The much-awaited “Re-X-Aminations.” Whad’ja think?
PAD
77 comments on “OUT THIS WEEK: X-FACTOR #13”
Loved it! Would pay good money for a PAD scripted “Doc Samson” mini or on-going.
loved the issue- possibly not as much as the original, but that had the added “element of surprise” twist to put it over the top.
i’m still not too thrilled with Rahne’s new extra-Wolfman transitional state.
one question some of us were debating- yes, Monet’s been through quite a bit, but were she to stack it up against, say, Rahne or Siryn, it isn’t especially tragic. not for a person of X. and compared to them, does her retreating behind the uber-b***h shell seem a tad less justified to you?
still, i absolutely adored this issue and can’t wait for the next one with the repercussions
Personally, I didn’t consider Samson a twist.
It had either to be him or a smart-ášš dupe of Jamie. There aren’t that many known psychologists in the Marvel Universe.
I absolutely loved the letter column. Peter, you have such a refreshing sense of humour. It’s nearly first-rate material.
Hmmm. Loved it. I would second the nomination for Peter to do a Doc Sampson miniseries, but only if it would focus on the therapy aspects of the character.
If nothing else, I would love to see a follow-up issue in a year or two.
Some people enjoy watching minor league baseball games, so you can see great ballplayers before they become famous, and famous ballplayers on their way down. Others like minor league ball because that’s where Real Baseball gets played.
Of course, all that’s irrelevant, and I have no idea what made me think of it. As someone who never read the original X-Factor issues, so I am unable to compare this issue to the earlier one it alludes to, I enjoyed it immensely. I think I liked Layla’s session the best.
Though I never would have thought someone could tell a Helen Keller joke that I would laugh at.
“one question some of us were debating- yes, Monet’s been through quite a bit, but were she to stack it up against, say, Rahne or Siryn, it isn’t especially tragic. not for a person of X. and compared to them, does her retreating behind the uber-b***h shell seem a tad less justified to you?”
I disagree. Sure, Terry and Rahne have also had it tough, which brought all sorts of consequences. M has to deal with how long she was Penance, PLUS the price to free her from the role (namely, her sisters).
Keep in mind that the whole “M” personality itself is based on a falsehood.
1
I liked the issue very much. The reason for this email is to ask about that really great line delivered (with wonderful pompousness) by Peitro: “The FUTURE is written by the winners. HISTORY is written by the survivors.”
I was going to send that line to my daughter (who graduated several years ago with a history degree), but she’ll want to know the source of the quotation. She knows who Peter David is through those Supergirl comics (the only decent thing to come out of the past 20 years of the DC universe). But before I tell her that this quote is by Peter David (which is probably correct), I thought I’d better check to ask if you might have been borrowing it from another source (my daughter would be picky about such things and would want the source to be “accurate”)
(though she also admits that there probably are no truly new and original lines of poetry, philosophy, etc).
– James Whitenton
Personally, I didn’t consider Samson a twist.
It had either to be him or a smart-ášš dupe of Jamie. There aren’t that many known psychologists in the Marvel Universe.
The previous poster probably referred to the X-Factor issue from 90s. When I read that one, I thought the hidden shrink was your normal faceless run-out-of-the-mill one, not someone we should know about.
Leaving Samson’s identity ambiguous in this case actually played against the story. I felt that “I know it’s Samson — why does the writer go to such lengths to keep him hidden?”
I felt the page count was too little in this case. Yeah, I know, no can do.. but few of those people could have used an extra page or two. Maybe tighter grid could have been used? These were, after all, mostly just talking heads.
I didn’t know who Helen Keller was, and therefore the joke went over my head. It was referred to again in the end, which bugged me so much I had to wiki her up. It took me a while to sink in that she was blind and deaf and still an activist and writer… but after that went in, I found the joke very hilarious indeed. In retrospect, having that joke was a very good touch.
I would have liked Samson hearing about the future marriage of Layla and Madrox. I’m still wondering how this will come to be. You can’t just go “five years later” with this comic, so the other alternative is that…ah yes. That would work. I’m hoping this -and marriage- will actually happen, and the comic isn’t cancelled before that or PAD kicked out.
Thanks for a very good issue, it might have been one of the best in the new series. I’m still wishing for a sideshow, something that could run few panels an issue.. like the family of villains in the original run that the team never even met. But that’s wishing, I guess..
“But before I tell her that this quote is by Peter David (which is probably correct), I thought I’d better check to ask if you might have been borrowing it from another source (my daughter would be picky about such things and would want the source to be “accurate”)”
If anyone else said it, I sure don’t know about it.
