BATMAN: SWORD OF AZRAEL #4 - January 1993

No One Is Innocent

Credits:  Dennis O’Neil (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Kevin Nowlan (inker), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Lovern Kindzierski (colorist)

Summary:  Alfred is shocked by Azrael’s brutal assault on Harcourt’s guards.  Inside, LeHah murders Harcourt and flees.  Later, Nomoz chastises Azrael for pausing briefly to check on Harcourt’s body instead of pursuing LeHah.  Alfred questions Azrael’s bloodlust, but Azrael explains that he can’t help himself when The System kicks in.  The trio track LeHah to the oil refinery he owns in Texas.  Inside, Bruce tricks LeHah into taking off the Batman costume, but discovers that LeHah is now adamant about killing him.  Alfred, Azrael, and Nomoz arrive in time to stop LeHah.  Azrael’s battle with LeHah starts a fire; against Nomoz’s wishes, Azrael rescues Bruce, but refuses to spare LeHah.  Outside, Azrael tells Alfred that he now remembers his true name, Jean-Paul.

Irrelevant Continuity:  LeHah explains that he stole the Batman costume in order to “sow confusion and discord,” which is a responsibility of a follower of Biis.

Review:  Batman?  More like Fatman, amiright, folks?  (That’s a reference to the cover, of course.  That’s LeHah in the costume, and he really is getting fatter each issue.)  Okay, the Azrael introduction mini is over, and I think I can now make some sense out of those cryptic references in “Knightfall.”  I still maintain that the Jean-Paul we saw during that event isn’t quite the character Denny O’Neil introduces here.  This issue we see a savage Azrael unleashed by The System (he kills several security guards, and even a dog, which is a rarity in comics), but by the end of the story we discover that underneath it all, Jean-Paul is a decent young man who’s strong enough to fight against his father’s programming and do the right thing.  The fact that he allows LeHah to die in the fire indicates that he isn’t quite as respectable as the traditional superhero, but the implication on the final page is that Jean-Paul is on his way to learning about true heroism and becoming his own man.  

The Jean-Paul presented to us during “Knightfall” starts off as a Ken doll who seems to be chosen as Batman’s replacement based on his jawline, and within a few issues, he’s a raving loon that’s choking Robin and letting citizens be mugged because they need to be taught a lesson.  Azrael didn’t seem to struggle with right vs. wrong during his days as Batman; any internal conflict was dramatized by periodic “bad trips” involving medieval Catholic imagery that always ended with Azrael screaming into the heavens.  It is possible that the “Knightfall” trades skipped some of the issues that fleshed out Jean-Paul in-between this miniseries and his debut as Batman, I’ll acknowledge.  (I’m assuming some story established what happened to Nomoz, right?)  But based upon the story that DC is keeping alive in the reprints, Jean-Paul simply comes across as nuts.

As for the finale of the miniseries, let’s see…Quesada renders an Azrael that’s McFarlane-worthy, Kevin Nowlan’s distinctive faces are popping up again, there’s no payoff to Azrael losing his sword (based on the series’ title, I assumed this would be important), Batman has very little to do, and no one has acknowledged yet that Nomoz looks like something out of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.  We also don’t receive a real explanation for why LeHah turned against St. Dumas and worshiped a demon instead, leaving him more of a caricature than a legitimate villain.  I did enjoy his brief conversation with Bruce this issue, which has Bruce smugly telling LeHah that he’s been serving his own “demon” ever since his parents died.  Great trash talk that’s unfortunately not paid off.  I understand that Azrael needs to have a grand heroic moment at the end, this really is his miniseries after all, but Batman’s presence in the final two chapters hasn’t amounted to much.  I was expecting Bruce to participate in LeHah’s defeat in some way; ultimately, he’s merely a prop to be rescued in the finale.  Speaking of Bruce, why does he have Mad magazine-style rectangular word balloons throughout the miniseries?  I’ve never seen Ken Bruzenak do this before, which makes me wonder if perhaps Joe Quesada was taking an active role in designing the word balloons.  It’s just an odd design choice, and if we’re being honest, Quesada’s made a few of those over the years…

BATMAN: SWORD OF AZRAEL #3 - December 1992

Direct Action

Credits:  Dennis O’Neil (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Kevin Nowlan (inker), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Lovern Kindzierski (colorist)

Summary:  Jean-Paul’s life is saved when LeHah’s bullets hit his duffel bag, which contains his Azrael armor.  Bruce Wayne arrives with Alfred.  Bruce confronts LeHah inside the hospital, while Alfred escapes with Nomoz and Jean-Paul.  Bruce is drugged with ether and taken captive by LeHah.  LeHah’s attempts to interrogate Bruce fail, but he does steal the Batman costume Bruce was wearing under his clothes.  After killing the St. Dumas member Borgeron, LeHah travels to London to kill another brother, Harcourt.  LeHah dons the Batman costume just as Alfred and Azrael arrive outside Harcourt’s gates.

