, he sees that she’s been communicating with Professor Xavier (who he illogically distrusts because he still thinks that Magneto is the X-Men’s leader and Xavier’s a fraud). He also learns that his powers will cause his body to burn out before he turns twenty-one. Because he’s X-Man, this leads him to get angry and cause a giant explosion. This leads to a crossover with Excalibur, which I’m sure I’ll get to in a few days.

#13 (Ostrander/Ross/Hunter/Thomas/Comicraft) – Threnody, on the run from the Marauders after leaving Mr. Sinister, calls out to X-Man. He finds her in the sewers underneath Paris. The result is a pretty lengthy fight sequence, but this one at least has X-Man using his powers in creative ways. Using his telepathic powers to confuse the Marauders, and his telekinetic powers to sabotage their weapons, he ends up killing all of them but one. (The story doesn’t even treat this as a morally dubious action, perhaps because the narration goes out of its way to remind us that these are clones. I guess clones aren’t a part of Marvel’s culture of life). The remaining Marauder is given a psychic implant, which will force him to hide X-Man’s identity and Threnody’s location from Sinister. Just as a straightforward action story, this is better than the previous issues. Connecting X-Man to Threnody isn’t a bad idea, since it links X-Man back to his origin as a Sinister creation, and it gives Threnody something to do. The art is a major drawback, as it features a young Luke Ross trying to integrate Madureria’s manga style with the early Image look. It ain’t pretty. Like most of the issues preceding it, this issue is filled with obviously re-lettered word balloons. These are the hand-lettered corrections that are very obvious when compared to Comicraft’s computer font. Either Comicraft was making a ton of mistakes, or someone at Marvel felt an overwhelming desire to perform last-minute rewrites on every issue of this series.

PROFESSOR XAVIER AND THE X-MEN #1 – November 1995

Trial by Fire!

Credits: Fred Schiller (writer), Jan Duursema (penciler), Rick Magyar & Mike Sellers (inkers), Matt Webb (colorist), Pat Brosseau (letterer)

Summary

Jean Grey arrives at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters for the first time. She’s introduced to her fellow X-Men and soon given her own uniform and code name, Marvel Girl. Professor Xavier sends the team on their first mission, to stop Magneto from sabotaging another satellite launch at Cape Citadel. The team arrives at the base and is given ten minutes by the authorities to deal with Magneto. They defend themselves from Magneto’s attacks, and eventually push him into retreating. Jean decides that she made the right decision in joining the team.

Review

I only own two issues of this series, so I have no plans on reviewing it on a regular basis, but I thought I should at least mention the first issue. This is the start of Marvel’s ill-fated 99-cent line. The line was one of Marvel’s numerous attempts to bring back readers after sales plummeted in 1994, creating a line of books in the hopes that self-contained stories at a lower price could bring in more casual readers. As far as sales stunts go, I guess this one was pretty admirable. The line was poorly conceived from the beginning, though, and it’s only remembered now as the imprint that birthed Untold Tales of Spider-Man. The first problem with the line was that Marvel created it without realizing that mainstream retailers had no interest in dollar comics anymore. In order to be sold on newsstands, Marvel had to bundle two of the titles together and charge $1.95, which automatically defeats the whole 99-cent angle. The second major problem was content, as the line was filled with retellings of old comics, throwaway inventory stories, cartoon adaptations, and just one lone title that tried to create new stories that took place in old continuity. With the exception of Untold Tales of Spider-Man, which tried to appeal to both older and younger readers, it’s hard to believe that Marvel thought that any of these books could last.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, this issue is a retelling of Uncanny X-Men #1 (or X-Men #1, since “Uncanny” became the retroactive adjective for the original title). The hook is that it’s narrated by Jean Grey, who was originally a token female character without much of a personality. Chris Claremont had revealed years later that Jean and the Professor knew each other before the X-Men were formed, so presumably retelling the first issue from her perspective has some potential. Instead, we get a rushed recap of the first issue, with a couple of narrative captions thrown in that basically put Jean through an arc that consists of “I’m not sure if I should come here; I’m not sure if I like it here; wow, I love it here”. Since Jean doesn’t really do anything in the original story, and the retelling doesn’t give her anything more to do in the final fight with Magneto, the decision to have her narrate the issue doesn’t work. It reads as if the story is actually about Jean for most of the issue, then she drops out for several pages while the team fights Magneto, then she has a brief narrative caption in the final panel declaring that she’s decided she likes being a superhero.

The odd approach taken to continuity in this issue is also confusing. The characters don’t use the same dialogue or wear the same clothes they wore in the original story, but the plot follows the same basic outline. In doing so, it incorporates some of the plot holes and nonsensical elements that haven’t held up over the years. Viewed through modern continuity, it’s impossible to believe that Xavier would’ve sent barely trained (in Jean’s case, totally untrained) teenagers off to fight Magneto, especially when you consider the retcon that Xavier and Magneto already knew each other at this time. And would the Magneto we know today just fly off after a couple of teenagers wage a meager attack against him? Trying to cram the hundred-plus panels of story that appeared in the original issue into a modern comic that only has an average of four or five panels per page also seems foolish. Even though I usually don’t mind Duursema’s art, her depictions of the X-Men as teenagers here are just absurd. Cyclops has a neck the size of a tree trunk, and Jean has the proportions of a twenty-six year old stripper.

