Cry “Havok”

Well, there goes the shock ending of X-Factor #230: the reveal of the return of Havok. The cover image was shown and it’s being discussed all over the net.

Ah well. Maybe it’ll get more people ordering the book ahead of time instead of them complaining that they can’t find it in the stores. Besides which, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to #230…not to mention #227, the ending of which I confidently predict will receive the WTF!? Award of 2011. What’s that? You say there isn’t a WTF!? award? Well, they’re just gonnna have to go invent one.

PAD

57 comments on “Cry “Havok”

  1. Well it’s cool still, but yeah all these dámņ spoilers even coming directly from Marvel is annoying. I’m still irked by the death of spider-man advertised for months, but in the end shouldn’t it have been called the Death of Peter Parker. Anyhow, it’s awesome to see Havok earthbound again, long-live X-Factor and future WTF moments 🙂

    1. havok’s back and he’s joining my favorite x-team (only when written by PAD, of course)!

      boy, if the world is ending, this is definitely a happy ending!

  2. Marvel just loves their spoilers, don’t they? I remember a time when every week I’d go to the comic store and have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what would happen. Now, I can usually predict major stuff based on spoilers and now some details going in.

    At least X-Factor manages to still get me. The end to Hard Labor sure shocked the hëll out of me, and I’m both looking forward to and dreading what you’ve got planned. It’ll be interesting to see how Alex returning will impact the book, with so much history there. (Plus, I always loved the classic X-Factor issue with X-Force, where Rictor immediately declares undying hatred for Alex-that-Rahne’s-sweet-on.)

  3. Fortunately, the latest research suggests people enjoy stories more when they are “spoiled.” So issue #230 should be a smash hit!

    1. It’s been on five different sites. I suspect you would’ve heard about it sometime before January. Hëll, it’ll probably be on Wikipedia before then.
      .
      PAD

  4. Pretty excited about Havok coming back to the book. Always seemed wrong with him gone.

    Hopefully Marvel isn’t giving you too much editorial crap. You still have the best X-book out there IMO

  5. I’m really curious to see how you’ll work him into your running plots. Not to mention the team chemistry as he’s used to being a leader type.

  6. Y’know, I really miss the days when spoilers were week old meatloaf, and there wasn’t any way to find out the surprises and exciting information about a comic until I actually read it (or at least saw the cover.)
    .
    Then again, I miss four color comics… 256 million colors has really hurt artwork a lot, I think. Must be that silver age fogey coming to the fore again!
    .
    But at least PAD hasn’t restarted X-Factor from issue 1, with only a five year pre-history… hey, wait, maybe that’s the WTF at the end of 227? Angel, Beast, Cyke, Iceman, Marvel Girl – THEY’RE COMIN’ BACK!!! (Are any of them currently dead? This might be their big return… 🙂

    1. is there really any point of keeping track of who’s dead anymore? They might as well be on vacation. Or in the bathroom.

      1. I absolutely *love* your idea that they might as well be in the bathroom. I picture hero after hero walking out of the bathroom, telling the astonished people, “What the hëll? I narrowly escape death, have to use the can, and you all decide I’m dead and gone?”

        Of course, for the number of “dead” heroes the bathroom would have to be a TARDIS with an unconventional use of its chameleon circuit. Or the disinfectant would be Pym particles…

  7. I’ve been out of comics (aside from the very rare “impulse buy”) for the last five years, but a recent re-reading of the first twenty issues of “PAD-Factor 2.0,” the promises of calamity and woe in issue 227, and finally the teaser for 230 has got me interested in tracking down the fifty-some-odd issues I’ve missed and catching up. I’d like to get them all at some point, but wouldn’t mind some advice regarding a good starting point between issues 21 and 220-whatever-the-heck-issue-number-is-out-now.

