X-FACTOR [10]: Finale Spoilers and Review

[Cane_danko]

Some people are using it as an excuse to pile on and attack everything from Williams' fitness for her job to her own queer identity. And I've seen arguments from black queer readers that, even if the execution was flawed, Williams was shining a spotlight on a case where a predator was allowed to get away with murder multiple times over because his victims were not seen as worth the trouble of reporting missing or of deeper investigation from the authorities. I've also seen the flip side, also from black queer readers - that pushing a "ripped from the headlines" story where the trial isn't complete and the families of the actual victims don't even have closure yet and delivering it as about four pages of a superhero comic book story where there's no room to actually unpack any of the associated subject matter with care is insensitive and ill-judged at best, and offensively tone-deaf and exploitative at worst. Basically, the whole discussion has valid points from multiple POVs, as well as no few trolls just looking to get away with bad behavior under the guise of allyship. I do feel Williams could have made some different choices to mitigate some of the issues with the story, but she was also in something of a lose-lose situation with the Prodigy plot once the kill order on the book came down. Daken, Aurora, and Eyeboy's arcs could (and probably should) have been given less space in the final issue to give Prodigy's story a little more breathing space, as their stories are not all of equal dramatic weight, but in the end, Prodigy was always going to be the one that lost out the most from having his slow-burn mystery cut short, whether by a quick wrap-up or even just leaving it hanging. The book getting canceled at less than the customary 12 issues so that there could be a huge reveal that coincided with the finale issue and the finale of the Hellfire Gala reeks of meddling from editorial or higher up, but the upset for Prodigy getting short-changed in his own arc (and for Wanda's "death", it turns out) was always going to fall on the writer regardless. And maybe that's the risk and reality of writing for corporate-owned IP, but it still kinda blows.

Thank you for the well thought out response. It just pisses me off when i see people dog pile on her calling her a racist among other things for just trying to write a story with some relevance. Maybe it was destined to inflame the masses by writing a story that was similar to real life events, i just don’t think it warrants the amount of vitriol we have seen from a lot of people. I think most people are just kind of like whatever but it is another situation of people who are extremely negative taking up to large a part of the conversation. It really boils my p@$$ as i cannot stand bullies of any kind especially ones who harass others online because there is no real authority or consequence for their actions.

[Spiderfan001]

Thank you for the well thought out response. It just pisses me off when i see people dog pile on her calling her a racist among other things for just trying to write a story with some relevance. Maybe it was destined to inflame the masses by writing a story that was similar to real life events, i just don’t think it warrants the amount of vitriol we have seen from a lot of people. I think most people are just kind of like whatever but it is another situation of people who are extremely negative taking up to large a part of the conversation. It really boils my p@$$ as i cannot stand bullies of any kind especially ones who harass others online because there is no real authority or consequence for their actions.

Attacking anyone for their personal life is just gross.

I do think she should have handled such a sensitive topic with more nuance.I would rather her leave it hanging and let someone else pick the thread up in due time than rush it at the cost of the story.Or drop other plots to make sure this one gets all the time it can.

[Kingdom X]

I wish they let her go up to issue 12 and just had a guest artist help finish and have it release twice in a month. I think it could have finished better that way.

Although i would have liked for her to be give 6 more issues. That definitely would have been a no go.

It wouldn’t even have needed to have been twice in a month. X-Factor had at least two skip months and like you said with a fill-in artist we easily could have gotten 12 issues.

[Hulkout42]

Would two issues really help flesh out the book before the end?

[Airtrap]

Would two issues really help flesh out the book before the end?

That's forty pages, you can do loads in forty pages. Heck Days of Future Past was a two issue story back in the day

If you don't introduce anything new it would be enough to resolve dangling plot threads. But looking at the X-Factor run i would say the Morrigan arc was one issue too long in retrospect

[skyvolt2000]

Would two issues really help flesh out the book before the end?

Those 2 issues could have been used to flesh out Prodigy's storyline.

Have him deal with that before the gala. He plans on not attending and he can leave to go help the victims of that killer get closure. Speed shows up at the Gala looking for him and finds Wanda instead.

Since he is probably going to be background fodder from now on-at least we know he's doing something.

We forget in the past we did not have books written for trades.

We had stories done in 1-4 issues. Issue 7-10 could have done this and 11-12 cold be about the gala.

[CGAR]

I totally forgot about the two skip months. She definitely could have told the story with those two extra issues. IMO.

But le sigh. Whats done is done.

[loke13]

I mean isn't the point Leah was told last minute that the book was cancelled WHILE also needing to set up The Trial.