I’m not sure why Marvel decided to go in this direction, since Untold Tales of Spider-Man clearly felt no need to retell old stories, opting instead to insert stories in-between existing issues. Why not take that approach to the X-Men? Why create a series that appears to be a dubious attempt at overwriting the original issues, especially one that does so in such a halfhearted way? Actually, the one other issue I have is #4, which is written by Fabian Nicieza. It doesn’t retell UXM #4, but instead tells the story of Magneto recruiting the original Brotherhood, while incorporating all of the modern retcons about Magneto’s past. Basically, it’s Untold Tales of the X-Men, written by someone who had written quite a few X-comics. This actually has potential. I have no idea if the rest of the series followed in this tradition, but considering the low reputation it’s earned over the years, I doubt it. This series, combined with X-Man, helped to force me away from completism, since I knew it was being published but honestly felt no desire to ever read it.

X-FACTOR #111 – February 1995

Explosive Performance

Credits: John Francis Moore (plot), Todd Dezago (script), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

The K’lanti aliens emerge from the ship and take Lila Cheney hostage. They agree to give Lila an hour to retrieve their Harmonium music box, leaving a series of diamond-shaped bombs around Madripoor as incentive. Polaris and Guido go with Lila to find the Harmonium while Forge and the rest of X-Factor try to neutralize the bombs. Meanwhile, Val Cooper spots someone who looks like Jaime Madrox in Washington. On Cygnus Prime, Polaris helps Lila find the Harmonium in an alien junkyard, but Guido is buried under tons of rubble during his fight with an alien guard dog. His body absorbs the energy from the collapse, and the trio teleport back to Madripoor. Lila gives the Harmonium back to the K’lanti, who will use its special music to end their civil war. They disappear, leaving behind one final diamond-bomb to punish Lila. Guido jumps on top of it, absorbing the explosion. The strain of absorbing so much energy gives him a heart attack. Suddenly, reality crystallizes and shatters.

Continuity Note

Every X-comic this month ends with the M’Kraan Crystal consuming the Earth and then shattering.

Review

It’s not as bad as the previous issue, but that doesn’t mean it’s any good. The story feels like it’s killing time before the big crossover, with a tacked on cliffhanger that’s supposed to make you care about the book’s eventual return. If the alien races depicted weren’t so bland and uninteresting, maybe this story could’ve worked. Instead, we just get a group of gibberish-speaking aliens obsessed with a music box and some type of junkyard dog as the antagonist. The only time any of the characters feel unique is during the scene where Forge uses his mutant powers to figure out a way to stop the bombs. Everything else feels generic and dull. There are some aspects to Duursema’s art that I like, but she doesn’t pull off any of the action scenes in this issue. The big explosion that leads to Guido’s injury (which forces him out of the book for years), is pretty flaccid, and not deserving of a scene that will actually have a large impact on the book’s continuity.

X-FACTOR #110 – January 1995

Creatures on the Loose

Credits: John Francis Moore (plot), Todd Dezago (script), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Matt Webb (colorist), Starkings & Comicraft (lettering)

Summary

After being teleported away by Legion, X-Factor reappears in a Madripoor harbor. The team is shocked to discover that they’ve landed on top of a spaceship. A giant monster emerges from the ship. When Guido tries to attack it, he’s knocked unconscious. A mystery man takes Guido away while X-Factor continues to fight the alien. At a nearby hotel, the mystery man reveals himself to be a tiny blue alien named Jornick. He’s been running from Lila Cheney, the mutant thief whose treasure he’s stolen. Lila suddenly appears and saves her former bodyguard, Guido, from Jornick. Jornick reveals that the monster in the harbor hatched from an alien egg he stole from Lila. After Lila threatens him, Jornick takes her to the treasure he stole. Lila tries to find a music box she needs, but Jornick has already gotten rid of it. Lila says that she needs it or else an entire star system will go to war. Lila uses her intergalactic teleportation powers to drop Jornick off at her space home. She then goes back to Madripoor and teleports the monster alien back to its home planet. Suddenly, a large spaceship looking for Lila arrives.

Creative Differences

In a very poorly re-lettered balloon, Havok theorizes that Legion must’ve teleported them to the middle of an alien attack in order to keep them busy while he escaped. I imagine this is an attempt to cover the massive coincidence that Legion’s teleportation would lead them to the middle of another adventure with Guido’s ex-employer.

Review

I guess this is supposed to be an attempt to emulate the goofier, less serious comics of the Silver Age. Giant monsters and tiny blue aliens are quite a departure from the character dramas and heavy thematic material of the X-books of this era. Ideally, this would be a nice change of pace for the title, but it turns out to be pretty dull. Most of the dialogue is bland and generic, and Guido’s standard wisecracks just aren’t funny. Really, for a story that’s supposed to be quick and light-hearted, it’s not fun at all to read. Duursema’s art looks rushed, and doesn’t really deliver on the comedy or action scenes. Definitely not the best work of anybody involved.

X-FACTOR #109 – December 1994

The Waking

Credits: John Francis Moore (plot), Todd Dezago (script), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colors)

Summary

Mystique tries to choke Legion, but is stopped by his telekinetic blast. She escapes from the hospital room and leads X-Factor on a chase through Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, Legion goes to sleep and has a mental conversation with Destiny. She tells him to give a message to Mystique. Legion promises to find a way to make everything right and mentally contacts his father. At the Tel Aviv Marina, Mystique meets up with Avalanche. When X-Factor catches up with them, Avalanche uses his powers to create a tidal wave. Havok is able to block the water while Wolfsbane and Forge chase Mystique. Legion suddenly appears and lifts Mystique into a telekinetic bubble with him. He enters her mind and gives her Destiny’s cryptic message about reality changing. When the rest of X-Factor arrives and attacks Legion, he makes the entire team disappear. He leaves Mystique, promising to make everything better.

