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X-Factor (2020)
X-Factor, Vol. 1
Mutants have conquered death! By the grace of the Five, the resurrection protocols of the island nation of Krakoa can bring any of the X-Men's fallen comrades back to life. But such a huge enterprise comes with even huger problems and complications! And when a mutant dies, X-Factor is there to investigate how and why - in order to uphold the rules of reincarnation! Writer Leah Williams (AMAZING MARY JANE, X-TREMISTS) and artist David Baldeón (DOMINO, WEB WARRIORS) take Northstar, Polaris, Prodigy, Eye-Boy, Daken and Prestige into a world of murder and missing persons. And their very first case might be their last, as they investigate the disappearance of a mutant dancer at a prestigious ballet academy...in the Mojoverse! COLLECTING: X-FACTOR (2020) 1-4
122 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 12, 2021
77 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
Leah Williams
243 books210 followersLeah Williams is an American writer originally from Oxford, Mississippi. She has written comics for Marvel, BOOM! Studios, Vault Comics, and is working on more. Her debut novel was a YA Fantasy book titled The Alchemy of Being Fourteen and she is currently writing its sequel, The Divinity of Hitting Fifteen. Leah has nonfiction articles and essays published in The Atlantic, Oprah Magazine, and Salon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
May 25, 2021
One of my all-time fave Marvel titles is treated as an afterthought in the Jonathan Hickman X-verse, and reading this you wonder if this book was just created to draw in old X-Factor fans? An interesting premise in part one, and a pretty important X of Swords crossover in the final part, does not make up for the two parts set in 'the place I hate the most in the X-verse' - the Mojo universe. Top tip, don't even bother reading this, as I believe the final part is also covered in the full volume of X of Swords. 5 out of 12 overall.
May 2, 2022
X-Factor returns to investigate the deaths of mutants before they can be resurrected by the Five. Besides the investigative angle, there are no ties to the previous series. I'm not sure why they didn't make Madrox a member of this team to provide a link to the past along with someone who actually knows something about investigation.
Williams writes some very uninspired dialogue that drones on. She does get points for making this the queerest X-Men book I've ever read. However, that's not enough to make it interesting. The focus on Mojoworld was a real drag as well. I don't need to see stories where streaming has consumed society. I see enough of that in real life. *Sigh* Another lousy X-book.
Williams writes some very uninspired dialogue that drones on. She does get points for making this the queerest X-Men book I've ever read. However, that's not enough to make it interesting. The focus on Mojoworld was a real drag as well. I don't need to see stories where streaming has consumed society. I see enough of that in real life. *Sigh* Another lousy X-book.
December 30, 2020
Esta serie tiene como protagonistas por un lado a "los 5", los mutantes encargados de revivir a los caídos y por otro al equipo que se forma luego que Northstar descubriera que su hermana Aurora está muerta, para ello se le unirán en su búsqueda Daken, Rachel, Prodigy y Polaris. A partir de este hecho se formará "X-Factor" como unidad de investigaciones. La trama es algo sencilla aunque a mi parecer no tan interesante, los gráficos no me gustan casi pues el estilo deforma bastante a los mutantes. Polaris parece una adolescente, Daken está bastante inflado y demás. Este equipo y los personajes se podría decir que es bastante liberal entre los demás títulos.
December 15, 2020
There’s a lot to love in this book. It’s really nice to have a humour book in amongst all the Hickman-darkness that is the current X-corner of the Marvel Universe. There are some genuinely moving moments between all the gags. Also, I am a HUGE Alpha Flight fanboy so it’s great seeing Northstar and Aurora show up.
Sadly, it’s also mired in Krakoa-Stink, there are a couple of plot holes/continuity issues and I have a personal dislike of Mojo and all his pop-culture trappings. So, overall, I’m giving it 3 stars. A shame because, as I said, there are parts of this book I genuinely loved.
Sadly, it’s also mired in Krakoa-Stink, there are a couple of plot holes/continuity issues and I have a personal dislike of Mojo and all his pop-culture trappings. So, overall, I’m giving it 3 stars. A shame because, as I said, there are parts of this book I genuinely loved.
April 5, 2021
Juuuuuuust enough to keep me interested despite featuring a bevvy of characters I generally don't care that much for (i.e. Daken. Ugh.).
