After last months break from my usual complaining about the x-books, I figured it was time to take another different route. I think Ill actually, for the most part, praise one of the books.
But first, Ill complain. Did you honestly think Id go a whole column without that? The genesis of Mutant X is definitely something to complain about. It started around the time Age of Apocalypse ended, and the X-titles began in the normal continuity, or lack thereof, and X-Factor got a brand new creative team. Howard Mackie came on as writer. He promptly did poor characterization and bland stories, changing the focus of the book entirely, and introducing plotlines that never got resolved. Chief among these was the assassination of Graydon Creed, a mutant hater running for President.
Then he brought in new characters that would escape the bad characterization ploy, since they had no character yet. As he wrote, the direction changed, and he and the editors decided to end the book at #149 leaving a number of said plotlines left unresolved, now for gods knew how long, an issue before they told us they would reveal who killed Graydon Creed, and start a new book. Mutant X.
I can honestly say, with much chagrin, that I like the book. Its unique. Not in concept, but its something different in the current time frame. If it had come out right after AoA, that would have been different.
The art is decent, which X-Factor had not been in a long time, Mackie is doing some decent characterization. In short, it works.
Alex Summers, the leader if X-Factor was thrust into an alternate reality, after being blown to bits in a temporal explosion, at the same time his counterpart in the other reality died, and his spirit entered that body. He met familiar faces, but each was different. Something had gone wrong in each of the characters lives, changing them, making them darker, in many cases.
It could be said that the characterization of these characters falls under a similar case to Mackies earlier attempts to sidestep that problem, by bringing in all new characters. Yet he manages to make these characters still retain some of their original personality, and add a new layer onto it. Call me a hypocrite if you will, but like I said, it works.
Thats about the long and short of it. A book I actually recommend for once. Which is in part why this is so short. Its hard to maintain a rant that consists mostly of praise. At least for me. Check out the book, and Ill catch you next month!