Creative Differences

Lots of word balloons and captions look doctored in this issue. The first page has a lot of awkward-looking exposition that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the lettering. Gabrielle Haller’s dialogue on page eighteen has been altered to say that Legion is imagining a conversation with his father, which connects the story to Uncanny X-Men #319. On page twenty-two, an added balloon clarifies that Avalanche is now in custody, and some of Legion’s dialogue when he sends X-Factor away on page twenty-nine is altered.

Review

This doesn’t work nearly as well as the previous issue, as it’s mainly an extended chase scene with a contrived ending. Mystique’s plan to avenge her friend’s death in the last issue was at least relatable, but now she’s back to her role as heartless murderer. The only depth given to Mystique is when she briefly considers saving Val Cooper from drowning because she’s been “useful” to her. Of course, she ends up leaving her to die anyway. Her desire to kill Legion was at least understandable, but now she’s just a generic villain on the run from the good guys. Any complexity the story might’ve had is gone. There is an attempt to use Forge’s past with Mystique, but she comes across as such a loon it doesn’t work either. Since the story just ends with Legion teleporting everyone off anyway, it looks like Moore should’ve just skipped another Mystique issue and gone ahead with next issue’s Lila Cheney story.

X-FACTOR #108 – November 1994

Promised Vengeance

Credits: John Francis Moore (plot), Todd Dezago (script), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

Forge asks Rogue and Nightcrawler to use his hologram technology to replay Mystique’s death in Mississippi. Forge suggests that Rogue didn’t make sure Mystique was alive because she didn’t want her taken into custody, or because she really did want her dead. Angered, Rogue leaves with Nightcrawler. Nick Fury appears, with videotape evidence from the Israeli embassy of a shapechanger creating a travel visa for one of Avalanche’s aliases. Havok and Guido investigate Avalanche’s hideout, but he manages to escape. Further investigation at the Israeli embassy shows that the personal files of Gabrielle Haller were accessed by Mystique. Haller is the mother of Legion, the mutant who killed Mystique’s longtime confidant, Destiny, months earlier. X-Factor heads to the Tel Aviv hospital where the comatose Legion is being treated. Wolfsbane follows Mystique’s scent and leads the team to confront her as she prepares to inject Legion with poison. Mystique’s body suddenly jerks, tossing the syringe away, as Legion awakes from his coma.

Continuity Notes

Legion is the autistic son of Professor Xavier and Gabrielle Haller. Legion has three distinct personalities and often behaves erratically. He killed Destiny in Uncanny X-Men #255 (his wiki page says that he was under the Shadow King's influence at the time, but I think that came later).

Creative Differences

There are quite a few awkward hand-lettered balloons that don’t fit in with the computer lettering. Most of them are used to repeatedly clarify Mystique’s powers, which is kind of excessive.

Review

This is the beginning of an attempt to integrate X-Factor more closely with the other X-titles. The Generation X preview special had sections dedicated to every X-title, and most of the write-ups for the spinoffs emphasized how important they were going to be for the larger picture. More than once the editors mentioned their desire to eliminate the idea that any title was peripheral. It doesn’t look like this storyline would actually impact the other titles at first, but it does lay the groundwork for the massive “Age of Apocalypse” crossover. The previous issue’s fill-in even gets to play a tangential role in this story, as it’s revealed that Blob was being used as a distraction by Mystique to keep any attention away from her. I’m sure if it were published today, X-Factor #107 would’ve had a “Countdown to the Dawn of the Age of Apocalypse!” banner somewhere on that hot pink cover. The books maintained a tight connection throughout the “Age of Apocalypse” storyline, but I seem to remember most of the spinoffs going back to their own directions after the event was over.

Mystique returns after “dying” just a few months earlier in the infamous X-Men Unlimited #4. One of the larger plot holes in that issue, why Rogue didn’t bother to search for Mystique’s body, is addressed by new writer John Francis Moore (who for some reason isn't scripting at this time). Moore tries to make something out of the absurdity of Rogue’s inaction by using it as a character moment for both her and Forge (showing that Rogue has conflicted feelings about her mother, and that Forge has rotten people skills), so it at least comes across as more than a continuity patch. The rest of the issue is dedicated to Mystique’s plans for revenge over a story that was published in 1989. That comic was already five years old at this point, so it felt a little forced even then, but Moore and Dezago do an admirable job of making it work. X-Factor’s role as government agents and their connection the previous government mutant team lead by Mystique help to make the story feel unique to this title, which is always a plus. The pacing of the story works fine and thankfully doesn’t spend too much time on red herrings like the Avalanche fight. Duursema’s art is a little too “90s” on certain pages, but I still like most of it. This is actually the strongest issue of X-Factor in months, now that I think about it. The story moves at a decent speed, and it actually feels like something is happening again.