    1. Issue 200 is probably a good bet. A lot of long-running plots and subplots came to a head in issue #50, allowing #200 (the next issue, according to Marvel math) to be something of a fresh start.
      .
      Alternatively, the next issue on the stands will be #224.1. At one point, these “Point One” issues were understood to be good “jumping on” points. Since I haven’t read it or the subsequent issues, I can’t guarantee that it’s a good place to start, but it seems like another reasonable candidate.
      .
      And I would recommend catching up on the whole run at some point. AFAIK, all the necessary trades are in print if that’s your fancy.

  8. I really dont like X-Factor being dragged into the Xmen events, but this is great. I only hope this does not change the tone of the book.
    and… I cant wait to see Havok in a trench coat!

  9. I was surprised to see the Havok reveal, and was wondering if it had been intended. It was quite the surprise, and I know how much you like to hold on to them surprise cards.

    That said, I liked the most recent issue of X-Factor, but was kinda disappointed at the same time because of the cover. It shows Rahne having this true bonding moment with her newborn baby… it’s a really beautiful cover. But within the story itself, her reaction was the complete opposite. Now I know that some mother’s can have that type of reaction… it’s nothing out of the ordinary, and plausible with everything Rahne’s been through recently. But I was kinda looking forward to seeing Rahne playing the protective mom role, and the cover really played up to that.

    That said, I like that Jack Russell (A pun that I totally missed until you pointed it out) is the cub-baby’s new guardian. Is this suppose to be your take on “Lone Wolf and Cub”? 😛 I’d read that in a minute, but don’t let Marvel try to steal that name like they did with “Mysterymen” on Bob Burden.

  10. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Agamemnon in this recent arc. There’s something I’ve been curious about, and haven’t been able to research because my collection is utterly disorganized at the moment: was it you, PAD, that established that Aggy/Vali was the son of Loki back in his original “Incredible Hulk” appearances, or did Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente add that for the “Prince of Power” mini? Is there any significance to the distant relation between Rahne’s son, Agamemnon and Hela that traces back to Loki, or were they just two more mystic factions making a play for the pup?
    .
    Chuck

  11. I hate to say it, but Marvel probably thought they were helping. Putting Havok as the reveal on that cover probably seemed like the thing most likely to get fans talking and willing to try X-Factor.

  12. Is anybody else worried that it doesn’t appear Madrox has a silhouette on the comic (or at least not one my wife or I can find)? If it came down to Jamie or the entire rest of the cast of X-Factor, I’d rather read a book about just Jamie. (No pressure, PAD)

    1. It seems likely that there are at least 2 people standing in front of Guido in that picture, and their silhouettes are all running together. Either that, or Guido is wearing a hoop skirt.
      .
      And I second your motion. As much as I enjoy the entire cast, I’d most hate to lose Jamie. Not just because I’m fond of the character, but because I feel like there is still some setup for him (and Layla) that hasn’t been paid off yet. Plus, his death would have even less impact than most because it can always be reversed later with “That was a dupe!” – just like they’ve done several times already. (“My hobby is looking at random dead bodies and saying ‘It’s Jamie alright.'”)

      1. Thirded.

        I like most of the characters for sure (I’m neither here nor there on Shatterstar and Longshot though I do appreciate what’s been done with them) but it’s Jamie who truly anchors the book for me.

      2. three people in front of guido. the 2 should be longshot and rictor. the third seems like a woman. maybe polaris.

  13. Any chance Rachel or Lorna is joining X-Factor too? I love when Alex, Lorna & Rachel are together.

    1. Me too! I would love to read more with these three together. Carey has them for a bit (while his Legacy team rescues them from space), but Rachel and Lorna’s whereabouts after that are a mystery for now.

      1. I third that! I’m a longtime fan of Alex and Lorna, and I love when Rachel is with them as well. I’ve been reading some of the old stuff, and I JUST found out about the reunion. Great news, especially since Peter is doing the writing.

  14. I agree with Marvel on this.
    .
    Havok has a large fan-base, and he’s the most prominent of the students in the X-Men: First Class movie. Us current readers may have had one of many spoilers ruined for us, but I would much rather have the sales/popularity boost and guarantee the survival of my favorite comic.

