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Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Bob Quinn
Color Artist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: Joe Caramgna
The X-Men have long been used as a social and political commentary tool. They may not have been designed as a reflection of social prejudice but fittingly they evolved to become just that. So keeping the legacy going Mark Rusell and Bob Quinn reunite once again for X-Factor #1 which adjusts its target for a new generation.
One big difference? This X-Factor is not some independent organization or P.I. Investigation Unit. This is a team put together by the US government as a reaction to what recently occurred with the fall of Krakoa. So with the backing of the world’s greatest superpower, they get some of the biggest mutant names? Not so much…
Social commentary is something I expect with the work of Mark Rusell what was a nice surprise was what this said about comic book culture. When this new era was announced one of the biggest questions became, “What are the teams?”. Everyone wants to know what big-name characters will appear in different books. Often that is the deciding factor of whether they will get the book or not. So what did they do with X-Factor? Purposefully go the other way.
Sure they got an original X-Men in Angel but everyone else? Many are very, very deep cuts. Part of that was due to Mutant’s objection to joining the people who are typically the enemy. Those mutants were eager to show their disapproval of this team with their favorite poultry products. This team makeup was also a way to reflect on how comic culture views groups and stories like this. How people are often reactionary based on single images without even knowing what the story is in the first place. However, if the story works those characters that were once throways become fan favorites. Just look what happened with a team like The Guardians of the Galaxy. Characters are a tool to tell a story, and like any tool its about finding the right one for the job you are about to embark on. Did they find the right ones? At least so far.
So if characters like Firefist and Xyber do not excite you, be warned that is very much the point of what is being done here. The true power of this team is government Agent Broderick who is the one responsible for this idea. Trying to use this as an opportunity to get rich and famous while making everyone else do all the work. He is like mixing the smarmy nature of a spineless Government bureaucrat with the eye-rolling personality of a want-to-be influencer. So in other words the worst person ever.
Russell is known for his sense of humor and the majority of jokes come from when Broderick appears on the page. Also, that is when the social commentary is the sharpest. Bob Quinn’s style fits Ruseell’s work quite well as shown in past books like The Lone Ranger and Red Sonja. Quinn is a natural storyteller who can blend the comedic and serious with ease. His characters are vivid with their expression both in facial movement and body language. A lot of this issue is told in that manner so those skills with vital for its success.
Now this is not a book without action, and when it comes Quinn shows his skills yet again. Colorist Jesus Aburtov uses a lot of bright and solid colors throughout. He seemingly has simplified his palette to reflect this team that is down to its bare bones of existence. This simplified approach also keeps the focus on the characters who are the stars of this show…at least for a while. For a first issue, it can be a bit scattershot. There’s a good amount of ideas here and I am not fully sure what the general focus will be moving
forward.
There are still some questions I have after this first issue. Why exactly would the government go for this considering the recent past? Does it make sense for Angel to join this team so willingly? Where does this fall in line with the other X-Men titles? All questions I am looking forward to seeing explored in the future.
Overall X-Factor #1 offers something a bit different for the X-Men line. This is a book that has the sense of humor you would expect for this creative team but it is not all laughs. If you prefer your X-Men to have something to say you will get that here. What might be unexpected is when that commentary is pointed hits very close to home.
Overall: 7.5 out of 10
