Category Archives: Multiple Man
Review: X-Factor #262
It is with a heavy but triumphant heart that I begin this review of the final issue of X-Factor. Though really, this is more than just a review, this is also a farewell, saying a final goodbye to my favorite comic book series of the past eight years, and goodbye to my favorite comic book character – Multiple Man – who is given a send-off in grand style by writer Peter David. Don’t worry, comic book friends, I will spoil that Jamie Madrox does not die at the end of his series. Nor does he go off into that sweet limbo stuck in demon form, as I had so feared. Instead, Peter David goes out with class, and sends Madrox off into the sunset. Fine show.
X-Factor #262
It’s my 30th birthday tomorrow, and I have yet to decide if the final issue of X-Factor coming out in the same week is simple coincidence or a harsh sign of growing up.
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
I have been luke warm about these final issues so far. Some of them were good, like Wolfbane’s, providing a solid, touching goodbye for the character. Others, like Polaris’ and Monet’s aren’t really endings at all. Some of them have explored the character’s time with X-Factor in meaningful ways. Others were just spontaneous adventures. In the end, I suppose I liked them all, the same way I’ve always liked X-Factor, even when it wasn’t very good. My favorite chapter of The End of X-Factor arc would have to be this issue, saying goodbye to Madrox and his wife Layla Miller. PAD ties up a few loose ends and teases his next upcoming project, but he doesn’t do anything too drastic or crazy. We don’t find out the secret of Multiple Man’s powers, nor does Layla ‘know’ one final, insane thing.
Instead, PAD spends some time with Layla and the Demon Madrox, putting their situation into perspective and finding a fun, clever way to resolve it. There was at least one surprise in this issue that I did not see coming, and it made me smile. As did the ending. I liked this issue for its heart and its love of character. This isn’t a big, raucous goodbye or a massive superhero fight to the death. Instead, it’s a quiet, classy bow out, and I definitely approve.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and a glorious goodbye to X-Factor.
6 Places Multiple Man Could End Up
One of my all-time favorite comic books, X-Factor, is coming to an end in September after more than five years of quality comics. This makes me a very sad panda. The superhero star of X-Factor is Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, my most favorite comic book character of all-time. X-Factor was his first starring role. Before X-Factor, Multiple Man was lucky to play a bit part in random X-Men stories. X-Factor made him a star.
So what the heck is going to happen to Multiple Man now that it’s over?
Sayonara!
I really want to know. He’s my favorite character, and I’m going to miss reading new Multiple Man comics every month. I’m confident that writer Peter David will give him a powerful farewell. But comic books abhor a vacuum. While one writer might send a character off into the sunset, another writer is going to come along and find a reason to bring that character back from the sunset. So whatever Peter David does with Multiple Man in X-Factor #262, I’m confident – and a little nervous – that Multiple Man will show up again before too long.
But where? And what will he be doing? Here are six possibilities.
Wolverine the Puppet Musical May Be the Greatest Thing Ever Made
I am no stranger to hyperbole, so believe me when I tell you that this video is probably the greatest thing the Internet has ever produced.
A chorus of Multiple Men? Seriously!? Was this video made specifically for me? Did some just and loving god look down from the heavens and imbue Glove and Boots to be the bearer of His good word? The songs are well-written, the puppetry is beyond amazing, and they used Multiple Man, people! Multiple Man! I wish I could blog this a hundred times over. It’s…I should hire a poet.
If The Wolverine movie is even half as good as this puppet musical, then this is a world worth living in.
Review: X-Factor #259
Hey continuity fans, this issue is for you! Did you ever wonder what happened to Dazzler’s baby from that one brief mention of it’s fate back in 2001? What about the secret history of Longshot and Shatterstar? Are you a scholar of X-Men history so deep and obscure that you’ve been waiting decades for your answers? Peter David and X-Factor have you covered in the latest issue of The End of X-Factor! And it’s mostly good, but also mostly just a quick attempt for PAD to write off a story idea he had in one issue.
X-Factor #259
On the one hand, The End of X-Factor is about tying off each individual character with a bow. On the other hand, like with this issue, PAD might be cramming every story idea he had left into single, one-off issues.
Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.
I’m just not a big fan of Rictor, Shatterstar or Longshot, so maybe the true strength of this issue was lost on me. PAD has been hinting at some sort of connection between the two similar heroes for a while now, and I can definitely say I didn’t see this exact twist coming, but it’s still similar to what I expected. It also only comes up in the last third of the book, which turns into a huge info-dump as PAD just lets it all out. I got the feeling that he had planned something bigger and better for the big reveal, but the comic’s cancellation saw to the end of those plans.
The rest of the issue is fine. It’s mostly about Rictor, and it’s so utterly random. After the events of Hell on Earth War, Rictor wound up in the Mojoverse, of all places. That part doesn’t make much sense, but again, this issue is all about tying off the Longshot/Shatterstar story. PAD does a fine job with it, and might actually appease a few continuity buffs in the audience.
Review: X-Factor #258
Now this is more like it! The last issue of X-Factor was a weird, context-less adventure in Marrakesh that didn’t seem to really have anything to do with X-Factor as a comic or as a superhero team. This issue, starring Wolfsbane, is a proper farewell. It tells a great Wolfsbane story, deals with her personal fallout in the wake of the Hell on Earth War, and sets her up with a new, post-series life. This is exactly what I want to see from the final issues of X-Factor.
X-Factor #258
Rahne gets the help of Father John Maddox to say goodbye, and once again, an appearance by Multiple Man’s religious dupe makes for a good issue.
Comic Rating: 4/5 – Good.
It’s sad to see X-Factor go, but it’s fun to watch writer Peter David say his goodbyes. I didn’t like the last issue whatsoever. It wasn’t a goodbye. It wasn’t a character story. It had nothing to do with anything. But this is very different. Father Maddox is one of the best creations to come out of X-Factor, and he’s a great narrator. Nothing has been as good as Maddox’s first ever appearance, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Maddox works well as a foil for Wolfsbane, given their religious connection, and he gives her a suitable outlet to wrap up her story. This issue definitely feels like a goodbye to Wolfsbane. I knew PAD could pull it off.
This issue also definitely feels like a farewell to X-Factor. As Rahne’s story wrapped up, as she shared a final scene with Guido, it really felt like an end of everything. Rahne and Guido used to be best friends, but in this issue I could really see how far they’ve come – and how far they are from friends anymore. Guido killed her son, after all. Rahne gets a very nice send-off. There’s a flash of Wolfsbane action, a heartfelt reunion with an old love, and some counseling with Father Maddox.
In the end, Rahne gets a chance to see the light. I hope we all get that chance when X-Factor comes to an end this fall.
Henchman-4-Hire 