On the verge of Polaris and Havok breaking up, X-Factor #5 reached a cliffhanger, but fear not, as all will be answered in X-Factor #6, out today. There’s also the matter of X-Term, the growing unease amongst the team and its need to do constant PR, and Wintergeist getting smashed to death. The dysfunction is very real with this team as it finds its way in today’s issue.
X-Factor #6 opens with Frenzy dealing with the top brass, who are very unhappy with how things played out. There’s a nice recap by Mark Russell that catches you up and a sequence of events that remind us that their corndog-loving PR rep is fast to push content to social media. I’ll admit the smart fridge joke works well at the start of the issue and the ongoing silliness of the cloud mutant that has escaped.
So begins an issue that’s very much about piecing together how Polaris survived once captured in a previous issue. Russell plays into the chaotic nature of mutants, trying to be diplomatic when Krakoa has fallen and some kind of order is being put in place.
Put plainly, nobody knows what the hell they are doing. That includes Bruin’s acts, particularly on Krakoa in its last days, as told in a flashback within the flashback. A bit convoluted, this flashback is key to the issue and its cliffhanger, so pay close attention. Being the meatier portion of the issue also makes the entire book lacking action.
The social media department screws it up again!
Credit: Marvel
Possibly, the strongest scene in the issue involves Pyro, who comforts Cecilia, who was fully back with Wintergeist’s last issue. It’s nice to see Pyro get an emotional win, considering his face-tattoo era made him a bit of a running joke.
Havok and Polaris’s emotionality is also quite strong. Artist Bob Quinn makes you believe these two truly love each other. They were romantic at one time, but they must part ways. If you’ve ever broken up, you’ll feel both their yearning and the need to let go of each other in a real way.
Quinn excels at comedy timing throughout as well. Polaris looks pretty awesome in and out of the costume, too, with a great full-page splash of her reuniting with Bruin, which is quite pretty.
X-Factor #6 skillfully balances emotional resonance, humor, and action while delving into the chaos and dysfunction of the team. Despite some narrative convolution and underdeveloped elements, the issue delivers impactful character moments and visual storytelling, making it a solid continuation of the series.
You must be logged in to post a comment.