Irrelevant Continuity:  LeHah discovers Bruce’s secret identity because he’s wearing the Batman costume under his clothes.  Meanwhile, Alfred just casually reveals to Nomoz and Azrael his connection to Batman.  

I Love the ’90s:  Socks the Cat appears again in the alley behind the hospital.

Review:  In retrospect, it’s obvious that Dennis O’Neil wrote this miniseries with the intent of introducing Jean-Paul into the main titles as the new Batman.  This issue sees Jean-Paul stand up to his brutish mentor Nomoz and spare Alfred’s life (Nomoz declares that Alfred knows too much about the Order of St. Dumas and should die), just a few pages before he cracks the case and correctly deduces LeHah’s next move.  It’s amusing to read these passages today, because as I’ve mentioned earlier, the creators actually working on the monthly titles didn’t seem concerned about following the lead established by O’Neil in this series.  Not only was Azrael portrayed as a particularly lousy detective, but he was also much closer to Nomoz’s persona than the young idealist he appears to be in this issue.  O’Neil edited those comics, so if he had a real problem with their portrayal of Jean-Paul he could’ve done something, but it’s just odd to look back on this series and see how quickly Jean-Paul’s existing personality was tossed out in order to make him a strawman argument against vigilante anti-heroes.

There is a danger in this story of turning Batman into a bit of chump, and while I doubt O’Neil pleased everyone, I think he’s been able to prevent Batman from being totally overshadowed by Azrael so far.  Batman does lose the fight this issue, but O’Neil at least has him put up a respectable fight against LeHah, and the botched interrogation scene reads like classic O’Neil Batman.  It’s one thing for a drugged Batman to lose a physical fight, but there’s no way a punk like LeHah is going to break Batman’s will.

Every issue so far has had some excuse for a hallucination scene, presumably written with Quesada in mind.  This chapter has Batman hallucinating in the hospital after LeHah drops a shelf full of ether bottles on him, which is probably the best use of the gimmick so far.  Drugging Batman provides a credible excuse for him losing the fight, and allows Quesada a few pages to go even crazier, presenting a hazy Bruce vs. Demon action sequence.  Even when the story doesn’t require exaggeration, Quesada can’t help himself.  Azrael now appears to be ten feet tall in costume, while LeHah is growing shorter and fatter each issue.  Some of the signs of Quesada’s later excesses are already here, but I think he’s still at the stage where his overindulgences aren’t a major concern.  Looking over the issue, I do wonder if Quesada ran into deadline troubles during this month.  Some of the pages aren’t as heavily rendered as the ones in the previous issues, and it certainly seems as if Kevin Nowlan is doing more than standard inking on several pages.  Almost every panel of Bruce Wayne that isn’t a close-up looks like a Nowlan drawing, for instance.  I’m not complaining; Quesada and Nowlan don’t seem to be an obvious match, but I think the combination is interesting.  The panels that have Nowlan overpowering Quesada do take me out of the story, however.

BATMAN: SWORD OF AZRAEL #2 - November 1992

Azrael Does Not Protect

Credits:  Dennis O’Neil (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Kevin Nowlan (inker), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Lovern Kindzierski (colorist)

Summary:  Batman and Alfred crash into the snow, while Nomoz leads Jean-Paul away from the remains of their chalet.  LeHah attempts to escape with his lackey, but the avalanche created by the rocket blast causes their helicopter to crash.  During the crash, LeHah becomes convinced that he is now the servant of the demon Biis.  After they recover, LeHah kills his assistant as a sacrifice.  Nearby, Jean-Paul attacks Batman on Nomoz’s orders.  Nomoz saves the outclassed Jean-Paul from the fight, leaving Azrael’s sword behind in the snow.  Later, Batman and Alfred continue to investigate the Order of St. Dumas while LeHah compiles a list of brothers to murder.  Nomoz and Jean-Paul, in his new Azrael armor, travel to a hospital where one brother is being treated.  Before Jean-Paul can don his armor, he’s shot repeatedly by LeHah.

