Broken Frontier

Fans and critics alike have both been wowed by Peter David and Ryan Sook’s new series, X-Factor. This X-Factor may be “All New and All Different”, but the title and comic actually has a long and varied history. 

Strictly speaking, the groundwork for X-Factor, like all of Marvel’s “X” titles, came from 1963’s The X-Men #1. Gathered together by the telepathic Professor Xavier, the X-Men were a group of superhuman mutants, gifted with uncanny abilities that they used to defend a world that feared and hated them. By 1980, the roster of the X-Men had grown and evolved but still featured two of the original X-Men - Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Jean Grey (Phoenix, originally known as Marvel Girl). The character of Jean Grey had begun as a relatively low-powered character, but had been re-imagined in the late 70’s by way of gaining immense abilities thanks to an entity known as the Phoenix Force.

In an arc that was retroactively titled “The Dark Phoenix Saga”, the power of the Phoenix drove Jean to a madness that climaxed with the destruction of an alien world. The concluding chapter in The Uncanny X-Men #137 (September 1980) was to see Jean repent for her crimes and surrender her powers. Shortly before the release of the book however, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter raised objections regarding the conclusion. Under the editorial edict that Jean Grey must pay for her genocidal crime, issue #137 saw Phoenix kill herself in order to save the universe. In spite of initial concerns of the creators, the conclusion of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” became an instant classic. Jean’s death became a tragic milestone in X-Men history, one that Jim Shooter declared could not be undone unless Jean could somehow be guiltless of Dark Phoenix’s crimes.

X-Factor actually came into existence 6 years later. The series, as pitched by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, was a spin-off of X-Men – one that would reunite Cyclops with the other surviving founders (The Beast, Angel and Iceman). X-Factor was approved for a high profile launch, that would crossover through 3 titles – Roger Stern’s Avengers #263 (January 1986), John Byrne’s Fantastic Four #286 (January 1986) and Layton’s own X-Factor #1 (February 1986). At this point, it becomes difficult to tell exactly who conceived the idea, as all of the creators involved seem to remember the details differently, but someone suggested that X-Factor should re-unite all five founding X-Men. Despite some misgivings the creators (as well as X-Men scribe, Chris Claremont), plans were put into motion to resurrect Jean Grey. 

Some years earlier, comic fan and future writer, Kurt Busiek, had conceived the idea that Jean had not actually received a boost in powers from the Phoenix Force. His idea had been that instead, the Phoenix entity replaced Jean, leaving the original hidden in suspended animation. At some point, Busiek had related this idea to Stern, who had in turn mentioned it to Byrne. When the story was told to Shooter, the Editor-in-Chief approved the solution. Busiek was paid and credited for the idea, while it fell to Byrne to actually execute the plan in Fantastic Four.

Marvel attempted to conceal the identity of the mysterious 5th member of X-Factor, albeit with little success. By the time X-Factor debuted, Jean’s resurrection was a controversial move, as many fans felt it negated the strength of the earlier Dark Phoenix story. This also resulted in some controversial and arguably out-of-character actions for Cyclops, as Layton was directed to re-kindle the Jean Grey/Scott Summers romance (in the years since Jean’s death, Cyclops had married - a Jean-look-alike none-the-less - and sired a son with her. It would be months before the character actually mentioned this to Jean). With the cast in place, the heroes formed a new team. Operating under the elaborate guise as “mutant hunters”, X-Factor’s mission was actually to locate, rescue and train young mutants in an effort to ensure a peaceful future for human/mutant relations. 

Controversy continued to haunt the title, this time regarding the creators. Again, there is no clear answer as to why (rumors point to either deadline issues or disputes over creative control), but Layton left X-Factor after only five issues and Guice after seven. The duo were replaced by the wife and husband team of Louise (writer) and Walter Simonson (artist). The Simonsons contributed a great deal, to not only the X-Factor mythology, but the X-Men one as well. Under their guidance, X-Factor dropped the pretense of being mutant-hunters (realizing that it was doing more harm than good to mutant/human relations), as well as introducing several new mutant characters including Rictor (#17, June 1987), a young man with the ability to create earthquakes. 

