X-Factor #200 Review

X-Factor #200
Writer: Peter David
Artists: Bing Cansino with Marco Santucci
Warning: This month's issue is $5. But before you get so mad that you shit, just realize it's well worth the price. First, you get the story, which I believe goes beyond the normal 22 pages of story and feels much more fresh than X-Factor has been lately, then a backup Siryn story with Reverend Madrox (which is crap until the end, whatever), Bios on the entire team, and lastly but most importantly, Madrox #1. Which is done by Raimondi, my long lost artist love. So spending $5 on this, I think, is totally reasonable and I overall recommend picking this book up this month. Just be warned it takes forever to fucking read because of how much is in it, but I suppose that's a plus if you're only reading for enjoyment.

All right, the story is focused around the Invisible Woman vanishing. Don't call that irony though because the surprisingly bearable and maybe even likable member of the Fantastic Four, Valeria Richards will correct your ass:

I'd find it funnier if I didn't still screw up defining irony.

Also, I have to appreciate that while Valeria is characterized to be similar to Layla, you can tell that there definite differences between Layla and Valeria that can be easily picked out. Such as, Layla was more intuition and what she already knew while Valeria is more analytical and calculating. I have to say that it's the mark of great writer to write two very similar characters to be similar, but not identical.

I have to warn everyone of one thing: I hate the Fantastic Four. I barely have extremely general knowledge, I've seen them here and there (and too much in the FF vs. X-Men or whatever thing back in the 80's). I hate Franklin Richards most of all, for that blasted mini-series I just mentioned. I hate Sue Storm for her dumb housewife routine that she does a lot, especially when she left Reed in Civil War. I think they're horrible remnants of the 50's and need to go die in an overhyped crossover.

This issue is way too long for me to go through part by part and there's also very little to comment on, but I will say that Reed Richards is once again a irritating sketchy guy, Strong Guy's new look is terrible, The Thing and Strong Guy have the world's most pointless fight that just served to bore me because they ended up arguing over sports while fighting. Sports being a subject that puts me to sleep faster than discussions between musicians about music. Which is pretty bad because as soon as a musician even utters the word rhythm, I've tuned out. In other news, we had a caption malfunction:

That or Jamie could be in disguise as Shatterstar.
OR Reed could believe that Shatterstar is actually Jamie.
The possibilities are endless.

Overall, the story gets good with the Monet deal and we see Val Cooper again, who I like. David's humor is back in fighting form which is a relief because since #41 it had been mostly weak. Well. That damned Gladiator reference was weak in my opinion.

The next part of the story is about Siryn. Who, we find out, is depressed and not acting like herself. And slept with Deadpool again. The biggest way we can see that she's depressed is her oversized ugly sweater. Because nothing says depression better than the loss of all your good sense, especially fashion sense. In Siryn's little story, she encounters Rev. Madrox and they talk about why God let these things happen to her. I find Siryn's explaining how other priests have been no help (with accompanying flashback to the bullshit answers typical of a lot of religious people) to be pretty amusing. This story touches close to a message of Atheism, but instead it goes more to a philosophical 'What if?' discussion. OH and there's a discussion about Banshee's codename (which Siryn ends up taking on; which I find sad because I love the codename Siryn):

I wondered the same thing once I researched a bit about Banshees.

Afterwards we get the bios which I haven't even bothered to read yet, and lastly, there's Madrox #1 which is the most charming deal of this issue. Mainly because of Pablo Raimondi, who I've brought up as one of my artist loves. Honestly, I can't help it, I love his style and also how fucking sexy he makes all the male characters look. I swear he could make Strong Guy seem appealing. Seriously, take a moment and worship that undeniable sexiness--->

This issue definitely makes you wonder what X-Factor could have been had mutants stayed powered, and it just contributes to me feeling like the Decimation has been one of the most pointless and pointlessly drawn out ideas. I seriously think X-Factor may have had an easier time had Decimation not happened.

And on a final note, I have to say I found punkass Rahne with long hair and earrings and attitude to be much more likable than the standard version. Who I almost always dislike.