“Project Paperclip”
Creative Staff:
Story: Mark Russell
Art: Bob Quinn
Colors: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
What They Say:
X-FACTOR GOES TO THE MOON! A computer-controlled lunar base has gone out of control! How can Havok and Frenzy stop a foe that can predict the team’s every move? And does the key to victory lie with the team’s most mysterious new member: Granny Smite?!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
X-Factor was one of those books when it was first launched decades ago was just so much fun since it brought back the original team and reshaped the way it could work. While I fell out of comics in the mid-90s and that book, the title always held a special place for me, so trying a relaunch of it in the modern era felt like an easy thing. And especially since it has such a strong creative team that I like, particularly from their Red Sonja work years ago. Mark Russell is a thoroughly fun writer who can handle this kind of approach well – if it’s given the chance to slow down and not operate at internet speed. I don’t want to see the book become the Suicide Squad of the X-books but it has the potential to clean up a few loose ends. Bob Quinn is a talented artist and he’s got some great layouts here as the character artwork is spot on and the expressiveness a big plus.
The third issue of a series is usually where I’ll draw the line on continuing or not and this issue has me putting it into the not category. Which is unfortunate as I really like the team behind it, having enjoyed their Red Sonja work in particular. The premise for this issue deals lightly with the fallout from the previous one between and Alex and Polaris with him wanting the company to find her but having to do all the X-Factor corporate stuff, which is a lot of PR and the like. He doesn’t care for it and every new piece we get just pushes me even further from wanting to read it, especially when we get to meet the Fartech founder who is just as terrible as you’d expect him to be. It’s every real-world trope rolled up into one and the mission he assigns them is a fake anyway with a different real goal. Initially, the team is being sent to the company’s Luna One base to help defend it against some sort of terrorist attack and that at last has some team members excited since it’s their first time in space.
Of course, the reality is that the base, which is run by an AI, has decided that the boss and all the people within it are threats and has eliminated the scientists and staff since it feared being shut down due to costs. So the team is there to destroy it, which is simple enough but not really designed in a good way. Where it keeps falling down is that it feels more like a Saturday Morning Cartoon more than anything else and with everyone basically just fodder, you’ve got no reason to form connections. This issue does do some fun stuff with Granny Smite as we learn her backstory and it’s comically tragic as she discovered in her late 80s that she’s immortal and trying to figure out how to die. She does get to be creative in trying things out – who needs a spacesuit when you can’t die – and you can see the team kind of liking her a bit more after this mission. But the whole thing is just awkward and clunky across the book that the bright spot only stands out because of that.
In Summary:
The main thing I kept coming back with is that the whole thing just feels poorly thought out and superficial. I’ve been trying almost all of the post-Krakoa books focusing on the mutant side of things and this has been the weakest of a wide range of books. And it’s frustrating because the talent behind the book are some of my favorites who have done some really strong storytelling. But it opting for a “ripped form the real world” approach with a comedic bent just isn’t working for me. The escapism is comical and does not play wel against reality and some of the wild pivots going on, such as with Polaris and various character designs, just rubs me the wrong way. It’s unfortunate as the original X-Factor book when it first launched decades ago was a real favorite of mine as it grappled with the original team but this one is just a clunky project.
Grade: C
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics
Release Date: October 23rd, 2024
MSRP: $3.99