    1. I should also add, that since Havok has most recently been featured as an X-Man, he will be the most popular and mainstream of X-Factor. This is crucial for establishing X-Factor as a book that “matters”. While many X-Factor fans complain about the book being tied up in x-overs, that doesn’t mean the title needs to ignore the rest of the X-unverse. As long as x-fans feel there are x-related events in it, they’ll be interested.

      1. @Mike T: no, he doesn’t. IIRC, the last time he was featured prominently in an X-Men book was in 1992-93 when he and Dazzler guest starred in X-Men (with Jim Lee penciling). Before that, it was the days of Australia (1989). I’m sure there are a lot of X-men readers today who weren’t even born in 1989.

  15. Thunderbolts is my favorite comic book of all time. And that was the biggest major surprise anyone had ever pulled off, thanks, in part, to PAD. The solicit for the issue of Incredible Hulk they first appeared in was going to spoil the major secret. PAD caught it and had it changed in time. Now, ironically, I didn’t really have any interest in the comic at all, until around issue 3, when Wizard magazine talked about how everyone was surprised by the fact that the new heroes were really the masters of evil. Then I found issue 1 and read it and thought wow, that was a really well done twist ending.

  16. Ironically, I just reread PAD’s DC Star Trek 54, where the big punch line was spoiled by the cover.

  17. Well it’s not like X-factor was the only one. The X-force cover spoiled AOA Nightcrawler.

    I’m going to to the X-Men panel tomorrow at Fan Expo I can ask why they chose the reveal they did.

  18. Related to X-factor. I never read your first run on the series. I picked up a few issues here and there but couldn’t get into it(even when crossovered with the Hulk).

    However many years later, the Madrox LS comes out and I buy it becuase I enjoy about 95% of your work. Madrox landed in the remaining 5. However many years later, I read that your going to be writing a new X-factor series, and I never even looked at it. (A team I didn’t follow the first time, led by a charactor I didn’t like, plus I had/have really given up on collecting “new” comics.)

    Cut to about a month ago I’m going through the (forgive me) discount rack at my local comic shop and stumble across “X-factor: The Invisible Woman has Vanished” for half price. So what the heck, I’ll give it a shot. And I liked it. It was funny, serious, well paced and just an all around enjoyable read.

    Cut to last week at a small comics covenion, put on locally in my area ( http://www.comicbookscifi.com/ ), I picked up X-factor Visionaries: PAD, Vols 1+3, “The Many Lifes of Madrox” and “The Skrull Invasion One” at the “All TBPs are $5” booth. So far I have read and enjoyed both Visionaries and the “Many Lifes of Madrox” (I read that one twice, really enjoyed it. (I know, I know.)) I haven’t read the Skrull one yet, but only becuase I now intend to hunt down and buy the the rest of the X-factor TBPs first so i can read the whole story in order. (Even at full price I figure I can probably pick up 1 or 2 a month.)

    Anyway, just wanted to say that I’ve been a fan of yours since “The Death of Jean Dewolf.” It’s funny that all those books and what, 25 years later (yikes), I’m *still* discovering your work. Cheers and thanks.

  19. Having just read X-Factor 224, I must ask, is the horror show that is Rahne’s life right now ever going to stop? She is my favorite character, but she has endured nothing but pure torture from writers that claim they like the character.

    It is becoming hard to like her anymore, not just for what is happening to her, but for the way she is also behaving. I can partially understand her reaction to her son’s birth, but I can also deride her for it.

    Is anything going to get better for her soon, or should I just stop reading X-Factor now, so I can preserve some enjoyment from the character?

    1. It’s going to be a little bit yet, but Rahne is going to be facing her behavior head on, and some major positive turnarounds for her are going to be happening within the next year.
      .
      PAD

  20. I’m very excited about Havok returning to the title, but I hope some other character comes with him. Namely Feral! Give Dog-breath Rahne a motherly demise and replace her with the far better animal babe of the 90’s!

      1. I have, and it’s been SSSSSOOOOOO good. Your Feral is perfect, playfully nasty. I hope she becomes a permanent fixture and I’m so glad you found a way to bring her back (possibly)!