X-FACTOR #106 – September 1994

Lifesigns

Credits: Scott Lobdell & Todd Dezago (plot), Todd Dezago (script), Jan Duursema & Roger Cruz (pencilers), Al Milgrom (inks), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

X-Factor is summoned by Professor Xavier to the Acolytes' former base in France. While there, they meet X-Force and Excalibur. Xavier explains that they have been called to help him stop the Phalanx. He describes the Phalanx’s attack on Muir Island, and his narrow escape with Excalibur. Wolfsbane and Cannonball discover Douglock restrained in another room. He explains to them that he asked to be restrained until it could be proven that he’s not a threat. Professor Xavier asks Forge if he can use his powers to determine how Douglock was created. Forge asks Xavier to leave the room because his telepathic power is interfering with his intuitive ability to understand machines. With Xavier gone, Cannonball interrogates Douglock. Douglock explains the creation of the Phalanx, and Zero’s efforts to free him. He tells Forge that the Phalanx is adapting, and taking on the traits left over from its alien ancestors. Suddenly, Douglock knocks Forge unconscious, telling him that he needs his powers. He grabs Cannonball and Wolfsbane as the combined X-teams try to stop him. Xavier tells the teams not to confront Douglock because he might be too dangerous. Douglock teleports away with Forge, Cannonball, and Wolfsbane, upset about what he has done to his friends.

Continuity Notes

Xavier says that the French monastery the Acolytes used as a base has an “unexplained natural phenomenon (that) conceals the presence and activities of mutants.” That’s awfully convenient.

Douglock gives a comprehensive origin of the Phalanx, explaining that the Genoshan government sold the remains of Warlock after he was killed in the “X-Tinction Agenda” storyline (the original issues showed the New Mutants characters with Warlock’s ashes, although I guess it’s possible that there was enough to go around). A group of scientists began to use the remains to develop a new breed of “living sentinels”. Steven Lang was recruited to control the hundreds of soldiers, due to his previous connection to Master Mold’s cybernetic brain net.

The earlier versions of the Phalanx that appeared in Uncanny X-Men #305 are dismissed as earlier prototypes “created whole cloth from Lang’s tortured brain.” Forge speculates that since most of Warlock’s people were “barbaric conquerors”, the Phalanx must be following their template and now consider organic life anathema.

Douglock says that he was based on Doug Ramsey’s “engrams” and genetic material, but he is not Doug Ramsey.

Review

This is a good example of what crossovers can do to a book. This is supposedly an issue of X-Factor, yet it doesn’t tie in to any of the ongoing storylines, or give most of the cast members anything to do. In fact, Excalibur has the most important role, fighting the Phalanx in a flashback, while X-Factor is relegated to mainly receiving exposition from Douglock. There is an attempt to connect the X-Factor members to the story by emphasizing Wolfsbane’s past with Doug and Forge’s ability to analyze machines, but at no point does this really feel like an issue of X-Factor. Revealing the Phalanx’s full origin does at least give this issue a central role in the storyline, but it’s another reminder of how X-Factor has been dragged into all of this. The Phalanx have never appeared in this series before, but had been in quite a few issues of Uncanny X-Men by this time. Why wasn’t their origin revealed there? Why would a regular X-Factor reader care about this unless he was already buying Uncanny X-Men? The “Fatal Attractions” chapter in this series at least exploited Quicksilver’s connection to Magneto and the Acolytes, while also telling a self-contained story that tied into X-Factor’s role as government agents. The “X-Cutioner’s Song” derailed the title’s storylines, but it did provide a long-awaited confrontation with X-Force and a rematch with the MLF. “Phalanx Covenant”, unfortunately, really has nothing to offer this book.

X-FACTOR #104 – July 1994

Malicious Intent!

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis & Todd Dezago (plot), Todd Dezago (script), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

Havok, possessed by Malice, fights Polaris in Hawaii. Malice tells Polaris that she can feel Mr. Sinister calling her back again, but she refuses to give in to it. She tells Polaris that she’d rather see her die than possess her again. Polaris is able to briefly contain Havok and go back to their hotel room to call for help. There, she finds Beatrice Conners, the government agent Malice possessed months ago. Polaris calls for help, but Havok shows up unexpectedly and blasts the phone. Malice, through Havok, tells Polaris that if she doesn’t surrender, she’ll kill Conners. Meanwhile, Guido has dinner with his childhood girlfriend. She tells him that their relationship was just a childhood crush, and admits that she couldn’t be involved with a mutant. Wolfsbane comforts Guido’s cousin Anthony about the possibility that he might be a mutant, then consoles Guido when he returns from his date. Val Cooper arrives to take the pair to Hawaii to help Polaris. Back in Hawaii, Malice prepares to kill Polaris when Mr. Sinister arrives with the Nasty Boys.

Continuity Notes

Malice possessed Polaris back in Uncanny X-Men #219, working for Mr. Sinister as a Marauder. She controlled her body for years, and at one point Sinister claimed that the two were permanently linked. In this issue, Malice says that it took months for her to escape Polaris’ body and that she’s been hiding from Sinister ever since.

Review

This is another installment of X-Factor that just moves too slowly. The story is mostly dedicated to a possessed Havok fighting Polaris, with a few brief scenes to set up the next issue. There are some attempts at characterization with the Guido/Wolfsbane subplot, but they feel a little thin. Duursema does a decent job with the action sequences, but they drag on for too long. Bringing back Malice isn’t a bad idea, and seeing a forgotten character from the Silvestri era delighted me as a kid, but the events of the previous issue and this one just don’t deserve forty-four pages. All that’s essentially happened is that Polaris comforts Havok in Hawaii, Guido and Rahne visit his hometown, then Malice possesses Havok and fights Polaris. The storyline isn’t even over yet, as it drags on for at least another issue. With the regular writer leaving and a crossover looming, it feels as if the book’s just killing time.

