Post by Cory W. on Jul 2, 2016 16:15:53 GMT -5
X-Factor by D. Golightly
Issues #3 and #4 – “Long Live the Queen”:
Issue #3 was a very good progression from the opening story line. Dave’s developed a great handle on the team dynamics here and it seems that some developments (such as Cypher’s new abilities, Daken’s connection to Wolverine, and Morph’s jocular attitude) only lead to more questions. That’s just good story telling on Dave’s part. It shows that he has a long term plan for this title and the characters will be developing into something beyond their archetypes, which is a trap that many writers (not just fanfic writers) fall into. Havok is also shaping up to be a nice figurehead on the team while still guiding Cypher into a more prominent leadership role. TransGenics seems like a nice shady corporation for the team to investigate at the early stages of their career, and the team’s covert ops style approach is fitting given their make-up and government backing, but that story line is set aside for the time being when Corsair from the Starjammers comes-a-calling for the X-Men’s help. I hope Dave comes back to it in a big way. It seems like it has the making of something larger. Until then, Corsair mistakenly scooping up X-Factor to help him in a war with the Brood has some nice potential for action, horror, and comedy all the same in the following issue. Hey, speaking of the confusion, I just realized that technically this group is just called a “Mutant Response Team” and only alluded to as an x-factor. Will they ever get around to being called X-Factor or is that just an allusion of sorts?
Issue #4 opens up with an epic battle between the Mutant Response Team and the Brood invading the Starjammer. Everybody gets a chance to shine here and Cypher demonstrates how he’s going to be able to hold his own in combat situations with the likes of Havok and Daken leading the charge. Xorn continues to take a bit of a backseat here but her use feels more balanced by comparison to previous issues. After the battle on the Starjammer is over and Corsair has briefed the team on what they can do to help him, Cypher and Morph infiltrate the Brood Queen’s inner circle (so to speak) and implement an extermination plan with extreme prejudice. Despite his jokes and intentional annoyances, Morph really does demonstrate that he’s the most human of his teammates here. Cypher, on the other hand, shows off a rather harsh attitude in contrast to his previous pacifistic ways. There are definitely some interesting character dynamics at play here and Dave uses them with great intent. By the end of the story, the Brood Queen has been defeated, Kallindar is liberated, the Starjammers are reunited, and the Mutant Response Team is left in a decidedly different position than they started a few issues ago. Cypher is asserting himself more aggressively than expected, Morph seems to be questioning what exactly he has gotten himself into, and Daken may be acknowledging his teammates more.
I think a lot of credit goes to Dave for making this story feel larger and more complete than the first arc with Mesmero. There are also a lot of strong character beats being hit. I think I would have liked to see a scene with the rescue of the Starjammers (perhaps featuring Corsair, Xorn, and Daken at greater length) to make this story feel a little more fleshed out. Other than that, what a great couple of issues! Four out of five snowballs!
Issues #3 and #4 – “Long Live the Queen”:
Issue #3 was a very good progression from the opening story line. Dave’s developed a great handle on the team dynamics here and it seems that some developments (such as Cypher’s new abilities, Daken’s connection to Wolverine, and Morph’s jocular attitude) only lead to more questions. That’s just good story telling on Dave’s part. It shows that he has a long term plan for this title and the characters will be developing into something beyond their archetypes, which is a trap that many writers (not just fanfic writers) fall into. Havok is also shaping up to be a nice figurehead on the team while still guiding Cypher into a more prominent leadership role. TransGenics seems like a nice shady corporation for the team to investigate at the early stages of their career, and the team’s covert ops style approach is fitting given their make-up and government backing, but that story line is set aside for the time being when Corsair from the Starjammers comes-a-calling for the X-Men’s help. I hope Dave comes back to it in a big way. It seems like it has the making of something larger. Until then, Corsair mistakenly scooping up X-Factor to help him in a war with the Brood has some nice potential for action, horror, and comedy all the same in the following issue. Hey, speaking of the confusion, I just realized that technically this group is just called a “Mutant Response Team” and only alluded to as an x-factor. Will they ever get around to being called X-Factor or is that just an allusion of sorts?
Issue #4 opens up with an epic battle between the Mutant Response Team and the Brood invading the Starjammer. Everybody gets a chance to shine here and Cypher demonstrates how he’s going to be able to hold his own in combat situations with the likes of Havok and Daken leading the charge. Xorn continues to take a bit of a backseat here but her use feels more balanced by comparison to previous issues. After the battle on the Starjammer is over and Corsair has briefed the team on what they can do to help him, Cypher and Morph infiltrate the Brood Queen’s inner circle (so to speak) and implement an extermination plan with extreme prejudice. Despite his jokes and intentional annoyances, Morph really does demonstrate that he’s the most human of his teammates here. Cypher, on the other hand, shows off a rather harsh attitude in contrast to his previous pacifistic ways. There are definitely some interesting character dynamics at play here and Dave uses them with great intent. By the end of the story, the Brood Queen has been defeated, Kallindar is liberated, the Starjammers are reunited, and the Mutant Response Team is left in a decidedly different position than they started a few issues ago. Cypher is asserting himself more aggressively than expected, Morph seems to be questioning what exactly he has gotten himself into, and Daken may be acknowledging his teammates more.
I think a lot of credit goes to Dave for making this story feel larger and more complete than the first arc with Mesmero. There are also a lot of strong character beats being hit. I think I would have liked to see a scene with the rescue of the Starjammers (perhaps featuring Corsair, Xorn, and Daken at greater length) to make this story feel a little more fleshed out. Other than that, what a great couple of issues! Four out of five snowballs!