Louise Simonson scripted the majority of X-Factor’s stories until 1991. Issue #71 (October 1991) introduced a new status quo for the property. Following the events of a crossover between The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor and a third title (The New Mutants), the X-Factor team was folded back into the X-Men’s roster. Peter David (writer), Larry Stroman (pencils) and Al Milgrom (inks) were brought aboard to chronicle the adventures of a new X-Factor - this time a government-sanctioned team. The new line-up was comprised primarily of supporting cast from the X-Men – Havok (the younger brother of Cyclops), Polaris (Havok’s longtime romantic interest), Wolfsbane (a mutant werewolf), Jamie Madrox (also called the Multiple Man, due to his ability to create duplicates of himself), Quicksilver (the arrogant, former Avenger) and Strong Guy (the wise-cracking, er…strong guy). 

Up until this point, X-Factor had generally followed the story formula that had made X-Men so popular – mixing dark adventures with soap opera style drama. Thanks in no small part to the selection of “less popular” characters, David took the book in a new direction, using liberal doses of humor, along with strong character development to distinguish it from the rest of the X-Men brand. The new X-Factor quickly became a critical hit, possibly best remembered for issue #87, a story that focused entirely on the individual team members speaking to a psychologist. 

Unfortunately for fans of the “new” X-Factor, David’s run proved to be relatively short. David’s final issue of the book was #89 (April 1993), as he reportedly resigned over frustrations over the necessity of adjusting his stories to fit in with the increasingly regular crossovers with other “X” books. J.M. DeMatteis (writer) arrived as of issue #92 (July 1993) and helped bring the tone of X-Factor more in line thematically with the other “X” books (presumably at the urgings of Marvel editorial). Over the next year, the book lost it’s lighter tone as members such as Madrox and Strong Guy were dropped, and the book participated regularly in major “X-Men family” crossover events.

Following the conclusion of “Age of Apocalypse”, another major inter-book crossover, John Francis Moore took over the title, significantly revising the roster. Polaris remained, as did Forge, a later addition to the team, while the group was filled out primarily with former super villains – Sabretooth (essentially an evil version of “Wolverine”), Mystique (a shape shifting mutant spy), Shard (a holographic time traveler) and Wild Child (who was basically a smaller, younger version of Sabretooth). By issue #115 (October 1995), the tone of X-Factor shifted again under new writer Howard Mackie. Mackie focused on the team’s ties to the US government, an ongoing subplot that finally climaxed with X-Factor gaining their independence. In late 1997, Mackie made another major shift to the roster combining X-Factor alumni Havok, Polaris, Multiple Man and Shard with several of Shard’s former allies from the future. This run proved to be quite short (less than 10 issues) and served to set up a new series starring Havok (Mutant X) following the end of the X-Factor title (#149, September 1998).

The title X-Factor briefly returned in 2001 as a four part mini-series. The title, which refered to the X-factor that gave mutants their powers, had no actual connections to past incarnations of the book, but rather explored hate crimes directed at mutants, an obvious allegory for real-world racism.

The most recent incarnation of X-Factor technically started with Madrox (a five part mini-series that launched in November 2004). Writer Peter David made no secret that the series was a pilot for a new X-Factor series, as it starred the Multiple Man, and featured Wolfsbane and Strong Guy in supporting roles. Just as David had reimagined the concept back in 1991, this series also offered a new take on the characters, as it featured a distinct crime noir feel. Madrox proved to be a surprise hit for Marvel, leading to the immediate aproval for a new ongoing X-Factor series.

Continuing the tone set in Madrox, X-Factor follows Madrox’s X-Factor detective agency. Joined by M (an arrogent former member of another “X” team), Siryn (a long time supporting X-Men character with voice and sound related powers), Layla Miller (the McGuffin from the recent House of M mini-series) and Rictor (who is now powerless), X-Factor investigates mutant related mysteries, not the least of which is the mysterious “de-powering” of most of the world’s mutants. The new series has already proven to be a hit with comic fans, as the first 2 issues have sold out. The third issue is due January 25th.