All-New X-Factor #12

By: Peter David (Writer), Carmine Di Giandomenico (Penciller), Lee Loughridge (Color Artist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer), Kris Anka & Jared Fletcher (Cover Artist)

Peter David’s name has become firmly associated with key characters of the Marvel Universe, and most specifically the characters of X-Factor. He is credited with creating many of the definitive takes on them, and most specifically that of Quicksilver. This issue promises to be one of them.

It hearkens back to another of those early definitive takes, almost 25 years ago, in X-Factor volume 1 #72, 1991, in which the US government-sponsored version of X-Factor held a press conference to introduce their team to the public. Here, the corporate-sponsored version of X-Factor does the same. Knowing this gives the issue a bit of resonance, but there’s enough character building and genuine pathos that even if you are unaware of the parallels, you get a satisfying reading experience.

Quicksilver is arguably the star player here, as his development takes both the beginning and end scenes of the book. The former perhaps foreshadows more conflict to come, but the ending offers him a chance to rest in the moment, perhaps incongruously for a speedster character, and to receive affirmation from a surprising source, his daughter. This fits in line with what X-Factor is really giving us right now– themes revolving around the question of what it really means to be a hero, as well as around the question of what “family” is all about.

Also on the “family” side of things, there are still some lingering plot danglers with Georgia from the last story arc. It’s made explicit that she doesn’t want to join the team, for which I’m actually grateful as she still hasn’t managed to turn into someone I remotely care about, but at the same time there isn’t enough resolution to make us think we’ve seen the last of her. If these themes of family are to continue (as well as the theme of heroism since we question Cypher’s decision to even rescue her in the first place), and if Luna sticks around as a kind-of peer age group, then I do imagine we’ll continue to see her. Sigh.

It’s important to note the other developments of Danger and Warlock, which is handled more with humor but offers some interesting developments. Notice the butt-shot of Danger? With all the discussion lately of comicbook art and the “male gaze,” it’s funny to realize that it is exactly for the male gaze that the panel is laid out– Warlock’s gaze to be specific. (It does feature an example of breaking the 180 Degree rule, however, which makes the sequence of panels a bit of a mess, visually, otherwise.)

The art is overall handled with the same style that we’ve come to expect. It’s a pretty narrative/dialogue-heavy issue, of course, so Di Giandomenico gives us some pages that are very design-y to keep us interested, such as overlaying the shots of the team members with the audience and the flashbulbs during the conference, and looking through panels/windows in a big conversation between Cypher and Georgia. Dramatic layouts are chosen for Snow’s sly smile after speaking with Gambit, and with Fatale’s appearance, not to mention Luna’s. As before, it’s all enhanced by the color choices as the palette shifts from scene to scene, or even within areas of layout, such as in the press conference. Things are made very clear by the choice of colors, although it’s true that sometimes Di G’s choices of positioning force the colors to compensate with wide areas of texture that sometimes leave bland areas of space.         

The Bottom Line: It’s good to experience a comic that you now will go down into history as one of the defining moments for a character, and Quicksilver is made better for it. The team dynamic continues to play out specific moments of conflict, but overall the team is now poised to continue as an actual super-team, at least in its in-story context,  for the first time since the series relaunched, so I hope that means it’s back to the action soon.

Grade: A

-Danny Wall

Other Musings:

— So, uhm, what happened to Fatale at the end? Did she listen to Quicksilver’s public confession and then just say, “Oh. OK. Well, thanks, then,” and walk away?