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Column:
Variant Coverage
"SatisfaXion Guaranteed"
By Adam White
Published: 2006-07-23
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Okay, time to get this column back on schedule. The trip to HeroesCon and subsequent column took more time than
usual, hence the delays of late. So now we’ll get back to my usual ramblings on a weekly basis.
Occasionally a series comes along that is so good that it’s hard to discuss in a single issue review, so I try to
find some other outlet for discussing the series. The current series most deserving of that description is X-Factor
by Peter David and Dennis Calero, a series that is so exceptionally great that I cannot believe it is not one of the Top 5
selling books on the market — actually, since most of the top sellers are some of the crappiest books I can
believe it, but that’s beside the point.
Peter David, whom I consider one of our greatest living writers, takes X-Factor in multiple directions with
multiple surprises in every issue, which is appropriate for a series with Multiple Man as the headliner. David has asembled
a great cast of
characters from the X-stable that are rarely used for anything other than filler and makes them all more interesting than
any mainstream characters have been in recent years. David started out with the fantastic Madrox miniseries, which
introduced the new concept for Madrox and his detective agency, producing a mixture of film noir, pulp fiction, and
intriguing science fiction disguised as an X-book for the Marvel Knights imprint. David makes Madrox a vastly complex
character, one who you literally never know what he is going to do next, nor what his doubles are going to do either. David
also has Madrox use his power in a way that seems obvious yet no one has ever done it before, and he addresses the
consequences of that usage. Joined by Pablo Raimondi, who provides wonderfully dark, stylish art, Madrox is one of
the best miniseries of the last decade (at least) and gives readers drama, thrills, action, and laughs combined in one
great-looking comicbook.
Having thankfully done well enough to garner an ongoing, Madrox became X-Factor for returning writer Peter
David and artist Ryan Sook. While Sook is a great artist, he apparently
is not very fast, so even by the second issue he was being helped out by Dennis Calero, an artist who worked hard to make the
issues flow seamlessly. Calero succeeded and became full time artist shortly thereafter when Sook became extraneous, keeping
the atmosphere of the book the same while gradually shifting more to his own style. Calero made the book his own in short
order, and saved the series from slow-artist growing pains from which too many new books suffer.
David continued his groove straight into X-Factor without missing a beat, adding more characters and making each
one of them essential to the series. David makes each character a real person with
their own personality and flaws, and he mixes the serious with the humorous more deftly than any other writer currently
putting books on the stands. Whether it’s Madrox quarreling with his dupes or Siryn dealing with the loss of her
father (Banshee), David always suprises you by going in an unexpected direction yet one that makes perfect sense.
X-Factor is the most dysfunctional X-family in comics, yet because of that they are the most human.
David also has fun with the recap page, discussing things that happened in the book, things the characters did off-panel,
and even keeps you up to date on his daughter’s bowling team. No other writer has made
the recap page more fun, and it is a crucial part of the reading experience in every issue. David also writes the letter
columns, sharing his thoughts and answering people’s letters. David usually picks fan letters that are ignorant in some
way so he can discuss creative and moral dilemmas that many fans apparently cannot figure out on their own. X-Factor
is the total package from cover to cover, a complete reading experience that is never what you expect.
So what’s the point of all this? Well, if you haven’t figured it out yet, the point is that you all need to
read X-Factor. Buy it, read it, enjoy it, buy copies for your friends and neighbors; after reading an issue I
guarantee you’ll be hooked. With current issues tying into Civil War as well as dealing with the
now-treacherous Quicksilver, X-Factor is one of the best on the stands and only getting better. I cannot stress
enough that you have to read X-Factor — whether you’re an X-fan or not, you will love this
series.
—CCdC—
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