X-Factor #1 // Review
Aurora's disappearance brings the return of an old group in X-Factor #1, by writer Leah Williams, artist David Baldeon, colorist Israel Silva, and letterer Joe Caramagna. As more mutants come to the Five with resurrection requests, a special group is needed to investigate.
At his home, Northstar gets a feeling that his sister Aurora has died. He flies to Krakoa to demand her resurrection, but they tell him that they're swamped with requests and need proof. He goes to Sage, who tells him that she was last seen in the Green Lagoon bar. He talks to Blob about her disappearance and is overheard by Polaris, who offers to help. She assembles a team- Prodigy, and Prestige, who are joined by Daken and Eyeboy. They track her to a hotel in Washington and then to a bridge where they discover her body in Puget Sound. Back on Krakoa, they tell the Quiet Council what they found and who killed her and the Five request that the group stays together as X-Factor Investigations to help them investigate all the claims of dead mutants. Magneto asks Polaris to lead the team, but she demures in favor of Northstar, and X-Factor is reborn. Polaris creates a new headquarters for them using minerals from Krakoa, and Forge, and Sage set up the place with everything they'll need to find out about missing mutants.
Leah Williams brings an intriguing style to the book, which is very entertaining. Northstar is very serious in this issue because of his sister's death but still gets in some good jibes, especially on Daken. The rest of the group is pretty entertaining as well. They aren't funny the same way X-Factor was when Peter David was writing the group- the humor has a different vibe to it, but their banter is nice, and the team's mix of powers works well for an out to investigate disappearances.
Polaris and Daken both feel a little off from how they used to be- Polaris seems a little too Generation Z and not one of the most experienced X-Men on the island and Daken is a bit too cheerful, but it works surprisingly well with the tone of the book. Polaris and Magneto have a really great exchange. Magneto tries to impress upon her how important she is as his daughter, and she asks him who she is. He doesn't answer. She says she doesn't know either, which is one of the most Polaris statements ever made- she's been a character in constant flux for years, previously defining herself through her relationship with Havok. It's why the bits of mischaracterization Williams makes with her and Daken aren't egregious- she gets Polaris. There's definitely some Daken moments that are correct, so she can be trusted, and it will be interesting to see where she takes the characters.
David Baldeon's art is really good. It has a Humberto Ramos vibe, but better than Ramos has been in a long time. He's great with character acting, his detail is good, and his figure work is top-notch. His style is kind of cartoony, which shouldn't fit this kind of book, but it does.
X-Factor #1 is a very good book. The existence of such a team on Krakoa makes perfect sense, and it will be fun to see where it goes. Williams gives the book a very entertaining vibe; the characters' banter takes the book's dark subject matter and brightens it up just enough without making light of it. Baldeon's cartoony art shouldn't fit the book, but it does. X-Factor #1 is a lot of fun, and it will be great to see where the creative team takes it.
