In the wake of the fall of Krakoa, world governments are trying to recruit mutants for their purposes. That’s where X-Factor comes in. Your Major Spoilers review of X-Factor #3 from Marvel Comics awaits!

X-FACTOR #3

Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Bob Quinn
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Darren Shan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 23, 2024

Previously in X-Factor: A computer-controlled lunar base has gone out of control! How can Havok and Frenzy stop a foe that can predict the team’s every move? And does the key to victory lie with the team’s most mysterious new member: Granny Smite?!

THE SEARCH FOR POLARIS

X-Factor #3 beings in Los Angeles at a fan event where the general public can meet America’s new mutant sweethearts, X-Factor. Granny Smith is signing autographs.”I want to die,” Pyro is being an idiot, and Cecilia Reyes is engrossed in a text conversation with an unknown someone. As for Havok, he’s distracting people with his tears as he worries about his girlfriend, Polaris, who was snatched by the Mutant Underground in the last issue. His distraction has to come to an end when he is pulled aside for a meeting with Ethan Farthing, noted tech wizard, founder of ClikClok… and X-Factor’s primary financial backer. While everything is going to heck on Earth, his A.I.-driven moon base is having issues, and he suspects that an attack by something called X-Term is imminent, so he wants X-Factor to investigate. But when the team makes it to Luna One, they find themselves under attack, and it’s not evil mutants!

RESEMBLANCE TO REAL-WORLD JERKS IS INTENTIONAL

Readers are clearly supposed to find Ethan distasteful, even reprehensible, but there’s no subtlety to either his character or the handling of his appearance. “I’m a real big supporter of you people. Don’t believe those things I said online,” are his first words, and it goes downhill from there. The revelation of the real problem at Luna One is equally flippant, bordering on snide, cementing Ethan as a soulless, amoral tech-bro jerk. The use of X-Factor is a little bit better, though much of the dialogue in space is dedicated to making fun of Pyro for having powers that are useless in space. The Polaris question is completely left behind, and the last few pages of the story are just plain unpleasant to read. I do appreciate the clean lines of Bob Quinn’s art, which is good enough to almost make Pyro’s face tattoo look cool.  Almost. The action sequence is fun, especially when we find out what Granny Smite’s power is and the way she responds to her first trip off-planet.

BOTTOM LINE: LEAVES A BAD TASTE IN YOUR MOUTH

It’s clear that the point of this issue was to show us that the man behind FarTech (never trust technology with “fart” in it) is a smarmy, money-grubbing, heartless freak, but X-Factor #3 makes that point a little TOO well, ending the issue with a gross one-liner that gives the whole issue an unpleasant patina that even strong art can’t push past 3 out of 5 stars overall. I’m still interested in where this is all going, with the hope that Ethan’s comeuppance is worth the insufferability of the journey.

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X-FACTOR #3

60%

60%

Granny Smite: The Sensational Character Find of 2024!

The plot is interesting, but the archness of the script and the awfulness of the Musk/Zuckerberg stand-in makes it hard to get through despite excellent art.

• Writing

  4
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  6
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0