I liked the mystery elements intertwined with how murder investigations would even work in a setting where everyone gets resurrected. The Mojoverse elements? Not so much. I wonder if all the swipes at hashtags and "clout seekers" will seem as dated in a few years as Spider-Man's effect on newspaper sales do to the contemporary eye? Just a random thought...
I liked the mystery elements intertwined with how murder investigations would even work in a setting where everyone gets resurrected. The Mojoverse elements? Not so much. I wonder if all the swipes at hashtags and "clout seekers" will seem as dated in a few years as Spider-Man's effect on newspaper sales do to the contemporary eye? Just a random thought...
October 2, 2020
Xfactor volume one ranges from middling to downright bad in quality, and fails to deliver on it’s premise in a stupid, played out, annoying fashion.
Leah Williams presents a murder mystery that quickly takes backstage to lazy storytelling and meaningless chatter, opting to sometimes throw in french dialogue for flair. Magnifique! And choosing instead to focus on Daken’s flirtatious behavior, the Mojoverse and it’s livestreamers, near fully redacted pages of text, followed by unredacted paragraphs of filler backstory, and jokes written by someone who isn’t actually funny. And it just doesn’t read well. Je ne sais quoi!
They put a bow on it with an X of Swords issue that is completely aside from the rest of the story and that’s a good thing because the story thus far is a complete nonstarter. It’s the lone brightspot in the collection, and it could easily be read separately.
Packed with faux youtubers, wannabe cool nonsense like psychic firewalls, and a D list squad of mutants, X-Factor is a floating turd in the Dawn of X Punchbowl.
Leah Williams presents a murder mystery that quickly takes backstage to lazy storytelling and meaningless chatter, opting to sometimes throw in french dialogue for flair. Magnifique! And choosing instead to focus on Daken’s flirtatious behavior, the Mojoverse and it’s livestreamers, near fully redacted pages of text, followed by unredacted paragraphs of filler backstory, and jokes written by someone who isn’t actually funny. And it just doesn’t read well. Je ne sais quoi!
They put a bow on it with an X of Swords issue that is completely aside from the rest of the story and that’s a good thing because the story thus far is a complete nonstarter. It’s the lone brightspot in the collection, and it could easily be read separately.
Packed with faux youtubers, wannabe cool nonsense like psychic firewalls, and a D list squad of mutants, X-Factor is a floating turd in the Dawn of X Punchbowl.
October 25, 2021
X-Factor's reason for being is definitely intriguing - investigate mutant deaths to both verify they're dead prior to resurrection and see if the death needs to be avenged. Unfortunately, Leah William's version of X-Factor is heavy on the dialogue and convoluted plotting and light on any sort of Holmesian sleuthing.
Between the manga-influenced art and the dense dialogue balloons, this first X-Factor volume is legitimately hard to read. I could barely follow the storyline, particularly as the band of barely-introduced characters ventured to the Mojoverse. The what-now? It all seemed like a prompt to include more social media jokes, not an actual furthering of the narrative.
From the Mojoverse, the plot jumps to something-something X of Swords something-something. My interest petered out entirely. I'm not particularly inclined to find the next volume. In a world of seemingly infinite X-spin-offs, X-Factor has been the most exhausting.
Between the manga-influenced art and the dense dialogue balloons, this first X-Factor volume is legitimately hard to read. I could barely follow the storyline, particularly as the band of barely-introduced characters ventured to the Mojoverse. The what-now? It all seemed like a prompt to include more social media jokes, not an actual furthering of the narrative.
From the Mojoverse, the plot jumps to something-something X of Swords something-something. My interest petered out entirely. I'm not particularly inclined to find the next volume. In a world of seemingly infinite X-spin-offs, X-Factor has been the most exhausting.
February 1, 2021
I really did not like this. First I’ll say that the art was very nice, but that’s about it. The dialogue felt clunky and while the concept of the book is cool I didn’t find the story interesting at all. I’ve been keeping up with all the Dawn of X series up to X of swords but I think now that the event is over I probably won’t continue with this.
October 16, 2020
I almost gave this 4 stars, but I'm conflicted. While there is a lot of good here, I feel like the writer was the victim of her own success.
