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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 1, 2015 22:36:23 GMT -5
I was thinking... X-Factor has to be up there for the amount of iterations they've had.
They start out as the Original 5 pretending to be mutant hunters...
Then we have the Cyclops sorta starts his own school part when Rusty, Skids, Artie, Leech, etc were around.
PAD's government team
The mutant suicide squad version with Mystique, Random, Sabertooth, etc.
Then we get Madrox and X-Factor investigations...
Now most recently we have corporate sponsored X-Factor.
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Post by fanboystranger on Jul 2, 2015 9:54:42 GMT -5
I was thinking... X-Factor has to be up there for the amount of iterations they've had. They start out as the Original 5 pretending to be mutant hunters... Then we have the Cyclops sorta starts his own school part when Rusty, Skids, Artie, Leech, etc were around. PAD's government team The mutant suicide squad version with Mystique, Random, Sabertooth, etc. Then we get Madrox and X-Factor investigations... Now most recently we have corporate sponsored X-Factor. In between the "Suicide Squad" version and Peter David's Madrox, there was also a mini featuring two FBI agents investigating mutant crime. Only notable because the great Arthur Ranson was the artist. |
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Post by Pharozonk on Jul 18, 2015 14:26:37 GMT -5
X-Factor #3 “Regression Obsession" Writer: Bob Layton Pencils: Jackson Guice Ink: Josef Rubenstein, Bob Layton, Jackson Guice Color: Glynis Oliver Editor: Bob Harras Grade: B- Summary: The issue opens back at Dr. Maddick’s lab, where he’s been able to pull Beast out of cardiac arrest. He asks his son, Artie, to use his telepathic abilities to gain access to Tower’s mind. He see’s that Tower has been defeated by X-Factor and asks Artie to attack the former X-Men using Tower’s body. However, Tower is able to break free of the mind control and reveals everything about Dr Maddicks and his plan to X-Factor. Meanwhile, Vera is meeting with Cameron Hodge as he tries to console her about Hank’s disappearance. X-Factor breaks into the research facility where Maddicks is holding Beast captive. When they finally find him, he reveals that he intended to use Beast as test subject for his mutant cure so he could eventually cure Artie of his own mutation. However, they are interrupted by the arrival of security guards who are coming down to the laboratory. Maddicks reveals that his experiments were all done in secret and that the soldiers will kill anyone there, especially mutants. He asks X-Factor to take his son to safety while he holds off the guards. As they leave, Artie has a vision of his father being killed. Back at X-Factor’s headquarters, Jean attempts to confront Scott about why he’s being so distant. Before he can reveal everything, he’s interrupted by the intercom where the doctor tells them that Hank is awake. They rush to the infirmary and find that Hank has completely regressed to his human-like appearance. Thoughts: This issue isn’t as action packed as the last issue, but it brings an end to the kidnapping storyline. It’s clear Layton is trying to make Dr. Maddicks a sympathetic villain, but it comes across as somewhat cliche and one-dimensional. On the other hand, Artie Maddicks is a great addition to the book. Not only does he bring some youth the to the team’s supporting cast, but is actually one of the first mutants in the X-verse that is visibly mutated physically, which Grant Morrison would later explore more during his run in the early 2000’s. Kudos for thinking ahead, Mr. Layton. Beyond that, there isn’t much else to say about this issue in comparison to the last two. Beast is back to his original form and the issue pretty much just ends there. Hopefully the next issue will give me more to work with.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 18, 2015 23:05:39 GMT -5
I wonder if Marvel will ever let Artie grow up? Last I saw him, he was still a little kid.
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Post by spoon on Jul 19, 2015 9:04:57 GMT -5
I thought #3 was a solid. That's probably because it was mostly action on one side, and the Maddicks family background on the other. I didn't have time to dwell on the problems inherent in the beginning of X-Factor. Thankfully, this issue shows Jean to be curious about why Scott is avoided her. She not clueless, and he's not taking advantage of the situation without a thought. I don't recall Artie's ability to freeze Tower's mind in this issue showing up later on.
It's strange that Beast's transformation leads him with some odd hair. I guess they wanted to visually differentiate him in a significant way from characters with similar hair colors.
