X-Factor #1 (2024) Review
Summary: Another X-book launches with a sub-par (but still better than most of the others) first issue. I really hope this finds its footing. It has potential.
3.5
Branding
Background – This can’t be a good idea. It hasn’t been before.
Writing – A new number one? AWESOME! That means a new team!
Angel – Angel. The X-Men who can fly… and that’s it. Look, I love Angel as a literary character. This poor guy has been through hell and back. When he’s in his Archangel form, he’s as dangerous as anyone, but as just plain old Angel? Not nearly as much. That’s part of the reason the writers had him give in to Apocalypse in the first place. Now that he can’t do that anymore (at least for now), having him be the face of the team for the first issue at least takes advantage of his looks and status. He is injured by the end of the issue and is … kicked off the team? It’s not made entirely clear, but maybe he’ll be back at some point.
Feral – Whelp, that was fast. Feral (SPOILERS) dies at the end of the issue. She’s really just Wolfsbane without the amazing character behind her furry exterior. She’s always been seen as second rate, which is why when the Marvel legends figure was released, she looked exactly like Feral, except they called her Wolfsbane. She’s so second rate that despite Marvel legend collectors calling for a figure release of her and people always asking where she is, the writers kill her off (I guess, it’s never actually confirmed) at the end of the issue.
Firefist – Russell Collins is the brother to Rusty Collin’s (AKA Boom Boom). I honestly forgot he existed prior to this issue. He was first seen in the very first issue of X-Factor in the 1980’s. He can shoot fire from his hands. Hence the name. He apparently dies (or at least is severely out of commission) by the end.
Xyber – Xyber is able to generate an intense EMP. So intense it’s almost uncontrollable.
Cameo – A mutant shapeshifter, he apparently has some self-esteem issues. He is also dead (maybe?) by the end of the issue.
Havok – While no longer a zombie beholden to the Goblin Queen, Alex Summers is still being used. At least this time he knows it. By the end of the issue, he’s the new team leader. I’d like to think he’s got an ulterior motive for doing this, especially considering he’s always been the morally grey version of Cyclops. He also insists on being called by his human name as much as possible. Maybe that’s because he was technically dead for a while, but I’m guessing this is the start of a story where he reclaims his mutant identity bit by bit. Oh, and he’s apparently on the outs with his girlfriend Lorna “Polaris” Dane for the 100th time.
McCloud – OK, so he’s not part of the team, but this guy is awesome. His head is literally a cloud with a face. It’s adorable.
The New Team at the end of the 1st issue besides Havok:
Granny Smite: This is an entirely new character. After doing some research, I guess she’s an immortal mutant, but unlike Immortal Man she figured that out when she was old already and can’t age anymore. While I have ZERO clue how she can be of use to the team, she apparently falls under the “mutants who found their powers late in life” banner that is currently a thing.
Cecilia Reyes: Now this is a mutant I can get excited about. Having grown up an X-Men fan in the 90’s during the Lobdell era, she has been one of my favorites. A doctor who is revealed as a mutant at the most inopportune time, she has slowly grown attached to the mutant cause. She has a passive forcefield, but can use that in an offensive manner when attacked. I’m thrilled she’s on a team in this new era. Hopefully she sticks around for more than one issue or arc. The way this issue ends, I have a feeling X-Factor is going to need a doctor more often than not.
Pyro: I don’t know when Pyro became a super popular character (maybe near the beginning of Krakoa), but he’s everywhere now. He can control flame, but not produce it, so maybe they should have kept Firefist on the team after all.
Frenzy: Please no. Frenzy has never recovered from being written by Chuck Austen, and that happened 20 years ago. Even Angel is upset when he hears her name. She is super strong and durable and sucks.
Xyber: He sticks around.
Some of the writing really is quite witty. X-Factor is now a marketed team. The owner, Mr. Broderick sends them after various targets he chooses. Whether there is an emergency or not. I say this only because I’m pretty sure that X-Term wasn’t doing anything actively evil at the moment. X-Factor attacked their base unprovoked. So maybe Polaris was right when she said Havok is just being used.
Now, what is REALLY interesting, is that the new X-Factor team is working with a public that doesn’t like them at all. The humans hate them because they’re mutants and the mutants group, “Refusenix”, hate them because they’re mutants who have apparently sold out to the man. In a hilarious bit, the two opposing crowds both have a moment of agreement when they tell the team to return to Krakoa.
The villains:
Darkstar: The leader of a new mercenary group called X-Term, Darkstar has officially given up on caring about anyone but herself. She very clearly asks Havok “Why do you care what happens to their world anyways?” A mutant who worked for her home country of Russia for decades (in real time), she has the power to manipulate The Dark Force.
The US Government: While they are currently the ones employing X-Factor, we all know that at some point the team is either going to have to go against the government or the governments just going to turn on them after we find out the government has done nefarious stuff. The idea that one of the general’s names is General Mills though is an incredibly hilarious, cute idea. General Mills is one of the largest cereal brands in the world, so why not name the general branding mutants after a big corporation that brands stuff? It’s brilliant. She is already hiding something behind a top secret door, so it’s just a matter of time for her turn to villainy
As for Mr. Broderick, we can already see that he doesn’t really care about our heroes, he cares about optics. Maybe I’m jaded a bit after reading SO many X-Men books over the years, but my money is on him being a villain with powers (ala Maxwell Lord).
Artwork –The group shot pages look great! Angel’s wings interacting with the American flag look tremendous and as silly as this first team is, they are all rendered great. Cameo looks like a guy walking around in one of those green screen suits, which is a really cool design choice. Firefist looks ridiculous wearing khaki pants over his team uniform (complete with a belt no less) and Feral is still wearing next to nothing as she always is. We do get a quick two panels of the Joss Whedon era Beast, which is a nice art easter egg before Cameo becomes himself again.
The second team shot is a lot less heroic looking and that makes it work. We have 6 completely different personalities being shown, with Frenzy looking proud, Cecilia looking confused and honored, Pyro looking like an idiot, Granny looking like… a granny, and Havok looking serious, but the facial expression shown by Xyber is the best. At the beginning of the book it’s clear he is very gung ho about joining X-Factor, but now it’s apparent that he may have some strong PTSD from the first mission. This is all penciled quite beautifully. Nothing blends into the background. Everyone stands out.
As all the new X-Books do, this book has fantastic colors. The team’s uniforms are great, with the yellow and blues reminding me of the X-Men 275 suits. The art is just all around great.
Finally, McCloud looks awesome. Move over Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Psylocke, I officially have a favorite new mutant.
Final Thoughts – This is yet another first issue of the “From the Ashes” line that just can’t get out of the 3 range. While it does earn a slightly higher three than all the other books except for Uncanny X-Men, it does have the potential to improve. There are some things that definitely work with this book. The art is great, the inclusion of some certain mutants onto the team is an inspired idea, and the usage of some C-grade or lower mutants for the first issue was a daring move.
The stuff that needs fixing:
- I really hope that this team actually has a purpose and they are not just being sent out on random missions to make them look good.
- The book needs to make it clear whether or not the team members no longer around are dead or not.
- PLEASE GET FRENZY OUT OF THIS BOOK.
I really hope this finds its footing. It has potential.
Final score: 3.5 out of 5
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Bob Quinn
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: Greg Land & Frank D’Armata
Genre: Superhero
Format: Monthly
Release Date: 08/14//2024
About the Author
Matt Fischer Lover of all things nerdy. Reader of Comics for over 25 years. DC encyclopedia. X-Men historian. Spider-Man and Marvel lover. Indie side guy.
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