Credits: Written by Peter David, pencilled by Joe Quesada, inked by Al Milgrom and edited by Kelly Corvese.
Plot: After the stressful events of X-Cutioner’s Song, the members of X-Factor (currently a government run mutant response team) are being psychologically assessed by Doctor. Leonard Samson. Through these vignettes, we see the flaws and secrets that X-Factor members hide.
Rahne ‘Wolfsbane’ Sinclair struggles with her love for authority figures and how is fuels her ongoing crisis of identity, shown in the opening Ren & Stimpy parody Rahne and Simpy. Lorna ‘Polaris’ Dane struggles with body image and general self esteem after years of being manipulated or controlled. Jamie ‘Multiple Man’ Madrox is alone and it kills him, so he tries to make sure he’s noticed.
We get a bit of an origin for Guido ‘Strong Guy’ Carosella and the revelation that he is almost always in excruciating pain, rather than be noticed, he laughs and jokes to be dismissed as a distraction. He genuinely loves his team-mates and can’t abide the idea of them pitying him. Alex ‘Havok’ Summers is suffering from a mix of inferiority complex because of his legendary X-leader brother and post traumatic stress as he’s almost always waiting for the next crisis. Finally we get to Pietro ‘Quicksilver’ Maximoff. He dismisses the idea of wearing team uniform and his keeping himself aloof from the others. His arrogance is also brought up, but then he explains exactly why he is the way he is.
“Tell me Doctor, have you ever stood in a line at a banking machine behind a person who doesn’t know how to use it? Or wanted to buy stamps at the post office and the fellow in front of you wants to know every way he can ship his package to Istanbul? Or gotten some counter idiot at Burger King who can’t comprehend Whopper, no pickles?”
“Well, yes, I suppose.”
“And how do you feel on those occasions?”
“Impatient, irritated, a little angry sometimes.”
“Precisely, because your life is being slowed to a crawl, by the inabilities or the inconvenient behaviour of others. It’s not a rational or considerate attitude to have, but there it is. Now imagine Doctor, that everyone you work with, everyone you meet, your entire world….is filled with people who can’t work cash machines?”
The issue ends with Valerie Cooper, the US government’s liaison with X-Factor being asked about the team members and she misses the point with each one. As she leaves, cursing the Doctor, she is abducted by some kind of monstrous thing and the oblivious Samson just leaves his office, passing the credits with each of the creative team given a medical job on the glass doors.
Notes: When I read this issue, over 30 years ago, it was a revelation. It showed the complexity and nuance that you could show with super hero fiction. More than any of these one off aftermath stories, this cleanses the palate and allows you to get to know the characters before they’re placed in more peril. Despite being little more than a handful of therapy sessions, many years before I myself needed therapy, it remains my favourite single issue story.. I barely had to re-read it, so much jumped right back into memory.
Verdict: Writing 5 out of 5 – At this point, Peter David was on fire, he did not enjoy being roped into crossovers, he was given a handful of 3rd tier characters and left to go play. It was consistently the best written title. It was funny, yet had pathos. It was intelligent, but it revelled in being silly. It was as throw-away as a sit-com, yet there were stakes. This issue distilled all that into one 22 page story.
Art: 5 out of 5 – Joe Quesada excelled at action, yet his command of body language and facial features made everyone distinct and easily identifiable while still adding his own flavour to each one. His Guido is still the best that character ever looked. It was always visually interesting, despite it being people sitting or standing, using different viewpoints and visual tricks. This was as vital and exciting a comic could be, considering there’s no real action in here.
Overall: 10 out of 10 – I don’t know if this comic is perfect, I doubt it is to most people, but I loved this comic in 1992 and in 2024, that hasn’t changed, it’s still that good. I recommend it to everyone who has ever read a comic.
Next Time: Final Thoughts on the Clone Saga Stage 2
My Marvel Life 