I am thrilled for Rachel to be a main character again. I am pleased that there is a (proportionally) huge cast of queer men. We've got Northstar, Prodigy, Daken (blegh), with minor appearances by Shatterstar and Northstar's powerless husband. And the reasoning for how this iteration of X-Factor came about seemed organic and logical; mutants could die under suspicious circumstances, and someone needs to investigate to verify the death, so that Krakoa's resurrection protocols can be implemented.
Realistic bureaucracy.
I liked that the team visited Mojo-verse and there were winks and nudges to the past of X-Men comics. We saw a team of Rockettes styled in Rachel's original hound costume, we heard Rachel acknowledge that she had been to the Mojo-verse years earlier, etc.
However, the overall tone of this book is... Juvenile? I not only don't care for Eyeboy; I honestly just keep forgetting about his existence. The team is based out of a building that is called "The Boneyard" as a dick joke.
Daken's role on the team is basically comic relief, but I don't find him funny. Also, Daken literally chopped up his boyfriend into little tiny pieces shortly after he was created. Daken didn't kill his boyfriend because he was fighting crime, or defending himself, or any other respectable reason; it was just like any other real-world serial killer, killing senselessly. And one of my bi friends tries to insist he likes Daken as a role model. *Facepalm*
While the team was in the Mojo-verse, the reader was inundated with all this hipster-y, Generation Z terminology about streaming video content. Honestly, I enjoyed this book way more until I read other people's reviews. Other people review it and cheer about how young the team is, or something. But some of these characters were introduced decades ago. Like, Rachel was introduced in 1986. Polaris was the second female X-Man ever, after Jean. These are not young characters. But, the writer wants us to think of them as young? For some insane reason?
Let's just say this book has some potential.
I am thrilled for Rachel to be a main character again. I am pleased that there is a (proportionally) huge cast of queer men. We've got Northstar, Prodigy, Daken (blegh), with minor appearances by Shatterstar and Northstar's powerless husband. And the reasoning for how this iteration of X-Factor came about seemed organic and logical; mutants could die under suspicious circumstances, and someone needs to investigate to verify the death, so that Krakoa's resurrection protocols can be implemented.
Realistic bureaucracy.
I liked that the team visited Mojo-verse and there were winks and nudges to the past of X-Men comics. We saw a team of Rockettes styled in Rachel's original hound costume, we heard Rachel acknowledge that she had been to the Mojo-verse years earlier, etc.
However, the overall tone of this book is... Juvenile? I not only don't care for Eyeboy; I honestly just keep forgetting about his existence. The team is based out of a building that is called "The Boneyard" as a dick joke.
Daken's role on the team is basically comic relief, but I don't find him funny. Also, Daken literally chopped up his boyfriend into little tiny pieces shortly after he was created. Daken didn't kill his boyfriend because he was fighting crime, or defending himself, or any other respectable reason; it was just like any other real-world serial killer, killing senselessly. And one of my bi friends tries to insist he likes Daken as a role model. *Facepalm*
While the team was in the Mojo-verse, the reader was inundated with all this hipster-y, Generation Z terminology about streaming video content. Honestly, I enjoyed this book way more until I read other people's reviews. Other people review it and cheer about how young the team is, or something. But some of these characters were introduced decades ago. Like, Rachel was introduced in 1986. Polaris was the second female X-Man ever, after Jean. These are not young characters. But, the writer wants us to think of them as young? For some insane reason?
Let's just say this book has some potential.
December 25, 2022
I liked it.
The cast? I wouldn't care about in a million years about any of them. They're just another X-Title that I have to read because I want to read the X-events and there's tie-ins so I picked it up basically because of that.
And surprise surprise, it was worth it. I liked the main plot and I'm curious and excited to see where this is going to go with all the cases the team are going to take on and have some X-detectives getting into trouble in the foreseeable future.
Great solid story with nice artwork and fun to read overall.
The cast? I wouldn't care about in a million years about any of them. They're just another X-Title that I have to read because I want to read the X-events and there's tie-ins so I picked it up basically because of that.
And surprise surprise, it was worth it. I liked the main plot and I'm curious and excited to see where this is going to go with all the cases the team are going to take on and have some X-detectives getting into trouble in the foreseeable future.
Great solid story with nice artwork and fun to read overall.
