X-FACTOR [10]: Finale Spoilers and Review

[Devaishwarya]

So how/when was David resurrected?

[Kingdom X]

Here is the thing when you don't address that nonsense when it was attacking McDuffie's Justice League, Female Ghostbusters, A black Johnny Storm, a Latino Blue Beetle and attacks on black shows, movies and books-it festers and grows into what we are seeing NOW.

Those terrible posts might need to be a wake up call to Marvel as if the crap Ms Marvel and Carol got wasn't enough notice. It keeps happening way too much.


My issue with the David part is this-that should have been a full blown story arc or mini series for David.

If we are going to have a commentary about black queer males and what they deal with-I need more than a few panels.

I don't need Eye Boy or Drakken to play "saviors" either.

A 4-5 part mini or annual with resources on Queer abuse-a way to showcase Prodigy and whoever else they wanted.

And before cries about sells come out- what about them? If we are talking an X-Factor Annual is that hurting anyone?

Oh I 100% agree, I even said so earlier in my impressions on the issue. I just don't think it's deep enough to spend time harassing someone on the internet over.

To be honest I never got the impression this was meant as some kind of commentary, sometimes a comic book plot point is just that.

Ehhh that's not exactly true either. Someone earlier in this thread pointed out that this is eerily similar to sexual assaults and murders that targeted black queer men around 2017-2019.

[CGAR]

How did that man kill Prodigy? He had Israeli combat training absorbed from Kitty Pryde?

Honestly just looks like he got pushed down some stairs. But everyone is saying he was raped and stabbed to death on twitter.

I didn't see that anywhere.

Honestly David knew he was going after a serial killer. Him allowing himself to be roofied. I just cannot with that. Im sorry.

[maxhilary]

After reading the issue, I do feel that X-twitter exaggerated a bit and the David stuff wasn't as gruesome as I was picturing it to be. However, I don't think that there was "absolutely nothing wrong" with the issue either.

This final issue really exemplifies all the problems I've had with the book for a while now. I do think that serious issues like serial killers of queer black men can be written by any writer but serious issues like that should be handled with thought and care and I don't think that happened here. This was supposed to be David's moment, and while he did get to punch the guy around a bit, imo he got upstaged by Eyeboy showing up and revealing his power upgrade, as well as Aurora and her speech about the justice system. That space should have been left for David and his catharsis, and I feel we didn't get to see enough of it because of showcasing his allies and their takes on it. He was the victim of a racially motivated crime and yet his white allies are the ones who get the final story beats in that plot. Not to mention Daken and Aurora's gross flirting on the very next page, as Daken carries his teammate's defiled corpse. You can argue that it's in character for Daken, and I agree that it is, but it's in character for him before this book, not the supposed development of him that we're supposed to buy into this whole run. You can't have the twisted, violent manipulative character have a whole "I've changed for love and I'm actually quite sensitive and sweet" arc on speedmode and then bring those elements back out whenever you want and when it suits you.

Which brings me to the Daken/Aurora of it all. Just like they take panel space here away from David and his story, they've done the same thing in the book as a whole. The majority of the run has been about their romance, to the detriment of most of the other characters. Aurora feels very much like a self insert to me, and the whole romance just felt like the main priority of the writer and quite self-serving. That dance scene here with Daken's speech to her about how they don't know each other but actually he does and she's like the sea or whatever felt very romance novel to me, and in a way that doesn't feel in character for Daken at all. It can be in character if he was developed well, but in this book his only vehicle for change is his rapid love for Aurora. Aurora herself had no personality outside her feelings for Daken and the whole initial intrigue about her deaths was pushed aside and hastily resolved here without much explanation. After those 2, Eye-boy is the one that got the most content and interactions with the rest of the cast. Rachel had no story whatsoever, David's death mystery only got pushed towards the end and was handled poorly imo, and Northstar was just there giving orders every now and then. Even him saving Daken was more about sympathizing with Daken and making Northstar approve of him dating his sister.

For having multiple queer characters in the book, it heavily prioritized a straight relationship over everything else. Northstar and Kyle's marriage could have finally been explored more, like how Kyle feels as a human in Krakoa, or really just developing Kyle at all beyond being a husband. And as a couple they were more desexualized as compared to not only Daken/Aurora but most of the other active straight couples in the X-books. The fixation over them possibly becoming parents was strange and imo a bad idea for a couple that barely gets stories at all; making them parents will only further doom their story potential. And again, that's not even a proper plot point in the book, but a couple of throwaway lines here and there. I've been over David's role already. His moments with Tommy were nice but again, could have been included more. The priorities of the writer were pretty clear throughout and this issue just shows it so well. And I don't put much stock in this idea that the book was cancelled and so the writer had to scramble and would have included all these points later in the run. Anyone that follows comics would have guessed that there was a high risk of it not lasting more than 2 trades, and it should have been planned accordingly. Sanitizing Daken and endearing people to Eye-boy took precedence. I get very confused when this book gets praised for its queerness when imo it does a poor job of actually utilizing the queer characters minus Daken who got warped into cliche "bad boy good girl" romance wish fulfillment. Simply having a queer cast isn't good enough in my POV. And these issues are similar to the writer's Age of X-man book where you can substitute Daken/Aurora with Blob/Betsy, and the queer characters there also taking a backseat until issue 4 and then back again.

