Review: X-Factor #200
X-Factor #200, released in December but not winding up in my hands until a couple of weeks ago, saw the series re-numbered and a bit of a re-launch as the team moved to a disused funeral parlor in New York and took on an interesting case: the disappearance of The Invisible Girl.
This issue is months old, yes, but there was a lot to like in it - more of Strong Guy's struggle to synthesize his sincere friendship to Rictor with his unexpected difficulty accepting Rictor's relationship with Shatterstar, a story arc I'm finding more compelling the more I think about it and read about it. There's a great interview at CBR in which Peter David discusses what bothers Guido and why he constantly has to crack jokes at Rictor and Shatterstar's expense, saying:
"My feeling is that, as far as Guido is concerned, he grew up in one of those tough neighborhoods where no one was gay," the writer explained. "Which is to say that guys didn't cop to being gay because they'd get the crap kicked out of them. And sure, Guido is a liberal guy who's open minded, or at least likes to feel that he is. His attitude is that whatever some dudes do in the privacy of their bedroom is their own business. But now here's someone who he thought he knew, and it turns out he didn't know him as well as he thought, and now he's got a mental image of Shatterstar and Rictor going at it, and the whole thing just leaves him feeling kind of squeed about it. He doesn't hate them for it, but it's outside of his comfort level, and he's even frustrated by that because he didn't know it was a problem for him. So he feels guilty about feeling the way that he does, but he can't help how he feels. Consequently, he's dealing with it in a way that comes naturally for him: Making jokes about it."
There's also a great fight scene in which Strong Guy and The Thing go at it only to have Shatterstar step in and do his thing to great effect. It ends with an amusing and appropriate pop culture allusion that's both a callback to an earlier moment in the same issue and a perfect illustration of how Shatterstar's character is developing from tight-lipped emotionless Other to amusing and outgoing person. It reminded me of the transition my friends and I witnessed during college when one specific friend went in the course of a year from reserved, baritone-voiced dude bragging about the prestigious fraternity he was rushing to cracked-voice queen we came to call The Diva. Shatterstar isn't turning into a nelly queen but he is gaining an understanding of the theatricality of human relationships and adventure. He's becoming more comfortable with himself and exploring different ways of expressing himself, and I love that.
The main reason I want to pique your interest in a book published three months ago, though, is that the back of X-Factor #200 has detailed biographies of every member of the team. Every member of the team. If the story of Shatterstar and Rictor's kiss last year got you curious about X-Factor but you didn't think you could jump in at the mid-point in a book handled by many different writers and put through many different cast changes, ask your comics shop to order issue #200 for you. It will tell you everything you need to know to have some context. I'm going to be reading future issues of X-Factor with #200 close at hand just for reference material.
Peter David's "X-Factor": Earth Moving, Star Shattering [Comic Book Resources]
Klarion
Posted to Review on 5 March 2010
· Comments (1)
Other stuff like this: Peter David, X-Factor
I'm LOVING this series. I'd been thoroughly enjoying it since it was relaunched as a detective agency, but recent revelations and story arcs have moved it WAY up my list of favorites.