January 3, 2021
I absolutely adore the Jamie Madrox run of X-Factor, so I was skeptical when I saw that Marvel were bringing the concept back without any of the characters that made it work so well last time (not counting Polaris, but she was only in it at the end).
That said, this actually works pretty well. It has the heart of the old X-Factor if not the characters, as they work to discover if deceased X-Men are actually deceased so that they can be resurrected. Their first trip takes them to Mojoworld, which is of course as mad as it always is, while some sibling drama between Northstar and Aurora drives the character plots along too. Plus Daken flirts with anything on legs, which is always fun. It's an eclectic collection of characters, but they all play a role in the story and have something to add, so even if they're a weird bunch, they do make a twisted kind of sense.
David Baldeon's just-slightly-off-kilter artwork lends itself well to this team. His visuals are a little weird too, sometimes a little over-expressive or slightly deformed, but again it works more than you'd think it would. Plus I don't want to see Mojoworld drawn by anyone else ever again now.
This ain't your parents' X-Factor (which makes me feel old), but it has the spirit, and I'm happy to see it succeed on its own merits as a result.
That said, this actually works pretty well. It has the heart of the old X-Factor if not the characters, as they work to discover if deceased X-Men are actually deceased so that they can be resurrected. Their first trip takes them to Mojoworld, which is of course as mad as it always is, while some sibling drama between Northstar and Aurora drives the character plots along too. Plus Daken flirts with anything on legs, which is always fun. It's an eclectic collection of characters, but they all play a role in the story and have something to add, so even if they're a weird bunch, they do make a twisted kind of sense.
David Baldeon's just-slightly-off-kilter artwork lends itself well to this team. His visuals are a little weird too, sometimes a little over-expressive or slightly deformed, but again it works more than you'd think it would. Plus I don't want to see Mojoworld drawn by anyone else ever again now.
This ain't your parents' X-Factor (which makes me feel old), but it has the spirit, and I'm happy to see it succeed on its own merits as a result.
November 5, 2020
Wow, this is everything I’ve ever wanted— an X-Men team that is fun and extremely diverse! I’ve been a fan of Williams’ over her last few Marvel series, and this seems to be the perfect place for her. This is a series for queer readers and anyone looking for a fun team book. 5/5 stars.
December 13, 2021
The only good thing about this book is the justfication of X-Factor’s very existence: to investigate mutants disappearance/death to certify their death and/or avenge them if need be.
Is a bunch of d-listers the right team for that? I think not.
There are those I’ve never heard of (Prodigy) and those I wish I had never heard of (Eye boy... I mean, come on!). Daken is a supposedly funny walking flirting machine and Polaris some kind of a brawling teenager? Wtf?
For some reason I had the Scooby Gang in mind the whole time I was reading this. Go figure.
To add insult to injury, the plot is uninteresting, convoluted and takes place in the goddam Mojoverse, a place I hate since Ann Nocenti had the bad idea to create it in 1985 (yeah, I was there).
The art is also way too street arty for my taste.
Interesting concept, execution all shot to hell. Not a chance this team ever makes me forget Havok or Madrox's.
Is a bunch of d-listers the right team for that? I think not.
There are those I’ve never heard of (Prodigy) and those I wish I had never heard of (Eye boy... I mean, come on!). Daken is a supposedly funny walking flirting machine and Polaris some kind of a brawling teenager? Wtf?
For some reason I had the Scooby Gang in mind the whole time I was reading this. Go figure.
To add insult to injury, the plot is uninteresting, convoluted and takes place in the goddam Mojoverse, a place I hate since Ann Nocenti had the bad idea to create it in 1985 (yeah, I was there).
The art is also way too street arty for my taste.
Interesting concept, execution all shot to hell. Not a chance this team ever makes me forget Havok or Madrox's.
December 10, 2021
This was a lot of fun! Certainly the gayest X-men comic I've ever read. I am not mad at all.
I'm actually a bit surprised at all the negative reviews for this. The art and writing match perfectly, the dialogue is downright funny, and the reason for the creation of the team is intriguing. I also personally find the Mojoverse to be fun, so it didn't bother me that this mostly took place there.