Irrelevant Continuity:  

• Nomoz reveals that LeHah was once the treasurer of the Order of St. Dumas.  LeHah looted the Order's accounts months earlier, which is why Nomoz sent Jean-Paul’s father to deal with him.
• I have no idea what’s happened to Nomoz’s assistant, Heinreich.  He doesn’t escape the chalet with Nomoz and Jean-Paul this issue.
• Quesada’s interpretation of LeHah doesn’t match his appearances during the later chapters of “Knightfall.”  Based on those comics, I assumed LeHah was thin with blond hair; in this story he has a massive build and gray hair.  (It’s hard not to notice he looks like Cable, right down to the scar over his eye.)  Or maybe the character Azrael thought was LeHah in the later stories wasn’t him at all…he was going insane in those issues.

Not Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  LeHah’s rampage at the hospital is pretty bloody.  Also, we see LeHah nude from the back during one scene as he rants into a mirror.

I Love the ‘90s:  Cable LeHah, after taking the form of Biis, whips out a giant Chiclet gun.

Review:  I’ll admit that I was confused by the opening sequence of this issue, and even after rereading it, I had to go back to the previous issue to make certain I could follow what was going on.  The sequence of events has LeHah and an unidentified associate launching a rocket from the ground, acquiring a helicopter off-panel, and then being caught in the avalanche created by the rocket blast minutes earlier.  Intercut with their story are two other plots involving Batman/Alfred and Nomoz/Jean-Paul escaping the chaos.  Most of my confusion stems from the fact that a) Quesada kept LeHah in the dark for the majority of the previous issue, so it was difficult to place him this time, and b) O’Neil doesn’t seem to identify LeHah by name until the issue is half-way over.  The fact that a gratuitous Batman/Azrael fight is thrown in during LeHah’s descent into madness doesn’t help matters, either.  

After clarifying that the character I kept calling “Cable” was in fact LeHah, the rest of the issue seemed to be straightforward enough.  LeHah has betrayed the Order of St. Dumas, a secret organization with connections to the Crusades that avenges evil to this day.  Jean-Paul is destined to replace his father and adopt the role of Azrael, while LeHah has convinced himself that he is now the living embodiment of the demon Biis.  What this has to do with Batman isn’t clear, but whenever he does appear in the story, Quesada does make him look cool.  Okay, in fairness, O’Neil also provides a respectable amount of cute Batman/Alfred banter throughout the story.  I can’t say that Batman feels totally shoehorned into the plot, but it’s hard to pretend that he isn’t coming across as a guest star in Azrael’s story, either.  

The title of the issue eludes to something Nomoz tells Jean-Paul during the final scene.  Nomoz hasn’t brought Jean-Paul to the hospital to “protect” its inhabitants from LeHah because “Azrael does not protect.  Azrael avenges.”  That brief line sums up the difference between Batman and Azrael, a point the Bat-titles spent almost two years trying to make.  And yet, even over the course of dozens of comics, I don’t think this aspect of Azrael’s backstory was ever explained clearly during “Knightfall.”  Azrael just comes across as unhinged during the storyline; I don’t think the concept that he was literally created to serve vengeance and vengeance only was truly addressed during his time as Batman.  It’s obvious O’Neil had this idea from the beginning, but the writers of the monthly titles seemed far more interested in exploring Azrael’s mental instability than the concept of justice vs. vengeance.  

BATMAN: SWORD OF AZRAEL #1 - October 1992

Vanishing Angels & Sudden Death

Credits:  Dennis O’Neil (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Kevin Nowlan (inker), Ken Bruzenak (letterer), Lovern Kindzierski (colorist)

Summary:  Azrael confronts weapons dealer Carleton LeHah, and is shot repeatedly.  He stumbles into a nearby parade and accidentally causes a riot that kills several people.  Near death, Azrael reaches the apartment of his son Jean-Paul.  Azrael leaves Jean-Paul a cryptic message before dying.  Following the directions left by his father, Jean-Paul travels to the Swiss Alps.  He meets his tutor Nomoz, and Nomoz’s burly assistant, Heinreich.  They train Jean-Paul to follow in his father’s footsteps, while Batman investigates Carleton LeHah in Gotham.  His investigation leads him to the ancient Order of St. Dumas, and to the Swiss Alps.  As Batman and Alfred fly overhead the Order of Dumas’ chalet, LeHah fires a rocket that destroys the building.

