No Revolution for X-Factor?
by Bull (Sandkings)

I miss X-Factor. Is that so wrong?


Ok, ok...we have heard it all before: Mutant X is the "best", "worst", "different" and just about every other adjective people can use to describe a title. For those who have banned or dropped the title, the premise behind Mutant X is a simple one: Take one mainstay Marvel Universe character and drop him in a world where everything is screwed up. The Avengers are dead, the X-Men were killed off. Storm is a vampire. Beast is child-like in his mentality. Spiderman has six arms. Nick Fury is evil. The Fantastic Four is bad while Doom is good. Meanwhile, poor Havok is a man out of time and place. All he wants is to find some peace and quiet and maybe a way home, right?

Nope.

I am one of the people who seem unhappy with Mutant X. It started just about two years ago for me. I was reading the message boards here on America Online and heard this nasty rumor that X-Factor was getting canceled. Well, truth be told, folks, I was kind of happy. I was never one for the XSE/XUE crud that dominated the book before its ending. However, I did love the X-Factor of old...Havok, Polaris, Rahne, Guido, Madrox, Quicksilver, Forge,, Wildchild, Val Cooper, Sabertooth, Mystique, and heck...even Shard. These were some great characters to me. Sure, most would never make it in the big leagues, but dagnabit, I liked them! And with issue 149, I found that the rumors of X-Factor going the way of the dodo was true. Only, it wasn't canceled...it was "taking a break".

So, I started getting a little excited to see that X-Factor would come back one day. I mean, sure I was sick of Fixx, Shard, Graystone and Archer...but I still liked the book. And after AOA, X-Man's comic, and general negative feelings in regards to Generation X, I didn't think Mutant X was going to solve any of the X problems. But, what the hey...I am a sucker for all things X, so I gave it a shot.

Well, before a year into its run, I had dropped Mutant X. I started picking random issues up at the store just to see what was going on with Havok. See, Havok is a character that I truly enjoy. His concept s a god one and, when written correctly, he can be great. But Mackie and Co. don't do his character any justice. It seems to me that they are so caught up in this "What If" series that the main character gets shoved aside. Take, for example, the idea that Havok is on a world that is not his own. Personally, if I found myself on a new world where everything was wacko, I would do my best to get home...but since Havok met Doc Strange, I have not seen him do squat about it. Sure, he is busy and all...but the whole idea of getting home was put aside.

Perhaps my biggest gripe about Mutant X is that it needs serious help. The shock value of seeing characters in "Never-before-seen/What-if" mode has past. What is left is a new story line...Mutants hated by humans. Wait, that isn't new at all. In fact, there are 6 other X titles covering that issue. The Goblin Queen story line is over and done with after the emphatic "GO AWAY" from young Scotty. There are some cool directions this book could go in, but it seems they want to take it down the same road as the rest of the X titles.

So here is my question and the point of this editorial. With all of the revolution going on, why is Mutant X not getting touched? The sales are not that great (not bad, but not good either). I rarely hear many people say anything good about it. And, with Marvel trimming the fat, why not redefine this book when they are revolutionizing the rest of the X-Universe?

Ayep...I miss my X-Factor.


And the kicker is that Marvel could do a great job of starting it back up right now. The revolution is under way and we have characters that are just waiting to be used. Now, Polaris can't be used if she is on Genosha. Or can she? After all, we have some important characters over there. Pre-Revolution, we have Beast and Iceman there. There are some cool Acolytes that could be used. In fact, most of the second wave members of X-Factor are just sitting around doing nothing...or already in Genosha...Polaris....Forge....Madrox....Quicksilver. I am not saying that a new X-Factor team should center on Genosha, but would that be such a bad thing? Think about the potential of that comic.

And yet, Mutant X is still around while we get a limit series about Magneto, Polaris, the Acolytes, and everyone else stuck in Genosha. It just seem unfair.