I do feel like the characters need a bit more introduction as I'm not very familiar with them and the pacing felt a bit off... but those are small gripes as I still really enjoyed this one. I will 100% be picking up vol. 2 the next time I find it on sale.
I'm actually a bit surprised at all the negative reviews for this. The art and writing match perfectly, the dialogue is downright funny, and the reason for the creation of the team is intriguing. I also personally find the Mojoverse to be fun, so it didn't bother me that this mostly took place there.
I do feel like the characters need a bit more introduction as I'm not very familiar with them and the pacing felt a bit off... but those are small gripes as I still really enjoyed this one. I will 100% be picking up vol. 2 the next time I find it on sale.
January 11, 2021
This is a well-drawn, well-written book with a cool premise that actually matters, which is a big achievement these days, but I still didn't really enjoy it.
The X-Factor mission is always to turn boring or unlikable B-list characters into the best versions of themselves, while tying into the main X-Men plots. Instead of doing that, Leah Williams leans into the most grating aspects of everyone's personality and lampshades it with some meta jokes. Daken is even sketchier than Gambit but gets way more screen time, Polaris is a cipher, Northstar is entitled, Prodigy delivers exposition, etc. Even Rachel is sassy in a mean way, presumably because the team already has 3 too many brooding loners. When the most sympathetic characters are Eye-Boy and a guest appearance by Shatterstar, you know you're in trouble.
The plot doesn't help either. The first arc plays it super safe with a trip to Mojoworld where everyone knows they are in zero danger, which rather undercuts the premise of the book to save mutants who are really dead and not on Krakoa. The art and colors are a great fit for the reality TV aesthetic, and there are some genuinely heartwarming moments, but this team needs to develop some drama, stat.
The X-Factor mission is always to turn boring or unlikable B-list characters into the best versions of themselves, while tying into the main X-Men plots. Instead of doing that, Leah Williams leans into the most grating aspects of everyone's personality and lampshades it with some meta jokes. Daken is even sketchier than Gambit but gets way more screen time, Polaris is a cipher, Northstar is entitled, Prodigy delivers exposition, etc. Even Rachel is sassy in a mean way, presumably because the team already has 3 too many brooding loners. When the most sympathetic characters are Eye-Boy and a guest appearance by Shatterstar, you know you're in trouble.
The plot doesn't help either. The first arc plays it super safe with a trip to Mojoworld where everyone knows they are in zero danger, which rather undercuts the premise of the book to save mutants who are really dead and not on Krakoa. The art and colors are a great fit for the reality TV aesthetic, and there are some genuinely heartwarming moments, but this team needs to develop some drama, stat.
July 8, 2021
Big fan of the old X-Factor, but this new one still has some work to do. The idea of a mutant detective agency/squad is still viable, especially now when mutants are being resurrected. So the team has been given a new directive of getting "proof of death" for mutants that have gone lost or missing, so they can be resurrected. The team is an interesting one, though I can't help but wonder what Jamie Madrox is up to in this new X-world. The art's not bad. Still, this was a bit of a blah first entry. Hopefully it will improve.
January 18, 2021
X-factor continues to be my constant favorite X-men series whenever it’s around :)
June 9, 2023
3.75 stars I really enjoyed this one. The art style caught me off guard a bit, but I warmed up to it pretty well. I thought this was an awesome concept for investigations working with the Krakoan Five. Bummed to know ahead of time that this doesn’t last too long. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts, though!
July 1, 2021
I'm not sure X-Factor is entirely my jam, but it has an interesting premise. I won't spoil the plot but I think it presents an interesting update to some parts of the X-universe that I'm not too familiar with. Where I think it struggles is the characters. I like Lorna, Northstar, and at times Rachel, but Lorna seems strangely teenage for one of the oldest X-Men, and the other characters don't offer much to interest me, or really even tell me who they are. Like... Why Eye-Boy? No thank you. I'll see where it's going but it isn't one of my favorites.
February 15, 2021
This story starts with Northstar feeling that his twin sister Aurora has been killed, and when he tries to get her resurrected via the new Krakoan process, he encounters some annoying red tape he has to get through around proving that her death actually happened. This leads to a rather motley and random assemblage of mutants who come together to help in his personal investigation into his sister's death.