[Sutekh]

All I know is that the Academy X kids better not be cool with this idea of Wanda being brought back. They had to watch their friends die because they were left powerless rounded up in a bus to be targeted by the mutant hate group the Purifiers

There is no way that Surge and Hellion will be cool with the idea that she gets brought back to life when they just now got their dead friends back.

And yet they are utterly voiceless about stuff like Jay Guthrie being back. (As is he himself, the mutant who hated himself and mutants enough that he hacked off his wings and joined Stryker's church that murdered Wallflower even before the Decimation. And the actual bus murders? Might be as much on him, as on Wanda, for all they know, since he was off telling Stryker all about them before Stryker murdered him, and the rest of them.) If they don't have loud opinions about *that,* it would be no more or less out-of-character for them to give the Wanda matter a resounding 'meh.'

But yeah, Surge and Hellion (after Elixir...) were two of the most outspoken of that generation, so if any of them were to get loud about it, I would expect it to be them. (Although it could be interesting to have someone who died in that bus explosion, like Brian Cruz, take point and be the face of that generation!)

[Outburstz]

And yet they are utterly voiceless about stuff like Jay Guthrie being back. (As is he himself, the mutant who hated himself and mutants enough that he hacked off his wings and joined Stryker's church that murdered Wallflower even before the Decimation. And the actual bus murders? Might be as much on him, as on Wanda, for all they know, since he was off telling Stryker all about them before Stryker murdered him, and the rest of them.) If they don't have loud opinions about *that,* it would be no more or less out-of-character for them to give the Wanda matter a resounding 'meh.'

But yeah, Surge and Hellion (after Elixir...) were two of the most outspoken of that generation, so if any of them were to get loud about it, I would expect it to be them. (Although it could be interesting to have someone who died in that bus explosion, like Brian Cruz, take point and be the face of that generation!)

The only reason the Purifiers felt bold enough to attack the kids in the first place was because the mutant population had decreased because of M Day. They thought it was a "message from god". There would be no need for them to have ever been on that bus if they were not depowered.


Also they can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. For example I'm sure they would be mad at Wither for Necrosha and killing Oynxx. There is no way they are going to blame a kid for getting manipulated by an adult more than Wanda

[Slicknickshady]

Eye Boy and Nature Girl need to make out! But Marvel doesn’t give us what we want!

[ExodusCloak]

And yet they are utterly voiceless about stuff like Jay Guthrie being back. (As is he himself, the mutant who hated himself and mutants enough that he hacked off his wings and joined Stryker's church that murdered Wallflower even before the Decimation. And the actual bus murders? Might be as much on him, as on Wanda, for all they know, since he was off telling Stryker all about them before Stryker murdered him, and the rest of them.) If they don't have loud opinions about *that,* it would be no more or less out-of-character for them to give the Wanda matter a resounding 'meh.'

But yeah, Surge and Hellion (after Elixir...) were two of the most outspoken of that generation, so if any of them were to get loud about it, I would expect it to be them. (Although it could be interesting to have someone who died in that bus explosion, like Brian Cruz, take point and be the face of that generation!)

Jay didn't want to his friends to die. Stryker used M-day to pray on the devout Jay Guthrie. Said it was a sign from God that if he donated his wings to God he would be able to save his friends. So he allowed Stryker to hack them off to save his friends.
M-day was was he point in the 616 timeline that Nimrod travelled to because it was the point where mutants were at their weakest.
Jay died regretting everything once he saw Nimrod and that Stryker was using him.

[President Togekiss]

Tommy disssapointed me I wanted the "Team Spciopath" to choose Violence!! Not cry!!! Babe blow some **** up & dump David!

Agreed. Tommy should be acting way more agressive than he is.

[Sutekh]

Jay didn't want to his friends to die. Stryker used M-day to pray on the devout Jay Guthrie. Said it was a sign from God that if he donated his wings to God he would be able to save his friends. So he allowed Stryker to hack them off to save his friends.
M-day was was he point in the 616 timeline that Nimrod travelled to because it was the point where mutants were at their weakest.
Jay died regretting everything once he saw Nimrod and that Stryker was using him.

I will have to re-read that last bit. I thought Jay died to a bullet to the head, completely bogsmacked that Stryker was betraying him, and had no time for any regretting of anything...

[ExodusCloak]

I will have to re-read that last bit. I thought Jay died to a bullet to the head, completely bogsmacked that Stryker was betraying him, and had no time for any regretting of anything...

He was shot by Stryker after learning about Nimrod and mustered enough strength to right half Nimrods name in his blood. Also Stryker showers him what he will do/did to his friends e.g. Dust and to his first girlfriend