Irrelevant Continuity:  

• According to Nomoz, Jean-Paul’s father has been preparing him to become Azrael since childhood.  His secret conditioning (“The System”) would go on to play a major role in many “Knightfall” stories.
• Carleton LeHah debuts this issue.  He’ll also become important later during “Knightfall,” even though the stories reprinted in the Knightfall trades never get around to really explaining who he is.
• A reporter named Sherri Port is killed during the riot.  Batman claims that he knew, and liked, Sherri.

Dramatic Exits:  After receiving information on the case from Commissioner Gordon (Azrael had a sword that no one’s recovered), Batman disappears in the middle of their conversation.

I Love the ‘90s:  Quesada sneaks a Socks the Cat balloon into the parade scene.  I guess Socks was going to be Quesada’s Felix the Cat for a while there.

Not Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  Like most of DC’s special miniseries projects of the day, this doesn’t appear to be Code approved.  Aside from a few bloody panels, there’s nothing that would cause any problems with the CCA, however.

Review:  Unless something snuck by me, Sword of Azrael has been out of print for over twenty years now.  I have no way of knowing why, but the only reasonable explanation I can think of would be a simple desire to prevent Joe Quesada from earning reprint royalties.  It’s not as if this miniseries is a forgettable, gratuitous cash grab from the salad days of 1992.  Sword of Azrael is the basis of a multi-year Batman event that’s still inspiring material to this day.  By all rights, it should’ve been included with the phonebook Knightfall trades; its absence is impossible not to notice if you sit down and try to read those books.

My memory is that Sword was one of the few breakout hits from DC during the early ‘90s.  There was Lobo, “Death of Superman,” and the Batman miniseries by that hot new Quesada guy.  In the pre-Image days, DC’s mainstream titles tended to resemble Jim Shooter’s (or more accurately I suppose, Mort Weisinger’s) platonic ideal of superhero art -- midlevel shots, plausible anatomy, and simple page layouts that any kid could follow.  Sword broke that mold, presenting a Batman comic that could easily compete with any of the wild visuals seen in those Image books.  Quesada’s art is certainly tied to this era, but it’s not embarrassing in the way a second-tier Extreme Studios book might be viewed today.  Quesada’s pencils take elements from everyone from Mike Mignola to Michael Golden to Bart Sears, and his panel layouts are reminiscent of Todd McFarlane’s more imaginative pages.  Anything that can be exaggerated is, which leads to another obvious McFarlane comparison -- Quesada’s Batman is almost identical to the Batman we’ll see a year later in Spawn/Batman.  I don’t know if Quesada extrapolated this look from Todd’s early Batman work in the ‘80s, or if Todd saw this miniseries and was inspired, or if it’s all a massive coincidence.  Nevertheless, this Batman has the longest cape in the world, a chest wider than a Mack truck, and a tendency to literally become a shadow when he steps out at night.  Needless to say, Wizard loved this series, and the entire run became a hot collector’s item a few months after its release.

Written by Dennis O’Neil during his days editing the Batman line (this specific mini was overseen by the legendary Archie Goodwin), I’m sure most Bat-readers had some idea this story would pay dividends in the future.  I doubt many people knew it was the first step in a lengthy meta-commentary on just what Batman is supposed to represent, but surely you had to know this Azrael guy was going to be important if Denny O’Neil is plotting his debut story arc.  The first issue is mostly setup, establishing Jean-Paul’s origin while slowly drawing Batman into the story.  Quesada certainly runs with the visuals; a riot during a parade might be a chore for many artists, but Quesada seems to enjoy the chaos.  And while Azrael (the senior Azrael, not the one who’ll soon replace Batman) is a fairly dull vigilante cliché this issue, the outrageous visual is more than enough to sell him during the opening scene.  