As they investigate this particular death, they realize the need for a new investigation team to look into mutants that have died or gone missing. This will prevent their resurrections getting hung up in uncertainty, as they can't resurrect someone they don't know for sure is dead. And thus, the new X-Factor is born.
As soon as I opened this up and saw David Baldeón's beautiful art (and with such vibrant color!), I really wanted to love this. Unfortunately I found the whole thing to be a bit of a let down. Everything about this volume feels rushed, with the whole Aurora death being more or less dealt with in a single issue, two issues involving an investigation that takes the team to the Mojoverse, and then an issue where the team hangs out at their home base, The Boneyard, dealing with the events of the previous issues and the X of Swords crossover event (which I have not yet read). Normally I really like those kinds of issues that give the opportunity for a breather and some great character moments, but nothing about this felt like a breather. Rather, everything seemed disjointed and rushed, the way the scenes bounced around from panel to panel rather than page to page. It was a bit too frenetic and disorienting for me.
Perhaps another reason this series didn't really grab me is because aside from Polaris, I'm not terribly familiar with many of these characters, so it's not a team line-up that excited or interested me, and the book failed to really give me much of a sense of who these characters really are. My experience with Northstar and Daken from other books is generally that they're unlikeable assholes, and nothing here changed my mind about that. Two unlikeable assholes on a team is a bit much for me.
I have enjoyed some of Williams's other writing, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt given that this first story arc was rudely interrupted by a crossover event. I'll give it one more arc, and if that doesn't really grab me I'll probably drop this one.
2.5 STARS
As they investigate this particular death, they realize the need for a new investigation team to look into mutants that have died or gone missing. This will prevent their resurrections getting hung up in uncertainty, as they can't resurrect someone they don't know for sure is dead. And thus, the new X-Factor is born.
As soon as I opened this up and saw David Baldeón's beautiful art (and with such vibrant color!), I really wanted to love this. Unfortunately I found the whole thing to be a bit of a let down. Everything about this volume feels rushed, with the whole Aurora death being more or less dealt with in a single issue, two issues involving an investigation that takes the team to the Mojoverse, and then an issue where the team hangs out at their home base, The Boneyard, dealing with the events of the previous issues and the X of Swords crossover event (which I have not yet read). Normally I really like those kinds of issues that give the opportunity for a breather and some great character moments, but nothing about this felt like a breather. Rather, everything seemed disjointed and rushed, the way the scenes bounced around from panel to panel rather than page to page. It was a bit too frenetic and disorienting for me.
Perhaps another reason this series didn't really grab me is because aside from Polaris, I'm not terribly familiar with many of these characters, so it's not a team line-up that excited or interested me, and the book failed to really give me much of a sense of who these characters really are. My experience with Northstar and Daken from other books is generally that they're unlikeable assholes, and nothing here changed my mind about that. Two unlikeable assholes on a team is a bit much for me.
I have enjoyed some of Williams's other writing, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt given that this first story arc was rudely interrupted by a crossover event. I'll give it one more arc, and if that doesn't really grab me I'll probably drop this one.
2.5 STARS
February 28, 2021
3.5 stars
This series has me torn. I really enjoy its premise around an investigative unit for missing or dead mutants, and I love that its plotting takes it to Mojoworld’s all-consuming hypermedia dystopia (a Marvel setting I was aware of but hadn’t actually read anything that went there). The cast is also fun with a mix of powers that mesh well for their PD work, and there’s neat Dawn of X references like Prestige’s warwolf puppy from an earlier issue of Excalibur.
It’s unfortunate then (for me) that so much of its overall aesthetic isn’t to my taste. The art is the webcomic-y style where several main characters might all have the same face on a single page, all making the same dramatically contorted expression. The coloring reminds me of the early digital style that I don’t like, especially its weird gradient skin tones. It’s more hit-or-miss than bad, but still one of the weaker Dawn of X books visually.
Beyond just the art though, the dialogue has such a specific mid-2010s tumblr vibe that I’m just not a fan of. It’s very fashion-y and dramatic and filled with passive-aggressive flirting; that neutered kind of faux-horniness that never actually threatens that anyone might genuinely hook-up. There are several panels here begging to be re-shared online with “this look is a whole mood” and at one point a character literally says someone has “big bisexual energy.” I think I’m just exhausted with how artificial so much of that sort of online language is by now, and I’m not a fan of seeing it reproduced in an otherwise interesting story.