I don't think it was all bad; I liked the callbacks and continuity references with the New X-men and the Siryn/Morrigan stuff. But the content overall was very imbalanced and shallow for the most part. I had a lot of enthusiasm and hope for Leah Williams as a writer but unfortunately all of that has since evaporated. I don't think she's a terrible writer, but the things she gives attention and panel time to and what she leaves behind are not things that I can get behind, and I don't think a writer who emphasizes how inclusive and queer her books are should be praised for that when the reality of it is not quite in line.

[JB]

Oh I 100% agree, I even said so earlier in my impressions on the issue. I just don't think it's deep enough to spend time harassing someone on the internet over.



Ehhh that's not exactly true either. Someone earlier in this thread pointed out that this is eerily similar to sexual assaults and murders that targeted black queer men around 2017-2019.

And earlier if the claims against Ed Buck are true. In fact I appreciate Leah trying to bring a little light on him because his trial is ongoing right now but the media doesn't give it anywhere near the attention it deserves.

[GenericUsername]

There are enough mutants there that can solve that case in less than a minute.

Unless that is Ultimate Wanda from Miles Morales's world. Who is Magneto's kid and a mutant.

There are a ton of unaccounted for Ultimate Universe folks out there.

I think it could be Wanda's clone from Magneto: Not a Hero. Judging from the costume used. Because Ultimates was way different. But I suspect it is Wanda and Marvel is just inconsistent with her costume. She's not in any future solicits unless they are hiding things until after today's big reveal. Her next thing is Darkhold which is set before this.

[Kingdom X]

Honestly just looks like he got pushed down some stairs. But everyone is saying he was raped and stabbed to death on twitter.

I didn't see that anywhere.

Well they're not going to show a sexual assault on the page...

I think the main reason people are coming to that conclusion is because there is NO other reason to mention that the murderer is a sexual predator and David's body is naked in the basement.

[Journey]

Would Tommy be wrong if he dumped David? Cause frankly I would.

[Kingdom X]

Would Tommy wrong if he dumped David? Cause frankly I would.

Can you explain why? I honestly haven't seen enough of them as a couple to care about them like that, but I liked their friendship in YA.

[Tycon]

To be honest I never got the impression this was meant as some kind of commentary, sometimes a comic book plot point is just that.

You’d have to have serious blinders on to miss the real world allusion to serial killers known for targeting queer Black men. His first name is literally ‘Buck’…. as in ‘Ed Buck’.

[Outburstz]

Man screw Wanda. This is the biggest character assassination's of Prodigy's character I am so furious.

Prodigy has never been some weak victim are you kidding me. Prodigy was the #1 hand to hand fighter in the whole Academy X kids generation. He was the one who would teach the other kids how to fight because he already knew how to fight thanks to his powers. So you are telling me someone who could beat Wolverine in a fight 1v1 is getting killed by some slimy out of shape old guy? The Emma clones gave him the power to keep certain memories after he had lost his powers.

Is this some kind of joke right now Prodigy would never lose to some no name guy like that holy crap

[Journey]

Can you explain why? I honestly haven't seen enough of them as a couple to care about them like that, but I liked their friendship in YA.

Cause he supports and lives on the island where his mother 1 of 2 of his only real family was violently murdered, while personally David is at no fault and up until short while even 1 of Wanda's victims, circumstances would either make him lean into the relationship more or turn him away from it all together, now personally I'm indifferent to where the pendulum swings cause this is a new relationship but this is also the type of drama I could see Leah loving so yeah.

[Journey]

Man screw Wanda. This is the biggest character assassination's of Prodigy's character I am so furious.

Prodigy has never been some weak victim are you kidding me. Prodigy was the #1 hand to hand fighter in the whole Academy X kids generation. He was the one who would teach the other kids how to fight because he already knew how to fight thanks to his powers. So you are telling me someone who could beat Wolverine in a fight 1v1 is getting killed by some slimy out of shape old guy? The Emma clones gave him the power to keep certain memories after he had lost his powers.

Is this some kind of joke right now Prodigy would never lose to some no name guy like that holy crap

I'm pretty sure he got drugged.

[Kingdom X]

Cause he supports and lives on the island where his mother 1 of 2 of his only real family was violently murdered, while personally David is at no fault and up until short while even 1 of Wanda's victims, circumstances would either make him lean into the relationship more or turn him away from it all together, now personally I'm indifferent to where the pendulum swings cause this is a new relationship but this is also the type of drama I could see Leah loving so yeah.

lol idk bout that one chief, seems like a flimsy reason to break up with someone. I'm sure we'll get some relationship angst, but since David will be actively investigating the murder it'll probably bring them closer.

[Journey]

lol idk bout that one chief, seems like a flimsy reason to break up with someone. I'm sure we'll get some relationship angst, but since David will be actively investigating the murder it'll probably bring them closer.

You probably right I think the problem is I just really wanted Tommy to blow some shit up & instead we got tears & now I'm hoping he blows up the happiest relationship of his existence cause I'm a petty drama seeking b word lmao.