Quesada’s so over the top, it’s hard to tell when he should or shouldn’t tone things down.  For example, is Nomoz supposed to look like the creature Billy Barty played in the Masters of the Universe movie?  As far as we know, there’s no supernatural element to the Order of St. Dumas, outside of a flaming sword.  If Nomoz isn’t supposed to be inhuman in some way, then why does Quesada draw him like this?  If there’s no need in the story for this character to resemble a troll, rendering him that way makes no sense.  (Then again, maybe Nomoz is supposed to resemble something out of Tolkien and I’m just getting ahead of myself.)  At any rate, for an issue that largely consists of cryptic hints and exposition, there’s enough here to keep the reader going to the next chapter.  Jean-Paul will go on to become an insufferable character, but thankfully there’s no hint of that in this issue.  Right now, I’m curious to see if Jean-Paul’s already a crazed loon by the end of the miniseries.

X-FACTOR #92- July 1993

The Man Who Wasn’t There

Credits: Scott Lobdell & Joe Quesada (plot), J. M DeMatteis (script), Joe Quesada w/Cliff van Meter (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Richard Starkings (letterer), Glynis Oliver (colors)

Summary

After the Acolytes attack a hospice in Virginia, X-Factor interrogates their captured member, Spoor. He refuses to cooperate until Quicksilver enters. Eager to please Magneto’s son, he tells them about the Acolytes’ plans to attack a military base. Val Cooper takes Quicksilver and Random to the base, but refuses to bring the rest of X-Factor along. The remaining members follow Cooper to the military base, where it’s revealed that the government is manufacturing Sentinels again. Havok is angered that Val Cooper knew about this project, but Quicksilver speaks up for the government’s right to defend its citizens. The Acolytes attack, and their leader Fabian Cortez attempts to draw Quicksilver over to his side. After a brief fight, the Acolytes teleport away, including the tentacle creature living inside Val Cooper. The Acolyte was controlling Cooper, and she apologizes for leading X-Factor into a trap. When X-Factor learns that Val Cooper already knew about the Sentinel project before she was possessed, they walk away from her.

Gimmicks

Like all parts of the Fatal Attractions crossover, this issue has a cardstock hologram cover.

Continuity Notes

Exodus briefly appears for the first time. He observes X-Factor in their ship and then flies away. I seem to recall that this issue was promoted at the first appearance of a major new X-character, but that certainly doesn’t sound like Exodus, does it?

Madrox is forced to kill the Acolyte Mellancamp. Who came up with these names?

Val Cooper was attacked by the tentacle creature in issue #87. I have no idea what Peter David originally intended it to be, but I doubt it was supposed to be an Acolyte.

Review

Just a few months after the X-Cutioner’s Song ends, the next X-crossover begins. Looking around the internet, it seems like a lot of fans still have fond memories of X-Cutioner’s Song. Fatal Attractions, on the other hand, looks like it was forgotten by most readers and outright loathed by the ones who do remember it. Most of the rancor comes from the portrayal of Magneto, which is still a few months away. Rather than tightly interconnecting between four titles for three months, Fatal Attractions produced mostly standalone issues that all contributed to a larger story. I would consider this a preferable way to handle a crossover, and it does allow X-Factor to maintain its own identity, unlike the previous crossover.

In order to build up the Acolytes as legitimate adversaries, it’s not a bad idea to have a satellite team like X-Factor face them. It creates a feeling of a cohesive universe, while also creating a sense that the Acolytes are a threat to all of the mutant teams. Quicksilver’s connection to his father is a logical angle to explore if you’re participating in a crossover about Magneto, and the beginning of the issue does a good job of showing Quicksilver’s feelings about his father’s legacy. However, the purpose of this issue appears to be moving Quicksilver closer to the side of Magneto. In that respect, it fails pretty badly. Quicksilver is rightly sickened by the actions of the Acolytes, and even defends the government’s right to build Sentinels for protection. After two pages of conversation with Fabian Cortez, Quicksilver has suddenly changed his mind, and even calls Val Cooper a “genetic slur” as he abandons her. If Cortez had a legitimate point about anything, this wouldn’t bother me. Instead, he just babbles about Quicksilver’s true fate as Magneto’s son, Quicksilver gets mad at him, then he teleports away. Why would any of this sway Quicksilver?

For no reason outside of Marvel’s insistence that he was comics’ next superstar, Random also shows up. Why exactly a possessed Val Cooper would bring him along is never explained. The story moves briskly so his presence isn’t really distracting, thankfully. I don’t want to be too hard on this issue. The opening scene with the Acolytes attacking the hospice is disturbing, and DeMatteis’ script is able to treat it as more than just shock value. With the exception of the ending, I like Quicksilver’s characterization in this issue, and wish more would have been done with the idea of a mutant siding with the government on the Sentinel issue. Most of the artwork is strong, and the actual fight with the Acolytes isn’t bad. Fatal Attractions doesn’t really fall apart until Magneto himself shows up.