X-FACTOR #103 – June 1994

Friends and Family

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis and Todd Dezago (plot), Todd Dezago (script), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Starkings/Comicraft (lettering), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

Random takes Guido and Wolfsbane to visit Guido’s aunt and uncle in upstate New York. They ask Random to stay, but he refuses. In Hawaii, Polaris tracks down Havok. She tells him that she’ll support whatever decision he makes, and if he quits the team, she’ll join him. The two spend a romantic day together while Polaris tries to assuage his guilt over Madrox’s death. The entire time, they’re being watched by a mysterious woman. In Washington, Val Cooper submits a report about Madrox’s death, but refuses to confirm to the government that he had the Legacy Virus. She leads them to believe that the disease has been quarantined in Genosha. Wolfsbane gets a sudden feeling that something’s wrong with Havok, but Guido reminds her that Haven cured her of her connection to him. Back in Hawaii, Polaris discovers that Havok has been possessed by Malice.

“Huh?” Moment

Random implies that the house they’re visiting must belong to poor people, but it looks like a nice two-story home to me. Since Guido tells him that he’s rich but his family isn’t, I think we’re really supposed to believe that this house is a lot more humble than it is.

Review

J. M. DeMatteis’ run on the title approaches its end, as Todd Dezago (in his first pro work, I think), co-writes this issue. Ever since the end of the Peter David run, I’ve noticed that the storylines in this book tend to evolve pretty slowly, and this issue is no exception. Most of the issue consists of character-based scenes, as the Malice storyline continues to build leisurely. Guido’s cousin is given a very brief scene where he questions whether or not he’ll grow up to be normal, but I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be foreshadowing for a future storyline or just Claremont-style monologuing. Val Cooper is also given a brief scene that raises an interesting idea -- should the X-teams keep the Legacy Virus a secret? Since the various X-teams are obviously coming from a pro-mutant perspective, it’s not surprising that they would try to keep the disease quiet in order to prevent more hysteria. That’s also an elitist point of view, though, assuming that the public can’t handle the truth. If the Virus has spread to America, you could also make the argument that the X-teams have an obligation to alert the Centers for Disease Control, at least. This idea is only brought up once again, from what I can remember, in X-Men Prime. The moral implications are just given lip service, and it seems like the concept is brought up mainly to create conflict between Beast and his reporter girlfriend. It’s too bad the writers never really explored the idea.

X-FACTOR #102 – May 1994

The Polaris Plot!

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Mat Webb (colorist)

Summary

Wolfsbane and Guido spend time with Charles Xavier, Storm, and Moira McTaggert following Madrox’s funeral. Random arrives at X-Factor’s headquarters to lead Polaris to the government agency that hired him to kill her. He takes Forge and Polaris to their office where they find Crimson Commando, Avalanche, and the head of the agency, Colonel Malone. Forge decides that Malone won’t act in secrecy anymore and X-Factor attacks. When Forge captures Colonel Malone and threatens to expose him, he commits suicide. Another government official, Beatrice Conners, arrives. She orders Avalanche and Crimson Commando to stop fighting and explains “Project Polaris” to the team. The government wanted to use Polaris as a weapon against Magneto, but rather than recruiting her, Malone’s plan was to kidnap and brainwash her into service. Conners apologizes to Polaris and promises to cooperate in the Congressional investigation. Later, when Polaris boards a plane to find Havok, Conners is watching her. Conners is wearing the Malice choker.

Continuity Notes

Polaris was once possessed by Malice. Her victims always have a choker around their neck when they’re being possessed.

According to Polaris, Random has only killed three times, and only to save innocent lives. Later, Crimson Commando claims that Random’s powers only work against mutants.

Production Note

This is another issue of X-Factor that seems to alternate between hand lettering and computer lettering.

Review

Almost a year after it was introduced, the “shadowy government agency trying to kill Polaris” storyline is resolved. There’s not a lot of payoff, as it’s revealed that they never wanted to kill her in the first place -- they only wanted to use her as a weapon against a villain that had already been dispatched when most of the storyline was going on. There definitely seems to be some backtracking going on, as Random’s own thought balloons indicated that he was being hired to kill Polaris, plus the government agents sent after her implied the same thing. The inference that none of these people could actually kill her (or that Random wouldn’t actually pull the final trigger) is there, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why tell the agents to kill her in the first place if they only wanted to capture her? What if someone got lucky?

There’s also some backtracking going on with Random, as Polaris reveals that he’s only had three kills, and that all of them have been justified. It’s not hard to see that this is done to make him a more palatable member of the team. This issue also keeps pushing the idea that Random’s “tough guy” attitude is an act, with Polaris inviting him to join the team at the end of the issue. This is really a lot of effort going into a character originally intended just to be a parody. It’s especially odd to read these scenes and know that Random never even joined the team. This is an awkward issue in retrospect, since it doesn’t offer a satisfying conclusion to one storyline and develops another one that doesn’t go anywhere.

X-FACTOR #101 – April 1994

Afterlives

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings & Jon Babcock (letterers), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

The members of X-Factor mourn the loss of Madrox. Havok, blaming himself for allowing Haven to “kill” Madrox, is the hardest hit. He skips the memorial service and goes to a diner. When the diner is robbed, he explodes in anger at the thief and blows out the building’s windows. Later that day, he finally visits Madrox’s grave. He asks Madrox to forgive him because he’ll never forgive himself. He tosses away his X-Factor membership card as he walks away.

