Review: X-Factor #252
Posted By Ian Menard on February 23, 2013
At the end of last issue, X-Factor made a desperate escape from the Hell Lords only to be ambushed by Pluto. This issue picks up immediately after that, with the team launching an all-out assault against a foe they cannot hope to defeat. Polaris steals the god’s weapons while most of the team dispatches his demon army. Monet, as the biggest gun on the team, fights Pluto directly. And when X-Factor looks about to be overwhelmed, Darwin returns to help his estranged teammates. Unfortunately, none of this is enough, and Pluto defeats them all with a single blast of energy – leaving no trace of Jezebel or Madrox.
Luckily, their sacrifice triggers Tier, who attacks the Hell Lord with unparalleled savagery – despite his mother’s misgivings. Surprisingly, Tier actually seems to have the power to defeat his opponent, sending him back to his portion of Hell and removing him from the competition. As a result, the other Hell Lords decide to get serious – both about defeating X-Factor and each other. This distraction allows the team to make yet another desperate escape as the sky begins to bleed. Meanwhile, Layla cries for her departed husband, whose fate is revealed in a beautiful final page.
A large portion of this issue is fighting – in fact almost all of it. After an issue of mostly back story and dialogue however, this is actually quite welcome. The narration by Tier brings a fresh perspective to the book, one that isn’t jaded or experienced but rather young and tense and worried. Speaking of Tier, the revelation that he has the power to defeat gods is certainly a good one, as the team was in sore need of a god-level member. Finally, that last page raises a lot of intriguing questions, and opens up a lot of interesting places the story could go in the future. Seeing as how this arc has been planned for so long, Peter David will certainly deliver in upcoming issues.
The art continues to impress. While some of the facial work is a little rushed, overall the book is quite beautiful. There’s a definite old-school feeling to some of the panels, which serves the old-school feeling of the conflict. The colors also continue to pop, keeping the story from getting too dark or monochrome. Honestly, this is the best X-Factor has looked in quite a while. Bottom line: X-Factor is X-Factor – witty, unpredictable, and character-driven.
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