X-FACTOR #90 – May 1993

A Green and Tender Place

Credits: Scott Lobdell (writer), Joe Quesada and Buzz (pencilers), Al Milgrom (inker), Richard Starkings (letterer), Tom Smith (colorist)

Summary

Polaris tries to comfort Wolfsbane after she learns that she was bonded to Havok while she was a Mutate. Havok discovers hidden monitoring devices that he feels are being used to gather information to create more Mutates. He confronts Genosha’s president and fights her Mutate bodyguard. The President agrees to tell X-Factor the truth; that there’s been a deadly virus outbreak amongst the Mutates, and that the government is gathering information on the epidemic. One of the Mutates escapes the hospital, and X-Factor chase after him to prevent the Gengineer, Sasha Ryan, from having him terminated.

Continuity Notes

This is the first real appearance of the Legacy Virus. Its existence was hinted at during the final page of X-Cutioner’s Song, but this is the first storyline to fully introduce the idea. The name “Legacy Virus” still hasn’t shown up, though.

According to Polaris, Wolfsbane is sixteen.

I Love the ‘90s

Val Cooper holds Socks the Cat. There’s also an ad for a Meteor Man comic book. You’ve got to wonder how exactly Marvel got talked into that cross-promotion.

Review

It’s the first post-Peter David issue, and his storylines are already being ignored. The X-Patriots, the reason why X-Factor traveled to Genosha in the first place, don’t appear at all in this issue, as the Genoshan story arc is hijacked to introduce the Legacy Virus. The Legacy Virus was a blatant AIDS metaphor, an idea that some readers found tasteless. Even as a kid, I always thought it was a cheat that the only characters to actually die from the disease were minor ones. The plotline was ignored for years and finally resolved during Scott Lobdell’s fill-in arc in 2001. Colossus was killed off in order to give the resolution more importance, but he was resurrected after a few years anyway, making it all seem rather pointless.

The disease itself is given a decent introduction in this issue. The image of sickly Mutates strapped into hospital beds while doctors in armored suits monitor them is disturbing, and it gives you the idea that this is a very serious problem. The rest of the issue is hit or miss. Polaris and Wolfsbane have a nice scene together that draws upon Polaris’ troubled backstory, but Havok is given an awful chapter that doesn’t make a lot of sense. He discovers monitoring devices in the President’s garden and assumes that it’s being done to gather info on creating new Mutates. Huh? It’s obvious that Genosha already knows how to make Mutates, so it’s strange that he would jump to that conclusion after spotting some Kirbytech in a bush. He also seems quite willing to kill the President’s Mutate guard, which is wildly out of character. Even if it’s a dumb scene, Quesada does a great job drawing it. It’s unfortunate that this is his fourth issue, and the third one in a row that needed a back-up artist.

X-FACTOR #89 – April 1993

Dark Homecoming/Cabin Fever

Credits: Peter David (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Glynis Oliver (colorist), Richard Starkings (letterer)/Peter David (writer), Chris Batista (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Glynis Oliver (colorist), Lois Buhalis (letterer)

Summary

X-Factor arrives in Genosha with the X-Patriots and meets the new president. The president gives them a tour of the new Genosha, and asks the X-Patriots to represent the Mutates who are now adjusting to a normal life. Wolfsbane meets up with her foster mother, Moira McTaggert, who runs tests to determine why she’s been behaving oddly. Dr. Sasha Ryan and Moira determine that when Wolfsbane was turned into a Mutate, she was bonded to her master, Alex Summers. Sasha Ryan leaves to meet with a mystery man who wants all mutants dead. Meanwhile, Torq, a man claiming to be a tabloid reporter, shows Quicksilver pictures of his wife dating another man. Quicksilver threatens to kill him if he publishes the photos. Another mystery man tells Torq that he’s succeeded in making Quicksilver suspicious and in stimulating his “homicidal impulses".

Approved By The Comics Code Authority

Crystal, covered by strategically placed tree branches, shares an outdoor shower with Quicksilver.

Creative Differences

The last seven pages of the main story appear to have been re-lettered. Peter David has commented that the scene where Wolfsbane compares herself to a group of dogs is not what he actually wrote.