Review

It’s yet another “quiet” issue, but unlike most of the others from this era, it does have a very brief action scene. It’s a nice character issue, as DeMatteis has the cast reflect on death and loss, while developing a character arc for Havok. Some of the scenes are a little cliché, but most of it works. It’s interesting that both Madrox and Illyana were considered expendable enough to be killed, but important enough to have entire issues dedicated to mourning their memory. That’s got to be an odd level of popularity.

Aside from building up the Legacy Virus storyline, DeMatteis uses Madrox’s death to turn the focus on Havok. He’s been the least developed since the David/Stroman relaunch began, mainly serving as the straight man for jokes or the generic team leader. David played with his insecurities about living up to his brother’s reputation briefly, but left before the storyline went anywhere. Now that one of his teammates is dead, Havok is given a credible reason to doubt himself, opening the door for the first storyline to really focus on his character. I don’t even remember how exactly Havok rejoined the team (I think Polaris just talked him into it), but at least there was an effort to go beyond shock value and explore the avenues created by Madrox's death.

X-FACTOR #100 – March 1994

Mahapralaya!

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

Havok tries to convince Wolfsbane not to join Haven, but she refuses. Haven reveals her plan to have a satellite electromagnetically stimulate the fault lines in California, creating earthquakes that will kill most of its residents. She sends X-Factor into “oblivion”, psychologically examining each member. They return to reality, trapped in a cell that repels their powers. Haven’s brother, Monsoon, and Val Cooper arrive. They reveal that they’ve been working undercover for months to stop Haven. One of Madrox’s duplicates appears with Haven’s men and attacks. Guido and Random hold them off while Polaris stops the satellite in the sky and Havok destroys it. Madrox, succumbing to the Legacy Virus, asks Haven to cure him. Havok reluctantly agrees to let her try, but Haven is unsuccessful in saving his life. Haven says that “He” has spoken to her, and that the Legacy Virus will be a crucible for mutants, with the survivors forming the basis of the “New Humanity”. Haven flies away as the team mourns Madrox.

Gimmicks

This issue has a red foil cover with raised Havok and Madrox figures.

Continuity Notes

Random’s body turns into a shapeless blob after being sent to “oblivion” with X-Factor. Polaris asks him why his body changed when no one else’s did, but he refuses to answer.

The two duplicates of Madrox with distinct personalities are missing by the end of the story without explanation.

Review

X-Factor #100 finally accomplishes what Marvel wanted to do since the Peter David run, the death of Madrox. I have mixed feelings about this issue. Duursema’s art is fine, incorporating just enough of the ’90s look without getting ugly, while also clearly telling the story and selling the emotions. DeMatteis’ interpretation of Haven is still interesting, and the twist with Monsoon and Val Cooper isn’t too obvious so it works pretty well. DeMatteis incorporates Madrox’s illness, another subplot he inherited, into the Haven storyline, which doesn’t work as well as the conclusion of the Wolfsbane subplot. Having Haven cure Wolfsbane is a good misdirection for Madrox, giving the reader false hope that he’ll be saved too, but choosing Madrox as a sacrifice to the Legacy Virus doesn’t work. Not only does he develop two sentient clones in this storyline, but they also play a large role in this issue…until they just disappear off-panel. Killing off Madrox conclusively would have been hard enough, since anyone could just reveal that he had long-lost duplicate, but introducing two independent duplicates in this storyline and just forgetting about them makes it even more unbelievable. It’s another example of how half-hearted the Legacy Virus storyline became. Marvel decides to infect an actual member of an X-team, but they choose a character whose powers give them the easiest “out” for a resurrection. They’re trying to have it both ways – a (somewhat) major character dies, but he’s also the one X-character who can be resurrected the easiest. This lack of commitment to the idea is what leads to the Legacy Virus story becoming such a bomb. In terms of this specific issue, Madrox’s death only occurs in the final four pages, giving this issue a rushed ending as Haven suddenly declares that the Legacy Virus is all part of the master plan and just flies away. After such a long build-up, it’s a disappointment.

X-FACTOR #99 – February 1994

The Curse

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Glynis Oliver (colorist)

Summary

Random offers to sell X-Factor information on the people who paid him to kill Polaris. Forge pays him for the information, and to accompany X-Factor on their mission to capture Haven. While on the plane ride, Wolfsbane threatens Havok, telling him that she needs to be free of their psychic bond at any cost. Before she hurts Havok, she reverts to wolf form and is comforted by Guido. X-Factor arrive at Haven’s headquarters and briefly face her brother, Monsoon. Val Cooper appears at Haven’s side, as Haven confesses to creating global chaos in order to bring about a “golden age”. When Wolfsbane attacks her, Haven heals her of the Mutate bonding process, allowing her to return to her human form. Now free of her psychic bond to Havok, Wolfsbane joins Haven.

Production Note

The lettering font changes back and forth throughout the issue. It looks as if Starkings is experimenting with computer lettering, as some of the lettering looks stiff and perfectly spaced, while other balloons look more organic. This could be the first comic I’ve reviewed on this blog with computer lettering.

Miscellaneous Note

According to the Statement of Ownership, average sales for this year were 423,808 with the most recent issue at 665,700. Just think, the awkward transition issues between Peter David and J. M. DeMatteis are probably the highest selling issues of this series ever, thanks to speculators. Or, maybe Random really was the next Marvel superstar after all!

