X-Factor #2 - Aw, crap.
Peter David is really putting out a nice little book with the new X-Factor series. He's got a great cast of characters, and a premise that opens things up for almost any type of story he'd care to tell. His dialogue is crisp and witty without becoming precious (which I understand is sometimes a danger in a David-written book). It's definately my favorite Marvel Mutant book since X-Statix.However, two serious problems with the book rose to the surface with the second issue. Honestly, Layla Miller is a terrible, terrible character and her inclusion is damaging the book. I honestly have no idea why David has shoehorned her into this highly enjoyable book. I mean, Bendis created her, so I could understand if she showed up in New Avengers or one of his other crap titles. But in X-Factor? It just doesn't make any sense. This is a pretty mature, sophisticated comic, and the presence of a sassy 11-year-old girl is jarring.
"I'm Layla Miller. I know stuff."
Do you know how to zip it? Apparently not, judging from her unrelenting nattering in this issue.
The other, less critical problem is the art. Last issue had some really nice Ryan Sook art. Fresh from his stint on the 7S Zatanna book, Sook looked ready to rise to the ranks of the premier comic artists. This issue, however, credits Sook and Dennis Calero as pencillers. Now, I don't know who did which pages, but the whole book was filled with disappointingly sub-par artwork. It didn't look anything like the book I picked up last month. The art had a kind of "pseudo Gotham Central" look to it. It was muddy, and most of the faces looked like grotesque likenesses done with the use of far too much photo-referencing.
I'm certainly not dropping this book, but I hope Sook is able to get back on deadline and put out the level of work he did on Zatanna and X-Factor #1. Ugly art hurts a book, even a book I'm reading primarily for the writing.Oh, and I hope X-Factor #3 opens with Layla Miller taking a bus out of town. Because I don't know if I mentioned it but she sucks. She's like cilantro to me. Any dish made with cilantro, no matter how delicious the other ingredients are, is going to make me gag. Give Layla "Cilantro" Miller back to Bendis to put in a ninja suit and shoehorn into New Avengers.
Um... please.
posted by Jhunt at 5:04 PM
8 Comments:
You think the photo-referencing here is bad, try Fallen Angel. Urk.
I'd guess that the inclusion of Layla Miller is editorially driven, but David has this weird tendency to do some really odd stuff (like taking part in and defending The Other), so you never know...
I agree with your description of the art. Going back and forth between two very different pencillers is not cool. Siryn and M go from like supermodels to drag queens who didn't put on enough makeup haha. It's like if a television show were to change the cast in the middle of an episode.
For now, I'm going to give Layla a chance b/c if anyone can make her interesting it'll be PAD. And even if she does end up being really annoying, I might keep reading just for Jamie. There wasn't enough Madrox in this issue :D
P.S. Mind if I link your blog to mine?
I'm hoping Sook just fell a little behind, because it is really annoying when I start reading a book with the understanding that a great artist is going to be in it for the long haul, then have the rug pulled out from under me when he/she bails after a couple.
(..yes, Pasqual Ferry, I am looking at you...)
Oh, and link away Amanda, you've got a great blog yourself. (Besides, anyone who I know links to me gets a reciprical link from me. It's all about the karma.)
C'mon its only issue 2 and already we got fillin artist, that nearly does the half the issue. This doesn't look promising? I haven't got to reading this yet, but I didn't read House of M, I have more sense then that! I don't care for this Layla Millar either?
hi, how do I link to this blog, just to a hyperlink? I got a preview copy of issue 3 and Callero is doign about half again, which does nto bode well but at least it seems less jarring between artists. At least i can;t tell the difference as mucha s I could in #2.
Well, Sook is gone as of issue #4, so it at least won't be a jarring artist clash, because Callero will be doing the whole book.
As for linking.. um, I dunno, depends where you're trying to link from. In blogspot, you just use the hyperlink button and paste the page address.
Yes, my tech-fu is remarkably weak.
That's cool. I'm a dumb butt too. By the way, I did a google search and I think it's spelled CALERO. He did some Moonstone stuff and is spelled that way ont he solicits for issue 6.
Only good blog on the wbe.
Yep, it's spelled Calero. My typing skills are so weak as to be non-existant. I think it actually takes me longer to proof my blog entries than to write them in the first place...
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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