I Love the ‘90s

There’s an ad for a Sega CD game that lets you edit your own Kriss Kross and C&C Music Factory videos. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

Review

X-Factor finally arrives in Genosha, seven issues after Havok declared that they were going in #82. I guess he never said when exactly. This story still doesn’t feel as if it has a lot of momentum. The X-Patriots hardly appear in this issue, and the last seven pages are devoted to an unrelated Quicksilver solo story. Wolfsbane’s storyline is advanced, but it’s hard to tell if this is the actual story David set out to write. Revealing that Wolfsbane is “bonded” to Havok wouldn’t explain her sudden intense attraction to Madrox, for example. This is a mid-storyline issue to a storyline that was completed by a different writer and folded into a large crossover. It's unfortunate that this is Peter David's last issue. There’s not a lot going for it, except for the Quicksilver back-up, which is able to move from “very funny” to “very sad” over the course of a few pages.

X-FACTOR #88 – March 1993

Random Violence/Time Out

Credits: Peter David (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Al Milgrom (inker), Ariane (colorist), Richard Starkings (letterer) /Peter David (writer), Chris Batista (penciler), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Ariane (colorist), Lois Buhalis (letterer)

Summary

The X-Patriots have taken over the emergency ward of a hospital, demanding treatment for Taylor, who was beaten by an anti-mutant mob. Random, the mutant bounty hunter, is hired to apprehend the X-Patriots. After a brief fight with X-Factor, Havok doubles Random’s salary if he just goes away. X-Factor soon leaves with the X-Patriots to fly to their homeland of Genosha. On the plane ride, Wolfsbane attempts to seduce Madrox. Meanwhile, Quicksilver attempts to reconcile with his wife Crystal. Their remote cabin in the woods is being bugged.

Continuity Note

This is the first appearance of Random, a mutant with the ability to alter his powers to suit his needs. Random was intended to be a parody of the “tough guy loner” stereotype, but I don’t think editorial picked up on that.

Miscellaneous Note

The Statement of Ownership in this issue has average sales at 448,558 and the most recent number at 324,100. Most likely, this was filed before the X-Cutioner’s Song crossover began.

Review

X-Factor finally moves on with the X-Patriots storyline, over six issues after it began. Unless I didn’t pick up on something while reading the X-Cutioner’s Song issues, there’s no reason for the X-Patriots to take Taylor from one hospital to another to demand treatment. He was given a hospital room right after his attack (that’s why X-Factor was already at the hospital when Xavier arrived). When the X-Patriots snuck out of the hospital, it was because they were under watch (since they’re not American citizens and the government was working to deport them), not due to Taylor’s lack of treatment. Now, they’ve left one hospital and have taken over another to get the treatment that Taylor was already receiving. Anyway, at least this storyline is moving again and the characters are finally going to Genosha. It’s not a bad issue, but it’s not as good as the earlier issues of the “All-New” era. This will turn out to be Peter David’s last storyline, as Scott Lobdell takes over the final installments. Just as one crossover interrupted the start of this story, another one will speed up the end of it.

X-FACTOR #87 – February 1993

X-Aminations

Credits: Peter David (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Al Milgrom (inks), Marie Javins (colors), Richard Starkings and Steve Dutro (letters)

Summary

X-Factor undergoes a counseling session after the events of the X-Cutioner’s Song. Wolfsbane talks about her identity issues, Quicksilver reveals the source of his arrogance, Madrox explains his desire for attention, Guido talks about his childhood, Polaris reveals that she has body image issues, and Havok discusses his insecurities. While leaving the psychiatrist’s office, Val Cooper is kidnapped by mysterious tentacle creatures.

Continuity Note

Guido reveals that his body has been disproportioned since his powers emerged at puberty. Unless his body releases the kinetic energy it stores, it stays distorted. His powers cause constant agony, which he hides from his friends.

I Love the ‘90s

Wolfsbane has dream where she is in the cartoon world of “Rahne and Simpy”. There’s also a chalkboard with the proper spelling of “potato” in Guido’s flashback.

Commercial Break

There’s an ad for the Turbo Touch 360 Nintendo controller that has a very different subtext in this post-Clinton/Lewinksi era.