This series has me torn. I really enjoy its premise around an investigative unit for missing or dead mutants, and I love that its plotting takes it to Mojoworld’s all-consuming hypermedia dystopia (a Marvel setting I was aware of but hadn’t actually read anything that went there). The cast is also fun with a mix of powers that mesh well for their PD work, and there’s neat Dawn of X references like Prestige’s warwolf puppy from an earlier issue of Excalibur.
It’s unfortunate then (for me) that so much of its overall aesthetic isn’t to my taste. The art is the webcomic-y style where several main characters might all have the same face on a single page, all making the same dramatically contorted expression. The coloring reminds me of the early digital style that I don’t like, especially its weird gradient skin tones. It’s more hit-or-miss than bad, but still one of the weaker Dawn of X books visually.
Beyond just the art though, the dialogue has such a specific mid-2010s tumblr vibe that I’m just not a fan of. It’s very fashion-y and dramatic and filled with passive-aggressive flirting; that neutered kind of faux-horniness that never actually threatens that anyone might genuinely hook-up. There are several panels here begging to be re-shared online with “this look is a whole mood” and at one point a character literally says someone has “big bisexual energy.” I think I’m just exhausted with how artificial so much of that sort of online language is by now, and I’m not a fan of seeing it reproduced in an otherwise interesting story.
May 13, 2021
A solid storyline and an enjoyable cast, but still struggling to keep it together with its ambitions. Many of the scenes with good emotional chords, but the pacing and glossing over of certain actions drag it down: this series ambitions outpace its execution.
I enjoy the mystery and the investigating nature of the series, but in trying to balance the interpersonal scenes with the plot, there's always something that suffers. It might have been more successful if it had scaled back some elements to gain a surer footing, but it's hard to say what should have been chopped to achieve this as everything is interdependent. The cast are queer favorites of mine, and there are both brilliant aspects as well as unfortunate zillennial jokes, out-of-character moments, and rushed relationships.
The art is beautiful, colorful, and vibrant, giving a real mood to the event and the tones of horror that the series flirts with, and the series is one of the truly visually appealing books Marvel is publishing.
I enjoy the mystery and the investigating nature of the series, but in trying to balance the interpersonal scenes with the plot, there's always something that suffers. It might have been more successful if it had scaled back some elements to gain a surer footing, but it's hard to say what should have been chopped to achieve this as everything is interdependent. The cast are queer favorites of mine, and there are both brilliant aspects as well as unfortunate zillennial jokes, out-of-character moments, and rushed relationships.
The art is beautiful, colorful, and vibrant, giving a real mood to the event and the tones of horror that the series flirts with, and the series is one of the truly visually appealing books Marvel is publishing.
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February 17, 2021I just keep chasing the high of Peter David’s 2000’s run. This mutant comic continues the investigation angle but the character dynamics don’t feel nearly as kinetic and evolving. It’s the first volume so I hope the plot slows down enough for these fools to just wreck each other with classic x-men melodrama but the new status quo just feels like it keeps getting in the way of that. Shuttle off the team to their own thing. Not every x-men book needs to belabor krakoa’s splendor. They just making us humans jealous at this point.
October 2, 2020
Leah Williams has managed to make a big event tie-in issue feel interesting to someone who isn't reading the rest of the event and I think that says all you need to know about how well she's doing on this book. Hell yeah, X-Factor is back.
August 19, 2020
Great start to the series. Love the artwork. The eclectic cast of characters seem to mesh well together. Can't wait for the next issue.
June 5, 2021
I’m not super into the mojoverse and a lot of the characters seem under utilised. I’d like it more if issue 4 wasn’t a not included event comic but events just aren’t my thing in general.
November 3, 2021
3
A pretty juvenile book. The characterization is off and at times just odd.
A pretty juvenile book. The characterization is off and at times just odd.