PAD
Well, crap.
I just ran a google check and some guy named Max Lerner wrote:
“The so-called lessons of history are for the most part the rationalizations of the victors. History is written by the survivors.”
I never heard of him before just now.
PAD
I enjoyed that Samson was hidden the whole time. I did not know that it was him.
The issue was very enjoyable. This series seems a bit leisurely in its pacing, but the character development makes it one of my favorite reads every month.
Eric
I found this to be the best Peter David comic in a long time. I’ve been a P.D. fan long enough to know that he’ll occasionally write a characterization-heavy, non-action story, and it always satisfies. His stories always excel when he uses Doc Samson, clearly someone he has fun writing. And finally, a Peter David story that gets strong art. The cover (by the interior artist, not the Quesada one) was so eye-catching! And the interior art was just as solid. If I’ve had one complaint about Peter’s comics lately, it’s been the art. Dale Keown, George Perez, Gary Frank, Chrisscross and even Todd McFarlane were some of the artist who drew pages that lived up to Peter’s stories. I hadn’t really seen that quality in the last few years (although there have been a few here and there). But with this issue, finally, some art that was just as impressive as Peter’s story.
Peter, I’m surprised that you’ve never heard of Lerner, one of the great (and often controversial) journalists of our time. The fact that part of the quote took root in your subconscious at some point would suggest that you were exposed to something of his work. My favorite quote, and I hope I get it right, is ‘When you choose the lesser of the two evils, always remember that it is still an evil.’ If anybody knows about any of his old columns that can be accessed online, I would love to track some of them down.
But at the risk of digressing, let me add my vote to those who welcomed the addition of Doc Sampson. I’m still waiting for the definitive Doc Sampson series to be written (hint, hint).
I meant SAMSON of course. Always remember to spell-check before posting, especially when everybody else got it right!
Very nice issue.
It seems that the artist decided to make a more “montrous” Wolfsbane, very different from the first issues. Perhaps her wolf form is affected by her mood… she really believes she is a monster because of future actions.
And Samson should continue to help her. I mean, she´s the poster child of mutant angst !
Was it supposed to be a suprise that it was Sampson? I thought the it was always known and the green tinged balloon pretty much gave it away..
Plus given the plot who else was it going to be?
I thought the reason we never saw him until the end was because we are sort of taking his spot allowing the characters to kind of break the fourth wall without breaking it.
Not to mention, the variant cover had Samson on it. 🙂
“I miss making mayonnaise jars that won’t open.” Hee.
This book just keeps getting better. I remnember the original fondly. The best issue of the original volume (any writer by far– and this one by far.
– Guido being silent at first seems to be a thing with him and Samson
– Siryn could really use his help weekly.
– Maybe Rahne should go on a date with Jack Russell. Bwhahahahahahaha!
Again, why try to hide Samson. He was on the friggerin’ alternate cover. (I almost bought that one instead.)
PAD written Samson doing therapy series would be great. Imagine the guest stars that would need his help– start with some big names like Spidey or Punisher. Move into some more obscure or obtuse characters like Madcap or J. Jonah Jameson. Maybe he could give Reed and Sue help with their current marriage problem. Who knows maybe at the end of the first climatic year Samson could psychoanalyze Galactus. And when sales begin to tank around issue 15 or so– Wolverine can make an appointment. It’d be fantastic.
I really enjoyed this issue, and found it to be on par with the original. Everytime someone bemoans the state of current comics, I direct them to X Factor.
And good job for making me adore Layla Miller!
I remember buying that old issue of X-Factor 87, years ago, back in ’93, when it had Havok, Polaris, Quicksilver, Wolfsbane, Guido (or Strong Guy) and Multiple Man as members… and I still have it with me.
Now that I have read this volume’s number 13, I see things that I have gone through during the time between both issues; after I read and compared the ways the attitudes and views of some of the characters have changed, and how they have not in others, it takes back to my situation at the beggining of the 90’s; it reminds me of the way I was, my awkwardness, my worries, the struggles to understand, young platonic love, the burning hope for somethig better… it is a bittersweet experience, but I believe that I have learned not to worry about silly things, since now I have new things to preoccupy me!, he!.
I really hope I can get both issues signed at the next comic convention, since I am a big PAD fan, and love his work on X-Factor.
Arturo.
>>Personally, I didn’t consider Samson a twist.
>It had either to be him or a smart-ášš dupe of Jamie.