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Post by spoon on Jul 19, 2015 9:06:48 GMT -5
X-Factor #3“Regression Obsession" Writer: Bob Layton Pencils: Jackson Guice Ink: Josef Rubenstein, Bob Layton, Jackson Guice Color: Glynis Oliver Editor: Bob Harras Grade: B- Summary: The issue opens back at Dr. Maddick’s lab, where he’s been able to pull Beast out of cardiac arrest. He asks his son, Artie, to use his telepathic abilities to gain access to Tower’s mind. He see’s that Tower has been defeated by X-Factor and asks Artie to attack the former X-Men using Tower’s body. However, Tower is able to break free of the mind control and reveals everything about Dr Maddicks and his plan to X-Factor. Meanwhile, Vera is meeting with Cameron Hodge as he tries to console her about Hank’s disappearance. X-Factor breaks into the research facility where Maddicks is holding Beast captive. When they finally find him, he reveals that he intended to use Beast as test subject for his mutant cure so he could eventually cure Artie of his own mutation. However, they are interrupted by the arrival of security guards who are coming down to the laboratory. Maddicks reveals that his experiments were all done in secret and that the soldiers will kill anyone there, especially mutants. He asks X-Factor to take his son to safety while he holds off the guards. As they leave, Artie has a vision of his father being killed. Back at X-Factor’s headquarters, Jean attempts to confront Scott about why he’s being so distant. Before he can reveal everything, he’s interrupted by the intercom where the doctor tells them that Hank is awake. They rush to the infirmary and find that Hank has completely regressed to his human-like appearance. Thoughts: This issue isn’t as action packed as the last issue, but it brings an end to the kidnapping storyline. It’s clear Layton is trying to make Dr. Maddicks a sympathetic villain, but it comes across as somewhat cliche and one-dimensional. On the other hand, Artie Maddicks is a great addition to the book. Not only does he bring some youth the to the team’s supporting cast, but is actually one of the first mutants in the X-verse that is visibly mutated physically, which Grant Morrison would later explore more during his run in the early 2000’s. Kudos for thinking ahead, Mr. Layton. Beyond that, there isn’t much else to say about this issue in comparison to the last two. Beast is back to his original form and the issue pretty much just ends there. Hopefully the next issue will give me more to work with. There were several prior physically mutated mutants, including several Morlocks (Leech, Caliban), and of course Nightcrawler. And while, he can hide it, Angel has his wings. |
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Post by Pharozonk on Jul 19, 2015 10:03:09 GMT -5
There were several prior physically mutated mutants, including several Morlocks (Leech, Caliban), and of course Nightcrawler. And while, he can hide it, Angel has his wings. I meant two things with that statement: 1). Nightcrawler and Angel had mutations that manifested physically, but they were conducive to crime fighting while someone like Artie or Caliban were not. 2). Prior to this point, mutants like the Morlocks and Artie had not been made members of the X-Men's supporting cast before, which I think was a novel approach at the time. |
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Post by Gene on Jul 20, 2015 20:22:13 GMT -5
I just finished putting together a full run of the O5 issues. I love this series. The melodrama runs so deep. I've read up to Inferno so far.
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Post by Pharozonk on Aug 1, 2016 20:52:58 GMT -5
Holy crap, it's been over a year since I've done of one of these.  |
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Post by Pharozonk on Aug 1, 2016 20:53:21 GMT -5
X-Factor #4 “Trials and Errors” Writer: Bob Layton Pencils: Keith Pollard Ink: Josef Rubenstein Color: Peter Scotese Editor: Bob Harras Grade: B- Summary: The issue opens with the team engaged in battle with Tower, demanding what he was doing snooping around their headquarters. Tower shrinks down and escapes, but is caught by another mutant named Frenzy, who is working for the same boss as Tower. She scolds him for failing to kidnap Artie and tosses him in a dumpster. Back at X-Factor headquarters, Jean is trying to teach Rusty to use his powers, but he becomes too emotional and nearly burns down the room. The team gets a call from a boarding school dean who says that one of his students claims to be telepath and they fly off to investigate. The boy reveals that he was faking it though. Back at the headquarters, Rusty decides to run away, ashamed of his inability to control his powers. Artie fails to convince him to stay and tells the team of Rusty’s departure when they return. While on the street, Rusty is caught by Frenzy who tries to take him to her master. Thoughts: Like last issue, this one is nothing special, but the seeds of Apocalypse’s introduction are defintely being sewn here. I’ve talked to Bob Layton and Jackson Guice, and while they both concede that Apocalypse was more of Walt and Louise Simonson’s baby than theirs, the foreshadowing in this issue is done very well. Frenzy is a pretty one note villain unfortunately and drags the issue down a bit. It’s clear that she’s meant to be a one off villain for this issue to progress this story arc, but I wish Layton had dedicated a bit more time toward giving her more of a personality and backstory for us to get invested in. Rusty and Artie’s interactions, though very minute in this issue, continue to be one of my favorite parts of this series. The early X-Factor issues had a strong theme of family and unity running through them, which makes Artie’s reaction to Rusty’s departure tug at my heartstrings just a little.
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