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April 12, 2021Oh, now this is enormous fun. Dawn Of X may be an epic relaunch for the X-Men, all wheels within wheels and grand destinies, but it's also been very carefully constructed with space for different tones of story – among them, outright romps. Marauders and X-Men itself have their daft, light-hearted moments, but even out beyond them you get stuff like the New Mutants' self-referential space adventures, and now X-Factor, which picks up on the name's most fondly remembered incarnation as an investigative outfit. First question: do Marvel's mutants even need investigators now that they've surpassed death? This is neatly answered by the first story, which shows how the Five need proof of death before resurrection can commence, so yes, there's a vacancy for mutants who specialise in finding out whether a missing mutant is just off-grid, whether they're in trouble, or whether it's time to boot up a fresh copy. In terms of who those specialists are, well. Some of them have powers which genuinely fit the remit, like tracker-psychic Rachel Summers, or the self-explanatory Eye-Boy. One, Polaris, slightly underused so far, is a link to the previous version of the team. Some of the rest are maybe not quite such a natural fit, like Daken, who joins Northstar's initial quest for Aurora "Because I'm bored and your sister's hot". But the beauty of X-Factor at its best was always at least as much the team's interactions as the investigations, and so it proves here, with fractious bastard Northstar, keen dork Eye-Boy, the casually menacing Rachel et al bouncing off each other to consistently amusing effect. Plus, this version of the team are possibly even queerer, which among other things leads to wonderful running bickering between "disaster bisexual" Daken and "distinguished bi" Prodigy:
"Is your mutation just being a huge nerd or something?"
"Kind of, yes. Is yours just being a huge slut?"
"...kind of, yes."
A panel which, for me, could only be improved by a segue into my beloved 'both is good' GIF.
Now, granted, Daken here is more brawny, less sleek than he used to be depicted – on top of which, he appears to have acquired a man-bun, and I struggle to believe even his pheromone powers could entirely overcome the awfulness of that as a look. But this aside, the book has a great line in taking unpromising elements and making them work. When it turns out the team's second case will take them to the Mojoverse, Northstar sighs, and I sighed with him, because it's one of those corners of the X-Men mythos with which I seldom get along, its clunking satire generally not coming across as smart as it thinks it is. Turns out that's exactly why it works fine in a book as knowingly stupid as this one. Or when, in Excalibur, interdimensional predators the Warwolves got slaughtered, except for one juvenile that Rachel ended up looking after? There, it just felt like one more in the line of random occurrences which the current Excalibur has where a plot would normally be. Here, that Warwolf pup has been christened Amazing Baby and is clearly the character find of the year.
Also, I love that the team HQ is suggestively shaped and called the Boneyard.
"Is your mutation just being a huge nerd or something?"
"Kind of, yes. Is yours just being a huge slut?"
"...kind of, yes."
A panel which, for me, could only be improved by a segue into my beloved 'both is good' GIF.
Now, granted, Daken here is more brawny, less sleek than he used to be depicted – on top of which, he appears to have acquired a man-bun, and I struggle to believe even his pheromone powers could entirely overcome the awfulness of that as a look. But this aside, the book has a great line in taking unpromising elements and making them work. When it turns out the team's second case will take them to the Mojoverse, Northstar sighs, and I sighed with him, because it's one of those corners of the X-Men mythos with which I seldom get along, its clunking satire generally not coming across as smart as it thinks it is. Turns out that's exactly why it works fine in a book as knowingly stupid as this one. Or when, in Excalibur, interdimensional predators the Warwolves got slaughtered, except for one juvenile that Rachel ended up looking after? There, it just felt like one more in the line of random occurrences which the current Excalibur has where a plot would normally be. Here, that Warwolf pup has been christened Amazing Baby and is clearly the character find of the year.
Also, I love that the team HQ is suggestively shaped and called the Boneyard.
April 15, 2022
Well, I picked this up as I found out my favorite mutant, Northstar, was team leader of this new group. Can’t say I’m impressed with this initial volume. I’ll give volume 2 a shot, but I don’t think I’ve got much hopes here. The whole premise of resurrection being so common place, is awful. That it negates any emotional impact that death has is the worst kind of storytelling imaginable. This has been the worst thing about the X-titles for decades.
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May 15, 2022i have very mixed feelings about this one. on the one hand, what a fun team of x-people to combine! on the other, the writing gets a little heavy handed sometimes (this is possibly the best/worst daken i've read but also i do appreciate him as a foil to prodigy) and it feels like everything just kind of starts abruptly. but i'm interested enough in where this is going to pick up the next volume, for sure.
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