Issue(s): Spider-Man/X-Factor: Shadowgames #1, Spider-Man/X-Factor: Shadowgames #2, Spider-Man/X-Factor: Shadowgames #3
Cover Date: May-Jul 94
Title: "Shadowgames" / "Shadowclash" / "Shadowfall"
Credits:
Kurt Busiek - Writer
Pat Broderick - Penciler
Bruce D. Patterson - Inker
Danny Fingeroth - Editor

Review/plot:
Hey, everybody, it's Kurt Busiek. Since Busiek's notable Marvel works around this time are all continuity inserts, i'll note that this miniseries was coming out a little after Marvels (Marvels #4 had an Apr 94 cover date) and before Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1 (Sep 95). Busiek actually had a long association with Marvel at this point, having had a run on Power Man & Iron Fist about a decade prior to this, and having been around in some capacity to whisper the secret formula to resurrecting Jean Grey into the right ears. More recently (but before Marvels), he'd written some Spider-Man fill-ins and back-ups. I don't know if Marvels had made him a household name at this point (Alex Ross' art got more of the attention at first), and this series would have been solicited before that anyway. I wouldn't have been able to say so at the time, but it would have been better if these issues were the start of a run in either a Spider-Man book or X-Factor instead of a standalone mini, since Busiek is a good writer and both of those franchises could have used the help. As it is, this is a fun little story that of course has no impact on either group's books and gets lost in the glut of 90s books.

Spider-Man is being attacked by a super-group called Shadowforce.

He was actually giving a talk to a boy's club run by Flash Thompson when he noticed the characters stalking him, and ran out to "take pictures". So Flash has taken the kids out to watch Spider-Man fight. This causes Spider-Man to think some non-positive thoughts about Flash, and those thoughts get picked up by a strange telepathic member of the attacking team.

Spider-Man is then captured.

Flash tries to get some help for Spider-Man, first going to the Daily Bugle. He gives them some pictures taken with his own camera, but they're not able to offer any help. Flash next tries calling the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Neither group is home (at least for a random caller). So he then contacts X-Factor, claiming that the attackers were mutants. That gets them sent in. Wolfsbane locates some hair follicles, saying that they all smell like they're from the same "family" but that they don't smell quite human. A further forensic analysis identifies six people, all of whom are supposed to be in jail at the moment. Forge is able to confirm that the prisoners are all no longer in jail, and he hacks the prison systems to find out where they've been transferred to.

Meanwhile, government agents show up at the Bugle, trying to intimidate J. Jonah Jameson into not publishing the pictures they got from Flash.

Spider-Man wakes up in a lab, hearing scientists debate taking off his mask. He breaks his bonds and escapes. As he makes his way through the building, he hears talk about "the Nuke protocols" and "the data we have on the Abomination" and related things. He eventually learns that it's a government program run by a General Sharpe to try to create super-heroes. It's called Project: Homegrown (and no, it doesn't involve growing pot in the basement with UV lights).

Spidey was kidnapped so that they could get more data.

Spidey takes a disc with info on the project, but on his way out he's discovered by Shadowforce. But then X-Factor arrive. Spidey says that he needs to leave because he's afraid that the telepathic creature, Mirrorshade, has left to kill Flash Thompson based on the thoughts it misinterpreted from him. X-Factor agree to hold off the rest of Shadowforce while he chases Mirrorshade.

After Spider-Man leaves, Shadowforce knock X-Factor out and leaves. General Sharpe tries to ground X-Factor, but Havok ignores him. Meanwhile, Shadowforce is tracking Spider-Man thanks to a bug in the disc that he took. Spidey is in civilian form, but Shadowforce start shooting up the train, threatening to hurt civilians if he doesn't give himself up. But Spidey is able to outmaneuver them by disconnecting the train cars with passengers. It's a nice scene showing Shadowforce's leader, Hardtime, giving a positive assessment of Spidey's tactical abilities.

Spider-Man gets the train engineer out too, and then faces off against Shadowforce.

He holds his own and luckily X-Factor arrive. But then Shadowforce realize that they are out of range of "the commands". It turns out the Shadowforcers were all brainwashed until now.

Shadowforce leaves, and Spider-Man notes that the threat has changed.

The immediate problem is still Mirrorshade, but Spider-Man gets to New York to stop him from killing Flash. But another Shadowforce member, Airborne, manages to save Mirrorshade before he's captured by Spidey and X-Factor.

Shadowforce then return to the complex where they were created, and they take it over. Spidey and X-Factor follow. The press have gathered outside the building. Forge is there too, and he makes sure that X-Factor and Spider-Man are allowed to enter the building, over the objections of the Project: Homegrown people. Spidey and X-Factor head into the building and fight Shadowforce again.

Spidey sneaks off to destroy a device that is feeding Shadowforce their powers. Then X-Factor has to destroy the power packs on their backs to fully stop them. Mirrorshade is defeated thanks to Madrox's unique abilities being too much for him.

When it's all over, X-Factor are unable to expose the details of the project to the press. But Spider-Man is under no such restriction.

It's a fun, straightforward story. Shadowforce never appear again, and i don't think General Sharpe or Project: Homegrown are ever mentioned again either. In terms of the writing, it's not great in the sense that there's no innovations like telling things from an unusual character's perspective or doing much of a deep continuity dive (in fact, some of the characters pictured in the scenes describing Project: Homegrown feel a bit random). But it's a good plot and some nice natural dialogue. Fun interactions between Spidey and X-Factor. No overwhelming exposition or weird tics. It's hard to express exactly why, but (even granting a bit of bias in knowing it's Busiek) it just feels a step above most of what's going on in Marvel books at this time. It's readable at a time where that is exceedingly rare.

Pat Broderick's art here is miles better than what he'd been doing in Alpha Flight (aside from the Thing's face in that one panel).

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Notes in each issue confirm that this takes place before X-Factor #100 (when Madrox seemingly dies). More specifically, the MCP have it between X-Factor #95-96 (after Forge becomes the team liaison, after Wolfsbane returns from Muir Island, after Quicksilver is gone for an extended leave of absence). Spider-Man says that "X-Factor's had a bad reputation recently". Not sure if that's meant to refer to anything specific. As Jimmy Impossible notes in the comments, Flash being up and around means this can't take place between Spectacular Spider-Man #205 and Spectacular Spider-Man #210.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A