  21. I was really routing for Wolfsbane to keep her child. It would have been great storytelling for her to have to raise/tame a hairtrigger killing machine (which we all knew the baby would turn out to be).

    Plus, it would definitely have been a change of the norm for a comic book mother to actually get to KEEP her child – it seems whenever a woman gets pregnant, that child is doomed to be taken from her at birth, grown up at an accelerated rate and turned into a super villain (usually two of the three.) It’s just such contrived drama and at this point it’s seriously cliche. Mr. David, you disappointed me.

    Why is it that the only nuclear family in comics is Reed Richard’s, the man who least deserves it?

    1. You know what I find interesting? When people talk about how I’m doing something that they consider to be predictable and cliche. And then, in later months, when it’s revealed that they were absolutely dead wrong, they get very, very quiet. It happens more frequently on places like Comic Book Resources and Bleeding Cool, where people seething with vituperation look for reasons to slag me. Little sad to see it happening here as well.
      .
      Plus I’m unclear as to why this is entirely on my head. I’m not the one who had her get knocked up by an Asgardian wolf prince.
      .
      PAD

  22. So Layla, Wolfsbane, Monet, Rictor and Shaterstar are all confirmed, and I’d be very shocked if it’s anyone but Guido in the big silhouette. That leaves Madrox, Longshot and Syryn.

    1. Well, as it turns out, it is Guido, but there are three people standing in front of him. So back to square one, it seems.
      .
      And, of course, the cover could turn out to misrepresent the cast, and the dead person is actually on it. Stranger things have happened.

  23. I’m thinking it’s Madrox who dies, and this has me awefully depressed. I’ll keep reading no matter what though. I got into this series through the “Madrox” mini, my favourite graphic novel ever, and even if Madrox is gone, I will stick with it until the end…

    Sigh

  24. I don’t think my first message went through, so apologies if this is redundant.

    I have been reading X-Factor comics lately exclusively for the story arc revolving around Wolfsbane’s pregnancy. Rahne’s a favorite character of mine and I was really hoping you would do something awesome with Rahne being saddled with a kid. You’re a favorite writer of mine and I had every confidence that you would.

    Alas, you went down the old cliche route of contrived drama for its own sake. I was hoping for once you would do the unusual thing and LET THE MOTHER KEEP HER BABY. Having her raising a super-powerful triggerhappy killing machine (which we all knew a semimystical werewolf-baby would turn out to be) would have made for some dámņ fine storytelling.

    But no.

    And I just KNOW it’s going to grow up to adulthood within the next year and harbor a hateful grudge against his mother. Gee, it’s not like we haven’t seen that happen before to Wonder Girl, or that owl chick from Alpha Flight, or to (I think) Ms. Marvel.

    …Why is it that the only nuclear family in Marvel comics is Reed Richard’s, the man who least deserves it?

    1. This is a silly comment to leave a man who has worked hard to make Rahne, a favorite of yours, a viable character. She was knocked up and left with no resolution, so PAD is running with it. The story hasn’t even finished for the most part, just the initial arc. How do you know Rahne doesn’t feel bad the next issue and hunt down the baby? How do you know Jack Russel won’t tame it and return it to her? How do you know the baby isn’t possessed? How do you know Feral doesn’t steal the baby, and Rahne realize she needs to be raising it (though Feral is far COOLER then Rahne). You don’t KNOW anything, so you should probably calm down and wait a little longer before criticizing PAD on his own site. If you’ve really been a reader of this series then you know he’s the last person to be predictable or cliche.

  25. I just finished reading X Factor 224.1. It was definitely the best “Point One” issue so far. Although I am excited to see the changes starting in issue 230, I will be going crazy waiting for issue 225. Thank you for the great story!

  26. Hi Mr David! I’m a big X-Factor fan and I’m very excited to see Havok return under your pen.
    I also just recently found out that one of my favorite writers was also the co-creator of one of my favorite childhood tv shows: Space Cases!

    I just had a quick questions… do you have any future plans for Marrow to return or make an appearance?

    Thank you in advance!

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