Review

This issue seems to be one of the few X-books from this era to be held in high regard by almost everyone. Like the post-crossover Uncanny X-Men issue, this is an issue without any action, and not a lot of plot development. It’s a character study of the cast that draws upon past continuity and new revelations to make all of the characters seem more real. David pulls it off very well, succeeding where a lot of the “talky” post-crossover issues fail. Some of the characters, like Quicksilver, are so perfectly captured in just a few pages you wonder how anyone could ever screw them up in the future. Others, like Polaris, have revelations that come out of nowhere. Revealing that Polaris thinks she’s fat seems a little cliché at first, but in terms of comic book superheroines, it’s not an issue that I can remember being discussed that often. I wonder if Stroman’s “Baby’s Got Back” interpretation of Polaris influenced David’s decision to go in this direction.

This issue also marks Joe Quesada’s debut as artist. He drew an X-Factor annual a few months before, and did a few covers before becoming the regular artist. An article in Marvel Age from around this time actually listed Quesada as the new Uncanny X-Men artist, while claiming that Larry Stroman would be staying with X-Factor. This obviously didn’t happen, but it would be interesting to know why Quesada wasn’t given Uncanny X-Men. His art here is dynamic and interesting to look at, even though he’s mostly asked to draw characters giving monologues for a full issue. This could’ve been a visually dull issue, but Quesada keeps it appealing. My only complaint is that he seems to have a tendency to give all of his characters long, medusa-like hair, which really doesn’t work for someone like Havok. Quesada didn’t stay long as artist, moving back to Valiant Comics by the time the next crossover begins. I was disappointed to see him leave so soon. The fanzines were proclaiming that Quesada was going to be the next McFarlane at this time, but he's obviously better known as one of Marvel's longest running editor-in-chiefs now.

X-FACTOR ANNUAL #7 – 1992

The Historians of Tales to Come (Shattershot Part Three)

Credits: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Joe Quesada (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Richard Starkings (letters), Kevin Tinsley (colors)

Summary

Spiral is on a rampage, trying to find Arize. As a former member of Freedom Force, Val Cooper feels obligated to stop her former employee. X-Factor locates Spiral as she is about to kill Arize. After defeating her, X-Factor convinces Spiral to explain why she wants to kill him. She explains that she was once Longshot’s human ally, Ricochet Rita, and that Mojo will force Arize to transform her into Spiral in the future. Spiral and Arize decide to change the future together by stopping Mojo now and teleport to Mojoworld.

Continuity Note

There is a reference to Quicksilver’s power being used against him, which was a subplot that had already been resolved at this point. You could say that this story takes place before that was resolved in X-Factor #75, except that issue showed Moira McTaggert still living with the X-Men, which was months before Bishop joined the X-Men, and Bishop already was an X-Man in the previous chapter of this storyline. Isn’t continuity fun?

Review

An improvement over the previous chapter, but it’s still not very good. There’s an attempt to mimic the team’s humorous interactions from the monthly series, but it doesn’t really work. Having Val Cooper reference Spiral’s past with Freedom Force is a good justification for using this team, but this still doesn’t feel like an issue of X-Factor. In fact, this chapter doesn’t even seem to have a lot to do with the previous two chapters of this storyline. After two issues, all that’s been established is that Arize has escaped Mojoworld and is plotting to overthrow Mojo. Now, Spiral suddenly shows up, determined to stop her own creation and end Mojo’s reign. If she feels that way, why is she hunting Longshot for Mojo in X-Men, and why did she agree to teleport his men to Earth in the first part of this story? I vaguely recall that Spiral’s conflicting views on Mojo are an established aspect of her character, but that idea isn’t stated clearly here. Spiral also makes some comments about being created as Longshot’s savior, which doesn’t coincide with the backstory she gives a few pages later.

This is the first time Joe Quesada shows up as artist, several months before he takes over the monthly series. I’ve heard a few people say that Quesada’s early art was heavily Mignola-influenced, but to me it looks more like a combination of Michael Golden, Bart Sears, and Todd McFarlane. He’s able to pull off the early ‘90s “exaggerate everything” mentality without sacrificing storytelling or composition. Speaking of future superstar artists, Darick Robertson and Joe Madureira draw the two goofy back-up stories.

I should point out that I've never read X-Force Annual #1, the final part of this storyline. If what I've read is true, the story shifts a hundred years into the future and doesn't resolve anything from this story arc. Is this true? I can't say that it would surprise me, but I'd be curious to know if it's true.