Review

The Haven storyline continues, as DeMatteis uses his new character to resolve a long-running subplot. Wolfsbane’s condition goes back to the X-Tinction Agenda crossover, which was over three years old at this point. It’s hard to say where exactly Peter David was going with the story, as his issue dealing with the situation was rewritten soon before he left the title. DeMatteis played with the idea for a few issues before tying it into his ongoing Haven storyline. This is preferable to the way subplots are often just forgotten when a new writer takes over a series. It gives the series a stronger sense of continuity, which it really needed after a string of aimless issues. Introducing Val Cooper into the storyline also helps to create a feeling of stability. I'm not sure why she was written out of the series in the first place, but it's nice that DeMatteis hasn't forgotten her. This is a more serious version of X-Factor but it doesn’t feel like a totally different book. Random keeps showing up, though, not contributing anything to the story. DeMatteis is loyal to David’s original “anything for a buck” interpretation of the character, which is entertaining for a few pages, but he’s really just a distraction from the main storyline.

X-FACTOR #97 – December 1993

The New Humanity

Credits: J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Mike Thomas (colorist)

Summary

Haven tries to convince Polaris that she’s not an enemy, and leaves her with a copy of her book, “Man, Mutant, & The New Humanity”. Polaris attempts to comfort Madrox and learns that his personality has been split amongst his various duplicates. Random is attacked by government soldiers at his home and defeats them easily. X-Factor attends a lecture given by Haven, in which she details her belief that mutants are the first step in an evolution that will lead everyone into a new "golden age". Havok and Forge suddenly burst in and attack Haven.

Continuity Notes

Random lives with an older black woman named Vera. According to her, Random’s real name is “Marshall Evan Stone the Third”.

Review

J. M. DeMatteis begins to make the title his own with the introduction of Haven, a New Age character who spends a lot of time talking about “a new humanity”, “limited perceptions of reality”, the dawn of “the era of love and harmony”, etc. DeMatteis does have some of the characters dismiss the spirituality talk as gibberish, but considering some of DeMatteis’ other work, it wouldn’t surprise me if he has a bookshelf filled with books on similar topics in real life. He’s successful in building up Haven as an interesting mystery, as opposed to a lot of the mysteries in the other X-books, which usually consisted of new characters with intricate connections to established characters. Haven may or not be a villain, may or not actually be a mutant, and may or may not be crazy. I was really drawn into this storyline as a kid, and still remember being shocked by the bizarre revelation about Haven’s powers.

Years before Peter David reinvented Madrox’s status quo, a similar idea shows up during this run. Madrox, dying of the Legacy Virus, is manifesting aspects of his personality into each of his duplicates. David’s current interpretation is that even minor aspects of his personality can define a duplicate, while the duplicates here represent more broadly defined character traits. One’s depressed, one’s angry, and one’s childishly naive. It’s interesting that Madrox is getting so much attention, even the cover, when Marvel was so determined to kill the character off at this time. Random also receives a lot of the focus, even if doesn’t add much to the storyline. DeMatteis tries to develop Random through his relationship with the mother figure introduced here. The elder woman nags at him, tells him to pick up his clothes, Random pulls a gun on her, and she causally dismisses him. I had no idea where he was going with this as a kid, and still don’t.

Jan Durrsema returns as artist for this issue, which is a welcome change after the previous few issues. Her work is still heavily influenced by the Quesada interpretation of the characters, but she brings some personality and solid storytelling to the art. Thankfully, it doesn’t have the sheer ugliness of so many other books of this era.

UNCANNY X-MEN #305 – October 1993

The Measure of the Man

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Jan Duuresma (penciler), Jose Marzan (inker), Chris Eliopoulos (letterer), Joe Rosas (colorist)

Summary

Iceman, Rogue, and Bishop stop an attack against Iceman’s girlfriend, Opal. Disgusted that Iceman didn’t warn her in advance and used her as bait, Opal runs away from him. Two of the armored men disintegrate into goo during the fight, and the X-Men take the third one prisoner. Rogue attempts to absorb his memories, but finds her entire body transformed as her skin begins to unravel. Bishop uses his own energy absorption power to undo the damage. The only info Rogue gained from her attacker is the name “Hodge”. Meanwhile, Storm and Xavier meet with Ambassador Louis St. Croix to gain info on the super-suit made to stop Magneto. Xavier wants Storm to destroy the suit and steal the information about its development. Storm steals the information, but refuses to destroy the suit, saying that humans do have a right to defend themselves. Storm flashes back to her childhood, and wonders if Xavier placed a subliminal command to join the X-Men during their first brief meeting.

I Love the ‘90s

The data on the anti-Magneto suit is on a giant floppy disc. I wonder if it also has a copy of Oregon Trail on it.

Continuity Note

The first member of the Mutant Underground, Louis St. Croix is revealed. St. Croix claims that Xavier founded the group while he could still walk, and that they’ve only met twice.

“Hodge” is a reference to Cameron Hodge, who will become a major villain during the Phalanx crossover.

Review

It’s another issue that seems to be killing time while Fatal Attractions finishes up in the remaining X-books. Duuresma’s art certainly looks better than it did in the issue of X-Men Unlimited that came out around this time, but now it’s attached to a fairly bland story. The goo soldiers are supposed to be a lead-in to next year’s crossover, which means that Uncanny is already laying the groundwork for another crossover before the current one is finished. Once the Phalanx were actually introduced, I seem to recall that this issue was casually dismissed anyway, making all of this seem even more pointless.

After two failed attempts, Lobdell attempts to give Storm another spotlight issue. Storm’s reluctance to steal for Xavier just seems odd to me. The X-Men firmly became outlaws during her stint as team leader, so this type of covert operation isn’t anything new to her. Not only was she raised as a thief, but she also committed a federal crime by erasing all of the government’s data on the X-Men in an earlier story. Stealing a computer disc to gain information on how to stop Magneto doesn’t strike me as that morally reprehensible.

