X-FACTOR Vol. 1 Recommendations?

[Man_of_Tomorrow]

Hey, I would like to ask anyone who knows if the original X-factor is worth reading? I enjoy the original X-men and thats were some pretty important stories happened but don't know if the title holds up.

[magneticmushroom]

Big X-Factor fan, so I may be biased, but I enjoyed all of it back when it was still coming out. There's a period somewhere in the first 50 issues or so that get a little annoying due to the focus on Rusty, Skids, Artie, Leech, Boom Boom, etc, but they get their own book and go away after a while.
PAD takes over writing around #70 and proceeds to make the new team totally awesome.

It all peters out (pun partially intended) going into AoA, but there are still over 100 issues, 9 annuals, and a Jim Starlin GN worth of great stories and writing.

[TheCape]

Louise Simonson and PAD runs are the best regarded periods of the title.

[SonOfPsylocke]

It’s pretty bad.
The first 50 issues or so are all about the X-Factor team being mutant hunters, which doesn’t make any sense and is frustratingly dull. There are highlights in the Mutant Massacre, Fall of the Mutants and Inferno issues though (basically whenever Claremont becomes involved).
You’ve then got The Judgment War which goes on way too long but then the book massively picks up with its best period. It really gets going with x-Tinction, the Askani/Apocalypse stuff and then The Shadow King.
It gets even BETTER when Peter David joins the book.
It then flounders for a bit when he leaves, picks up slightly around Legion Quest but then becomes absolutely unreadable with Howard Mackie and everything after.

[LifeIsILL]

All of it. I enjoyed almost every single issue (maybe Judgment War sucked a bit), one of the best runs ever. It was refreshing and a nice change of pace from Uncanny and New Mutants from that time.

[gotunandan]

It’s pretty bad.
The first 50 issues or so are all about the X-Factor team being mutant hunters, which doesn’t make any sense and is frustratingly dull.

I think "mutant hunters" lasts much shorter than that. Pretty much ends around Fall of the Mutants, once X-Factor gets Ship.

[gotunandan]

edit: duplicate, ignore

[wano]

First five issues are by layman, he well, you just gotta read it... After that loise Simonson comes and picks up the pieces and makes gold out of coal, but it's a slow burn... Easily one of my favorites cyclops Jean stories of all time and one of the most underrated comics of the 80s

[Triniking1234]

Son of Psylocke's input is spot-on. The "We need an O5 book" feel is noticable for a while but the book excels during the X-overs and after the kids piss off to New Mutants or whatever. PAD's run is pretty good but I recommend jumping ship after AoA cuz that's when Mystique joins full time.

[Havok83]

It’s pretty bad.
The first 50 issues or so are all about the X-Factor team being mutant hunters, which doesn’t make any sense and is frustratingly dull. There are highlights in the Mutant Massacre, Fall of the Mutants and Inferno issues though (basically whenever Claremont becomes involved).
You’ve then got The Judgment War which goes on way too long but then the book massively picks up with its best period. It really gets going with x-Tinction, the Askani/Apocalypse stuff and then The Shadow King.
It gets even BETTER when Peter David joins the book.
It then flounders for a bit when he leaves, picks up slightly around Legion Quest but then becomes absolutely unreadable with Howard Mackie and everything after.

thats not true. The mutant hunters phase only lasted to the Fall of the Mutants arc so it was about 25 issues, not 50. There was alot of great stuff in those first 25 issues today. The start sucked but once Louise Simonson came on board with #6 (I beleive), she turned things around

[Uncanny X-Man]

X-Factor vol. 1 was the first example of Marvel's hunger to have more X-books regardless of their quality. I never really enjoyed Louise Simonson's writing and thought the book didn't really become interesting until Peter David took over, save for the brief Lee-Portacio-Claremont run. And right before Portacio took over as artist we had a lengthy run drawn by Jon Bogdanove which was downright grotesque. It's almost embarrassing when we get to X-tinction Agenda to have Jim Lee alternating chapters with Bogdanove.

[Cyke is Slim]

I JUST LOVE THE BOOK. X-Factor after the first five-issue is the stuff of legends, the Cyclops stuff, the Jean/Scott stuff, Angel etc. is gold. This is the book that made the O5 interesting. The run humanized Cyclops & Jean Grey, importantly. The development of these characters in this run is what carried them through the 90s.

Major story arcs of the 90s were seeded during Louise Simonson's run. Lobdell, Nicieza, and then Steve Seagle built on what she did with.

Also, loved the book when boom boom joined it.

[Factor]

I just finished Simonson and PAD's runs.
Simonson's wasn't great but I think it's worth reading. It's entertaining for the most part and she introduced concepts and characters that are still important to this day.
PAD's run is incredible, thought. I had already read most of it, but I had never read the whole thing. I'm actually surprised at how brief it actually is. He only wrote 20 issues and left mid-arc. Does anybody know why he left so suddenly?
I'd love to know what his plans were if he continued.

[magneticmushroom]

I just finished Simonson and PAD's runs.
Simonson's wasn't great but I think it's worth reading. It's entertaining for the most part and she introduced concepts and characters that are still important to this day.
PAD's run is incredible, thought. I had already read most of it, but I had never read the whole thing. I'm actually surprised at how brief it actually is. He only wrote 20 issues and left mid-arc. Does anybody know why he left so suddenly?
I'd love to know what his plans were if he continued.

I believe he grew annoyed at the yearly crossover BS interrupting his stories. X-Cutioner's Song in particular wrecked his flow. I get why he left, but it's a crime that we didnt have him for like 50 or more issues in Vol. 1.

Pete writes the best Havok, Jamie, Rahne, and Quicksilver for 15 years in any direction.

[Factor]

I believe he grew annoyed at the yearly crossover BS interrupting his stories. X-Cutioner's Song in particular wrecked his flow. I get why he left, but it's a crime that we didnt have him for like 50 or more issues in Vol. 1.

Pete writes the best Havok, Jamie, Rahne, and Quicksilver for 15 years in any direction.

Fair enough. There were tons of crossovers those days (I'm actually trying to read all ongoings of the period and it's kind of crazy trying to read everything in order).