X-Factor #10

[Scotti]

The real beauty of X-Factor is that it is not just a typical X title. There are the mutants and battles that are part of being in the X-Men line, but there is a deeply political and character story going on at the same time. X-Factor is not meant to be the big action story in the line. Instead it is the story of a small island nation growing with influence and the story of those on it and how they go about growing it in the world. That is why I enjoy the title as Brent does a wonderful job juggling between the politics and action and character bits. Often times some of the three are mixed or touched on all at the same time or in pairs and it comes off seamlessly.

This issue had a major focus on Quentin Quire and Amelia Vought and what they are facing at the moment. Quire’s character shines through as he interrogates prisoners from the recent Weapon X crossover with Polaris, and we get into his feelings about people seeing Genosha as just some offshoot of Xavier’s ilk even though they are their own entity. As well as what sets him off. At the same time Vought lays out the brand new Constitution for the country and we see her thoughts on each moment and learn that not all within the cabinet are happy with the influences upon their President and the choices being made. There is future conflict set up here and all of it should prove to be quite interesting. The beauty of what Brent has done here is to make politics actually interesting to read about in a comic world setting. While I enjoy keeping up on politics and current events so that I am in the know, its not exactly very exciting reading most of the time. More infuriating than anything else. X-Factor is the type of political story that is awesome to read about. While Vought laid out the Constitution I never once felt bored or found myself feeling like I’m sitting in history class again. That is a tip of the hat to the author knowing not only what he’s writing about but knowing his characters well enough to let them continue to shine through no matter what the issue topic might be.

[brentlambert]

Aug 2, 2011 10:49:08 GMT -5 Scotti said:

The real beauty of X-Factor is that it is not just a typical X title. There are the mutants and battles that are part of being in the X-Men line, but there is a deeply political and character story going on at the same time. X-Factor is not meant to be the big action story in the line. Instead it is the story of a small island nation growing with influence and the story of those on it and how they go about growing it in the world. That is why I enjoy the title as Brent does a wonderful job juggling between the politics and action and character bits. Often times some of the three are mixed or touched on all at the same time or in pairs and it comes off seamlessly.

This issue had a major focus on Quentin Quire and Amelia Vought and what they are facing at the moment. Quire’s character shines through as he interrogates prisoners from the recent Weapon X crossover with Polaris, and we get into his feelings about people seeing Genosha as just some offshoot of Xavier’s ilk even though they are their own entity. As well as what sets him off. At the same time Vought lays out the brand new Constitution for the country and we see her thoughts on each moment and learn that not all within the cabinet are happy with the influences upon their President and the choices being made. There is future conflict set up here and all of it should prove to be quite interesting. The beauty of what Brent has done here is to make politics actually interesting to read about in a comic world setting. While I enjoy keeping up on politics and current events so that I am in the know, its not exactly very exciting reading most of the time. More infuriating than anything else. X-Factor is the type of political story that is awesome to read about. While Vought laid out the Constitution I never once felt bored or found myself feeling like I’m sitting in history class again. That is a tip of the hat to the author knowing not only what he’s writing about but knowing his characters well enough to let them continue to shine through no matter what the issue topic might be.

Sorry I been sucky in replying to this. I just got back from vacation and I'm doing my best to get back into the groove. So yea, excuses aside...

I'm glad the politics of the book work for you and that they're not boring. That was one thing I worried about with this series because at its core there really can't be alot of bang, boom action to it. At least not in the beginning. The pieces have to be set up in order to get the big screen stories later.

Quire is a character that is quickly growing to become a favorite of mines because he seems to have more in common with the old Genoshan ideal than the new one. And I want to continue to explore what that means for him in Pietro's regime. He def. feels like someone who would have felt better working under Magneto.

[Scotti]

No problem at all. I love learning about and reading about politics in real life, even if the things politicians do frustrate me to no end lol, so it is a welcome addition here. Also X-Factor and its goal don't fit into being the typical X-Men or Marvel hero action book. This is why I love the idea in our universe that every book has its place and purpose. There is a flavor of all things for all people. Seeing the nation of Genosha be grown and put together is just as interesting as the characters and any action they might be part of.

The build of Quire here works so much better for me than at Marvel, because its a nice build of the character and where he is coming from in his thoughts and actions instead of just bam suddenly hes the bad ass uber mutant of the land out of the blue trying to be the next Magneto.