X-Factor Volume 2: Life and Death Matters

X-Factor is an offshoot of the X-Men; Mutant Super Heroes sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them. In recent days, X-Factor has been the name of Jamie Madrox's detective agency, and by extension, his super team. The roster includes M, Monet St. Croix, a super annoying woman whose super power is that she is as good as she thinks she is, Siryn, Theresa Cassidy, sonic powered daughter of the X-Man Banshee, Strong Guy, Guido Carosella; his power is self explanatory. Wolvesbane, Rahne Sinclair, a shape shifter with a wolf form, and Rictor, once a powerful earthquake generator, now, since the Decimation, just a human being. Lastly, there is Lalya Miller. She knows stuff.

X-Factor has its problems. Not only do they serve Mutant Town, something of a Misnomer since the Decimation left the world population of Mutants at 198, but the have Singularity Investigations, a secretive powerful agency breathing down their necks. And all around them, Tony Stark's Superpower Registration Act is polarizing the world. Who is right, those who say that for the greater good all people with metahuman powers must register with the government and enroll in a government sponsored training program to join a government sanctioned team, or the ones who say that they have a right to privacy, and to a secret identity to protect their loved ones from harm from their enemies.

And the problems do not stop there. Jamie Madrox's mutant power produces duplicates whenever he absorbs even moderate kinetic force. Recently, they have been manifesting aspects of Jamie's personality. One might embody his apathy, another his enthusiasm, another his latent homosexuality. During the course of the six issues of this graphic novel, we see two of them get defenestrated, and two of them sleep with both M and Siryn, and they discover who exactly was responsible for the deaths of Mom and Pop Madrox. What one of Jamie's duplicates does will blow you away.

The Plot

Singularity Investigations wants X-Factor out of the way. They are even willing to pay $50,000,000. When Jamie laughs in their faces, Damian Tryp Sr. throws Jamie out a window from the penthouse of a skyscraper. Fortunately, Jamie Prime was on the roof, and he reabsorbed himself before going splat. But now, it is war with Singularity.

And war with the Registration act. Layla sends Jamie on a mission; he rescues Aegis of the New Warriors from incarceration. The process helps set his mind, and X-Factor makes its stand clear with a press conference; X-Factor is opposed to the Registration Act, and will offer aid and comfort to anyone who is seeking to avoid it.

As if that were not problem enough, Quicksilver makes an appearance. Quicksilver is at the heart of the Decimation. His twin, the Scarlet Witch, is the source of the Decimation. He himself lost his powers, but in trying to regain them, he acquired new powers, fueled by the power of Teragen, the mutating substance of the Inhumans. His new power is skipping time into the future. He also can restore depowered mutants, though often in twisted sorts of ways. As the Scarlet Witch's twin, Quicksilver has a chaos factor that defeats Layla's "I know stuff" power. She is his nemesis, he is hers.

But the real effect Quicksilver has is he tells X-Factor the truth of the Decimation. And that causes another problem; the X-Men lied. And that is something Jamie and the rest can not forgive. So after the obligatory good guy fights good guy scene, Jamie kicks the X-Men out of Mutant Town. For their part, they declare that Quicksilver is a prisoner of Mutant Town, and X-Factor is responsible for him. The Civil War continues, and even the X-Family is torn asunder.

Jamie's life gets a lot more complicated as well. He sleeps with Theresa. He also sleeps with Monet. At the same time. His duplicate with a Hugh Hefner complex.... Well, even Jamie gets confused on the details after her reabsorbs them. But its safe to assume there is another Civil War Brewing.

The war with the Tryps moves to center stage; we learn the truth about Jamie's unusual mutation, and who exactly was responsible for his parent's death. And Singularity makes some moves of their own, eliminating Richard Buchanan, the inventor of the Legacy Virus. And you won't believe the weapon they use.

And so X-Factor takes the War to Singularity Inc. Tryp is the same class of uber mutant as Madrox. They manage to take out Rahne with a little shared precognition, then lay low Siryn with a paralytic dart to her throat.

But the X-Factor, the spanner in the works, the unpredictable element, that's what saves the day, and you will love the way it happens.

These stories continue the events from earlier issues, and tie the storyline to the grand Civil War story arc. Peter David continues at the helm, writing his great Comic Noir epic, weaving the Decimation and Civil War into the story without compromising that this is X-Factor's story. Peter David has lost none of his dry wry humor. He seems to particularly love the character of Layla Miller; she gets all the best lines. When Guido and Madrox are leaving, she is sitting in front of the building, reading. Guido hunkers down to ask her:

Guido: "Hey, Layla. That's a thick book you're reading. "Harry Potter?"

Lalya: "Atlas Shrugged."

Long pause.

Guido: "Yeah, there's a conversation killer."

When she is asked by the officious twit S.H.I E.L.D. sent over to tell them to register-or-else asks her:

Shield Agent: "Good Heavens, young lady. You look so serious. Like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Layla: "I do."

Shield Agent: "How do you deal with that?"

Layla: "I shrug."

Heh. It's an even better pay-off in the book because you have to wait several pages for it.

The Art is all good, some of it, really good. Ariel Olivetti did issue 7, Dennis Calero issues 8 & 9, and the team of Renato Arlem and Roy Allen Martinez handled issues 10 through 12. None of them is Pablo Raimondi, the original artist who set the look. These artists have tried to follow his lead, with good results. Unfortunately, none of them have the skill at portraiture that Pablo does. The look of Jamie Madrox, the bastard love child of James Dean and Marlon Brando is one of the great elements of the art, and the consistency of his look.

However, Pablo Riamondi will return to the art table for issues 13+ so, yeah.

Still, they have tried to keep the art dark, broody, with the emphasis on expression and shadow, just like Pablo intended. It is great to see the title has the integrity to carry the look even through guest artists.

Overall, this remains my favorite title right now. Check it out. I am sure you will agree Comic Noir is a great change of pace.