Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1990-12-01 00:11:35 |
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X-Factor #61
Issue(s): X-Factor #61
Cover Date: Dec 90
Title: "Betrayal!"
Credits:
Louise Simonson - Writer
Jon Bogdanove & John Caponigro - Penciler
Al Milgrom - Inker
Bob Harras - Editor
Review/plot:
John Caponigro is credited with "assisted pencils" for pages 12-23.
A team of X-Men have been captured by Cameron Hodge and the Genoshan magistrates. Forge is knocked unconscious (we learn later in this issue that's it's a "voluntary" unconsciousness, and part of the plan). And Wolfsbane has been turned into a mutate (and look at poor Cable's face in reaction to that).
One interesting thing about Cable is that it hasn't been said that he's a mutant yet. But in this issue he's called a "genejoke" (the go-to slur for mutants in Genosha)...
...and he is affected by Wipeout's power (which wipes out powers, not sure if it's just mutant powers).
This panel is also on the cover. I think it's terrible.
Cable's attempt to fight back against Hodge ends in failure. The captives are put in cells, and Hodge arranges it so that Jean Grey is put in the same cell as Wolverine. They soon get to kissing.
On the one hand, we had Jean Grey reminiscing about kissing Wolverine in the first part of this crossover. On the other hand, we saw Jean and Scott's relationship getting back on the right path in the previous X-Factor issue. It seems the kiss memory has won out. I don't know exactly what's going on in her head, but she pulls away crying because she senses that Wolverine is dying, not for any other reason.
The idea that Hodge put them together just for this purpose, to throw off Cyclops later, is not something that comes up later.
Meanwhile, Cyclops has another X-Team getting ready for the second part of their plan. It involves infiltrating the Genoshan citadel as mutates. A group of Magistrates are sent to the warehouse where they are setting up, but by the time the Magistrates arrive, Cyclops' team is gone and a bomb destroys the warehouse. And then some of the team attacks.
Notice that Hodge has a phasing power in addition to (or as part of) the big robotic body.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team is smuggled into the citadel, posing as victims of the bomb blast.
They run into Havok again.
Thanks to Cyclops' persistence, Havok gets his memories back as they fight. But then Hodge shows up, so Havok continues to pretend to be a Magistrate, and Cyclops is knocked out.
As with the previous part, this is more just moving the pieces around the board, and it's fine for straightforward action adventure. Although, i do find the art to be terrible, and that affects how good the action is. Even with the understanding that a second penciler had to be brought in to assist, Jon Bogdanove's art is so blocky and weird, i find his issues to be the worst of what's going in this crossover (i've noted that Liefeld actually seems to be better than usual).
Beyond that, as i mentioned at the start, all of this running around obscures what should be the main theme of the story. We've got three mutant teams in a country that oppresses mutates, and forces them into slavery. And yet all of the focus is on generic fighting. And it really is generic. Aside from Hodge, who is pretty much all powerful, making fights with him futile, the Genoshans don't really have much to offer in terms of interesting opponents. The Genoshan Press Gang are pretty much out of the picture. The Havok/Cyclops fight is again the highlight, as it was in the last issue. But it's not great. There's no twist or anything special in the resolution. He just finally remembers who he really is.
I mean all this as a mild criticism of the story. It's a middle chapter, where we're supposed to have the action. And that's all fine. Just observing how the bigger theme, or potential theme, of this crossover is not being developed.
Quality Rating: C
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part six of the X-Tinction Agenda. Uncanny X-Men #272 is next.
References:
- Wolfsbane was forced to broadcast a speech saying that she was voluntarily serving the Genoshans in New Mutants #96.
Crossover: X-Tinction Agenda
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
| Previous: New Mutants #96 | Up: Main | Next: Uncanny X-Men #272 |
Comments
The scene where Cannonball and Banshee are defeated always bothered me. First, Cannonball is captured when Banshee's scream conveniently causes the roof to shatter and collapse a statue on Cannonball. This is the second time Simonson has had Banshee's using his powers backfire- what did Simonson have against Sean? And the idea that Sam is trapped while the President is conveneintly unharmed was just too contrived. Secondly, Bogdanove's art is unclear as to how Sean is defeated. There was a "zap" sound and then Sean was defeated. I think the idea was that Hodge zapped Sean.
This issue completely contradicts the later retcon that Cable's "bionics" are really a technoorganic infection held in check by his telekinesis. If Wipeout neutralized Cable's powers, he should be DEAD. He even refers to his "bionics" in a thought balloon.
I always had a bit of a problem with Bogdanove's art, though sometimes it worked fine, like in Fantastic Four Vs X-Men. But I mostly hated it in this arc, it's almost like a different guy. Or maybe cos it was Terry Austin inking in FF/X-Men, I dunno. But it's bizarre having a 9 part story with art as different as Jim Lee (at his very short peak, imho, I felt every issue he did after this was slightly less well drawn), Liefeld + Bogdanove. Lee always seemed a glossy + soulless to me, but the 6 parts he didn't do look very drab in comparison. Anyway, last issue "Slim" Summers grew muscles and a hairy chest. This issue: Jean Got Back.
Yeah, I can't fathom how strange Scott looks in this issue. I assume that must be a skullcap he's wearing, though I don't know where he would have gotten it, since he's back to a full head of hair in the next part.
I always assumed bald caps with numbers on them and the skintight bodysuits were in Forge & Beast's bundles of supplies so they could infiltrate in disguise.
Do you think Scott's ridiculous muscles were also in that bag?
The phasing thing is weird. Hodge appears to phase through a wall during I think part two (the first New Mutants issue) but then the New Mutants realise that the wall is just a series of force fields, which presumably turned off and on to let him through. I'd think it was a miscommunication between writers except X-Factor and New Mutants are both Simonson, right?
The different artistic styles were extremely jarring when I was collecting this series in real time. I remember wishing Jim Lee did the whole lot. Cyclops here looks like Strong Guy.
How did Hodge get access to Xavier's files? It seems odd that Hank, Bobby and Warren would have just been carrying them around as they move to Avengers or Defenders or whatever, Scott would have known enough to leave that stuff back in the past, at the mansion while he retires with Madelyne, and Jean, well...
And he had information on Wolverine as well? And presumably Storm and Banshee? The New Mutants? Forge? Cable? None of this makes any sense. Hodge is a stupid villain.
I read this in real-time and I remember absolutely despising the art! Bogdanove ruined the X-Factor issues so much for me that I honestly just skimmed them, rather than reading them in depth.
Liefeld's offerings in the New Mutants weren't much better. For teenage me, the transition from Uncanny 270 to NM 95 was quite jarring, but to then have to suffer Bogdanove's horror show... Ugh! In contrast, going from the XF issues to Jim Lee's work on Uncanny was like waking up on a glorious summer's morning.
I liked Bognadove on Superman but yeesh he was a bad fit for this. Though my adolescent self enjoyed the things Jeans boobs were doing in that Wolvie make-out scene.
Maybe I missed something, but why is the Genosha president (name is Madame Reneau, btw) not tagged as a Character Appearing in this issue and some other parts of the crossover?
No good reason. The MCP didn't track her, and as far as i know, she only appeared in this crossover, so i didn't think to add her (as noted in the comments on Uncanny X-Men #259-260, a male President Reneau was previously mentioned).
I've added tags for her now. Let me know if i've missed any appearances.