Storm’s flashback with Xavier is at the very least interesting, although it doesn’t work for me. Lobdell continues with his darker interpretation of Xavier, implying that he might’ve used his powers to influence Storm’s decision to join him. There’s potential there, but the more you think about it, the less it works. Is this the same Xavier who continually made speeches about respecting everyone’s free will during the Claremont issues? Is this the same Xavier who, just months earlier in Lobdell’s own run, humbly asked Jean if she resented him for asking her to join the team? This idea could only work if the writer emphasizes that this is a younger Xavier, not sure of his powers and the ethics surrounding them. As it stands, this issue doesn’t give a clear answer, and I don’t think Lobdell brought up this idea again (although a similar issue is raised during Amelia Voght’s origin issue).

X-MEN UNLIMITED #2 – September 1993

Point Blank

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Jan Duursema (penciler), Panosian/Williams/Palmiotti/Rubinstein (inkers), Marie Javins (colors), Richard Starkings (letters)

Summary

Adrian, a former East German soldier, remembers a night seven years ago when Magneto killed his brother for disturbing his wife’s grave. The soldier goes on a quest to kill him, gathering information on him while his government develops a specialized suit and gun to stop Magneto. When he sees Magneto again at his wife’s grave, he finally remembers what really happened the night of his brother’s death. His brother insulted Magneto and shot at him, only dying because Magneto erected a magnetic shield that reflected the bullet back to him. Adrian can’t bring himself to kill Magneto, realizing that Magneto has always fought for a cause while he only has hate.

I Love the ‘90s

There’s no other way to say it, Magneto has a mullet throughout this issue.

Continuity Notes

Magneto is referred to as a gypsy for the first time. This apparently came about because Bob Harras was uncomfortable with Claremont’s revelation that Magneto was Jewish.

Phantazia is given the real name Eileen Harsaw. Nicieza attempts to give the character a personality for the first time, something he would be doing with quite a few Liefeld creations during this period.

This issue also has the first hint that Pyro has the Legacy Virus. I think Pyro ended up with three different Legacy Virus-related death scenes over the years.

Review

This is one of the strongest stories from this era, although it’s held back a bit by the generic ‘90s artwork. It’s surprising that during a crossover intended to re-establish Magneto as an outright villain, a story highlighting his humanity and sympathetic motivations was published. The Magneto of this issue is ten times more interesting than the version Nicieza would soon be writing in X-Men #25. Marvel’s insistence that Magneto return to villainy unintentionally helps the issue’s twist ending, which shows that he was never the horrible monster Adrian thought him to be. Nicieza manages to give Adrian believable characterization and use past continuity to paint a balanced picture of Magneto. I suspect that there was an attempt during the Fatal Attractions crossover to incorporate all of the previous interpretations of the character into one, but they never pulled it off. This issue comes much closer to reconciling Claremont’s reformed Magneto with the Silver Age’s psychotic interpretation.

X-FACTOR #91 – June 1993

Underpinnings
Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Jan Duursema (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Tom Smith (colorist)

Summary
X-Factor fights a group of Genoshan Magistrates in the sewers while searching for the missing Mutate. The Magistrates want to terminate the infected Mutate and apprehend X-Factor for disobeying orders. Madrox finds the dying Mutate and creates a double to help him perform CPR. The Mutate explains to Madrox that he only wanted to die with dignity. With the Mutate returned to quarantine, the Genoshan president apologizes for X-Factor, while Madrox appears to be ill. Meanwhile, Val Cooper continues to deceive Quicksilver and keeps him away from the team.


Production Note
Joe Quesada is incorrectly credited as the artist of this issue.

Creative Differences
The original solicitation for this issue gives some insight for Peter David's plan for this issue. "New genegineer Sasha Ryan unveils a plan to rid the Earth of all mutants! Meanwhile, X-Factor battles Armageddon."


Continuity Note
Madrox says that he can’t create a duplicate while wearing his containment suit. When he needs to make a dupe, he takes his glove off and beats the wall, creating a duplicate wearing his regular costume. Marvel was still going with the idea that Madrox‘s duplicates only appear with clothes because he’s wearing unstable molecules, while the current explanation is that a field surrounds his body, letting him duplicate anything he’s wearing or holding (including a weapon).


Commercial Break

There’s an ad for the X-Men Sega Genesis Game, which came out during the peak of the X-Men’s animated popularity. It was by far the best X-Men game at that point, although I was disappointed that you could only use certain characters for “special help”. The ad surprisingly features abstract painted art, which doesn’t fit in with the look of the game or comics.


ReviewThe Genoshan storyline lingers on for yet another issue. The X-Patroits are completely ignored in this issue; their story arc never receives a conclusion. Most of this issue is dedicated to X-Factor fighting the Genoshan Magistrates, who are consistently portrayed as incompetent fools, so you never buy into the idea that anyone’s actually in danger. This story mainly exists to set up Madrox’s future death, which happens in the 100th issue. Marvel, for whatever reason, really wanted to kill off Madrox during this time. Peter David has said that he tried to explain to them that Madrox, of all of the members, would have the least convincing death (due to his ability to create duplicates), but Marvel was apparently adamant. Lobdell tries to beef up a mediocre plot with witty dialogue, but it falls way short of what David was doing a few issues earlier. Jan Duursema does a passable imitation of Joe Quesada, so it's a smooth transition from the previous issues and doesn't look that bad.