X-Factor #223 & X-23 #13

After the last two lackluster Fear Itself related comics I read, I figured I'd grab the two X-books I had in my new comic pile and give them a read and review. It turns out that wasn't the wisest choice...

X-Factor #223:

Summary: Having escaped from the various demons that were chasing after her unborn child last issue, Wolfsbane is on the road with Jack Russell. The two have managed to drive to Oneonta, New York with no demonic trouble, at least until the ghost of Feral appears in the back seat. Feral warns Wolfsbane that there was no sense running since the big gun was coming after her now. Before Wolfsbane can figure out what Feral's ghost was babbling about, the car she was traveling in is attacked by Cerberus, you know, that three-headed demon dog. While that scene is playing out, X-Factor is trying to figure out just where Wolfsbane got off to. The team tries to get Pip the Troll to help them find Wolfsbane, but Pip is unwilling, since he claims that having Wolfsbane around led to nothing but trouble, although in reality, he seemed to be working for some outside force that wanted Wolfsbane's child for itself. Siryn/Banshee uses her charm-voice powers to coerce Pip into locating Wolfsbane, which allows Shatterstar to teleport the team to Oneonta. By this time, Jack Russell, in his werewolf form, has attacked the demon that was traveling with Cerberus in an effort to keep Wolfsbane safe. The team, thinking Jack was Wolfsbane, attack the demon in force, defeating it. As for Wolfsbane, while running from Cerberus and the demon she has gone into labor, and is helped into a house by a boy calling himself Agamemnon...

Thoughts: Um, I'm not really sure what happened here... I mean last issue was extremely funny with a good storyline, this issue? Not so much. I don't get how Jack managed to sneak Wolfsbane away from the rest of her team right under their noses... I mean damn, they're supposed to be detectives! How embarrassing is that! While there wasn't anything actively bad here, this issue just never managed to click for me... Maybe I was just in a bad mood when I read this issue or something, but it seemed like a big step down from last issue. Oh well, maybe things will rebound next issue as Wolfsbane finally gives birth to her child.

Score: 5 out of 10.When in doubt, post a splash page!


X-23 #13:

Summary: A sleeping X-23 and Gambit are traveling around New York City in a taxi when X-23 suddenly wakes up after having an extremely strange dream. Gambit inquires as to what the dream was about, but X-23 isn't interested in sharing, especially since some of Gambit's stitches had popped back open. To deal with that, the two head to Cecilia Reyes's apartment in the city and ask for her assistance in fixing Gambit up. While there, X-23 picks up the scent of her old friend, Kiden Nixon, in Cecilia's apartment and inquires about that. Cecilia tells X-23 that she had allowed Kiden and her friends to crash at her place while she was living on Crazy Mutie Island(Utopia), and when she returned to the apartment, Kiden and company were gone. With that, X-23 decides to head out while Gambit got patched up, and travels around New York wondering about Kiden, while also looking for Alex Cimini, a boy who X-23 refused to kill back during her assassin days. While walking around the city, X-23 is suddenly reminded of her dream from earlier and freezes in the street, getting hit by a bus. As she's coming to, she spots a man with red eyes sporting the symbol she saw in her dream on his head, just as a building begins to collapse. X-23 decides to head into the damaged building to find anybody who may have needed rescuing, and bumps into the FF version Spider-Man. Spidey and X-23 save a few people when they spot the symbol from X-23's dream now in the sky, with Spidey telling X-23 that he also had a dream about that symbol. The two head around the city, dealing with various building collapses, and this issue ends with the rest of the FF arriving to tell Spidey and X-23 that the trouble was just beginning.

Thoughts: Yeah, I had no idea what was going on here. Something about X-23 having a weird dream or something. Oh, and Spidey also had the dream. Bottom line, I didn't get it. Once X-23 left Gambit, this issue kind of dissolved into a confusing mess. But hey, this was the first part of a new storyline, so I'll be patient and wait to see if things start making sense come next issue. Even though I've been kind of down on the last four issues or so, I still trust Marjorie Liu's writing abilities, and am hopeful that things will pick up next issue.

Score: 4 out of 10.When in doubt, post... Ah, you get the idea...