X-Factor #254 Review

I wish more event storylines could be like "Hell on Earth War." This X-Factor arc has all the scope and drama you could hope for from an event, and yet it's still just another arc in this long-running series. No tie-ins, no crossovers, and no nonsense. And even though it's becoming increasingly clear that the physical damage of this conflict will be wiped clean by the end of the story, the emotional damage will surely remain in full force. And that's always been the point of this book in the first place.

I can at least understand the complaints about this arc moving too slowly, though it's hardly comparable to a truly languid book like Age of Ultron. Peter David is spending more time exploring the fighting between various Hell Lords than is strictly necessary. But still, it's a lot of fun to see characters like Mephisto and Hela come to blows after all the years of animosity between them. The only element of the story that does feel drawn out is Tier's decision to embrace his feral side and attack the Hell Lords. Last issue suggested he was finally ready, but this issue sees him waffle on the subject for several more pages.

Regardless, David delivers ample amounts of character-building moments for several team members. There's the long-awaited reunion between Monet and Guido, for one thing, which mostly involves the two beating the snot out of each other. Leonard Kirk shines in the many brutal action sequences. His facial work, as always, could stand to be more consistent, but at his best the book can stand toe to toe with just about any X-book on the stands. There are numerous other memorable moments throughout this issue, including Polaris buckling under the pressure of leading the team and Rahne playing the protective mother. In terms of characterization and build up, this is easily one of the more satisfying arcs of the series in quite a while.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com