Writer: Leah Williams
Art: David Baldeon, Israel Silva, VC’s Joe Caramagna, Tom Muller, and Ivan Shavrin
Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 29th, 2020
By the mercy of The Five, the resurrection procedures can revive any defunct mutant. Nevertheless, such a massive undertaking isn’t missing its troubles and obstacles, am I right? Well, when a mutant dies, X-Factor is there to interrogate and investigate how and why to maintain the regulations of the Krakoan reincarnation. Let’s dive into X-FACTOR #1 by Leah Williams to examine how Northstar, Polaris, Prodigy, Eye-boy, Daken and Prestige fit into the world of murder, mystery, intrigue, and missing persons while seeing if this is what the X-books have been missing this whole time!
Readers, “missing” is definitely the keyword in this reviewer. The entire premise of the series is that X-Factor is searching for a missing mutant. However, there was zero suspense and absolutely no build-up to lead into any of the affairs. Williams literally throws together a team that has no connection to one another in which lacks any driving motive or intention. Heck, the entire team seems to hate each other. In all actuality, the construction of the X-Factor team felt more like a rejected gym team than a mystery-solving agency.
Additionally, Williams’ story was extremely forced, gimmicky, and way too jokey. However, none of the jokes hit. Readers, when you try to make Daken the comedic relief, I think you need to go back to the drawing board. Plus, Williams floods this issue with unwarranted and unnecessary sexual tones that didn’t help the story, assist in the mission, and were frankly their to add hot sauce to a bowl of Frosted Flakes. My point: we all get Daken has pheromone abilities but Williams saturated this issue with sexual overtones and misplaced jokes that left this reviewer wondering why he was reading this X-title.
Ultimately, the narrative isn’t required and doesn’t appear to merit production. Every other X-Book seems to contribute a reason for existences but I’m searching for the point of this series other than having an “X-Factor” book. By the conclusion of the issue, readers do see a fragment of what X-Factor is ”supposed” to be BUT it’s an aspect of the X-series that are candidly not essential or vital to the overarching narrative. Cold cases and missing persons? Really? The best comparison I can think of is the TV show BAYWATCH NIGHTS. Did we really need to see David Hasselhoff fight crime and hunt for vampires at night? No. One BAYWATCH show was more than enough. Do we really need this mutant team of C and D-list characters formed to discover unsolved mysteries while Daken flirts with people for narrative humor? No.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Williams was tasked with resurrecting the X-Factor team but provided very little substance and no real reason for anyone being together that had meaning or significance. I understand what the team was doing this issue but their motives for joining were purely for $&@$ and giggles. David Baldeon and Israel Silva’s art was weirdly unique and reminded me of X-Men anime in a way, which I really wasn’t a huge fan of. The faces and people were stretched and elongated at times, which along with the heavy dialogue, made this an extremely difficult read for a number one that’s supposed to draw new readers into the comic. X-fans, I really wanted to like this but it came across hokey, contrived, and honestly a bit ridiculous. That said, it’s hard to judge a series on one issue so I’d like to read an entire arc before I decide to give this series a hard pass. Nonetheless, if you’re looking to save money on comics, this would be a series to wait on the trade while the jury is still out.
6.5/10
If you really want to get your hands on this inaugural relaunch issue of X-FACTOR, click the Amazon link HERE. Additionally, if the DAWN OF X titles are your jam, click HERE to grab the latest titles, issues, and trades. And finally, if you’re looking for something else to read, check out my Amazon Online Comic Shop by clicking HERE. Thank you all for the read and continued support. Stay safe and stay healthy.
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What a bunch of useless opinions of yours. First issue and you already expect 100 pages just to describe what you’re complaining about. You don’t get to judge for something that just came out. Give it a break and time would ya. (SMDH)
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Bullcrapur, let me start by saying thank you for the read. I appreciate the time and interest in my review, the site, and comics in general. As for your opinion, you are welcome to it just as I am. By your remarks and tone, my assumption is that you really liked issue one. I’m truly happy you did. However, a reviewer’s job is to give their take on one issue, whether it be 100 pages or 10, and look at the snapshot of that issue and not what’s yet to come. So judging solely this first issue, which “should” be (as a number one) a means of drawing in new readers with excitement, action or suspense, why being informative for new readers, it did quite the opposite. Not only did it not draw me into the issue, but it was also over-saturated with heavy dialogue and word balloons galore in an attempt to create humor that didn’t fit with any of the characters, as well as providing readers with a heavy dose of sexual tones that were completely unnecessary and over the top. As a long time comic book reader and reviewer, and if you read the entire issue as well as any of my other reviews, you would know that my opinion on the entire series will not be judged on one issue and that every writer deserves an arc to prove where they are going and what they are capable of. I stand by my rating of THIS issue BUT my genuine hope is that the series is great. Everyone has a down issue here and there… but it just shouldn’t be issue one that’s the down issue. I respect your opinion of the series and if you love it, I’m happy for you. Truly I am. My job is to state what I like and dislike about the comic. So yes I do get to “judge for something that just came out”. That’s kind of the point of a comic review and this site. And no I do not “expect 100 pages just to describe what you’re complaining about”. Good writers can describe and lure readers into a narrative within 10 pages or less. Great writers can do it in 5 or less. Just as I have opinions, so do you. If you feel my opinions are useless, so be it. I still appreciate you taking the time to read the review as well as the comic. Thanks for the comment Bullcrapur and have a wonderful day.
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So, everyone that gave it 10/10s are getting the same shit you are giving here?!?! Or should everyone not review it and give it time? What is your review of it?
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