Not having seen the alternate cover, Samson honestly hadn’t occured to me. I tended to think more a Jamie dupe who may have gone in for a psych degree at some point. Though, to be honest, I didn’t see the point in keeping Samson hidden. Not sure it really added more than a distraction – trying to figure out who he was – to the marvelously-written sessions.
Meanwhile, message to Monet: You’ve got more going for you than 99.9…% of humanity. Yeah, you had a real raw deal. Key word here: “had”. Now develop some empathy and start using those gifts to do well and you just might find the pain starts to fade. Beats sitting there feeling sorry for yourself.
(Yeah, I know, is it were that easy, a lot fewer people would need therapy.)
“Meanwhile, message to Monet: You’ve got more going for you than 99.9…% of humanity.”
There’s a lot of “pretty people” who share that status. Yet they seem to live their lives in an endless state of divorce or unhappy romances, police run-ins, drug busts and substance abuse, and early death. The point of the way I was handling Monet was quite simply that those who have so much oftentimes are far more miserable because of their problems than those who have less. When you have so much, what you don’t have becomes magnified to the point of being intolerable. That’s why Monet’s reactions to the difficulties she’s had in her life were so much bigger than everyone else’s. I just didn’t spell that out. Perhaps I will in an upcoming issue.
PAD
Best. Issue. Ever.
Seriously, I had high expectations for Re-X-aminations, and PAD not only met them, but exceeded them. References to Penace, Emplate, and the best X-villain of all time, the dreaeded jar of mayo!
I still don’t like Rictor though. That’s not PAD fault, however, I never did like him.
That, and having your brother turn you into a monster and then eat your marrow (or whatever) for an extended period isn’t really a “little” thing no matter how you cut it.
My only problem with this issue(and it has nothing to do with the story, which was great) was that the copy I bought the art and lettering was blurred on the first two and the last two pages. I may have to go in search of a better copy. Having worked in a newspaper pressroom it’s clear to me that the press was not lined up properly. Good job at the printing press Marvel. Did anyone else have this problem?
>When you have so much, what you don’t have becomes magnified to the point of being intolerable.
Not to mention that, when you’re as smart as she is, not being able to solve all life’s problems can beget enormous frustration.
Now she just needs to get with the “give me the strength to accept what I can’t change” program. And, yeah, again, if it were that easy …
One of the best lines I’ve ever read in comics is in the current IRON MAN where Stark is really doubting himself in the current mess and his driver, Happy Hogan explains to him, in words of two syllables or less, why he’s uniquely suited to be fair about the whole thing. Stark looks up and comments “You’re the only guy I ever met who can make me feel like a moron.” Monet desperately needs someone like that to kick her in the mental side and help her get back on her feet.
“I disagree. Sure, Terry and Rahne have also had it tough, which brought all sorts of consequences. M has to deal with how long she was Penance, PLUS the price to free her from the role (namely, her sisters).”
I didn’t mean to diminish the tragedy of Monet’s life, but, just to look at Rahne, you have a girl who was emotionally for most of her childhood by a minister who turned out to be her father (although that was not known at the time), who tried to lead a mob to kill her. She was killed by the Beyonder, resurrected, then shipped off to the White Queen for “healing”. Her first love was shot saving her life. She was turned into a mutate and bonded to Havok. The closest thing to a mom she had was the only human to contract the Legacy Virus, and was then killed by Mystique (who, at the same time, depowered Rahne). Not to mention being shamed in front of all her friends at Xavier’s at her relationship with a student.
I think that’s fairly comparable to Monet… again, it doesn’t lessen what M went through, but nearly every person wearing the X has a fairly tragic past.
Another excellent issue! I may save most of my substantive comments for another letter to the column – as someone who really missed letter columns when Marvel quit them, I really should do my part to encourage the ones that are around now – but there are a couple of replies I can make to this thread.
Joe Nazzaro – I have to take issue with this assertion: “The fact that part of the quote took root in your subconscious at some point…” . It is possible that PAD came across this quote at some point, then completely forgot it, until it drifted into this story; but it’s equally likely – if not more likely – that he came up with the idea which Quicksilver expresses totally on his own. Sometimes people do come up with similar realizations or concepts completely independently; as PAD was unaware of this quote until googling for this thread, it seems to me at least as probable that we have a separate “parallel evolution” of ideas here. (BTW, I’m enjoying your “Writers’ Season by Season Guide” series in the BtVS/Angel magazines. I’m a bit behind on my reading, but what I’ve read so far has been very interesting and well-written.)
As far as Samson being unseen for most of the issue – personally, I didn’t think he was supposed to be a secret; between the previous letter column, the alternate cover – which happened to be the version in my pullbox – and the green voice bubbles, I never had any question about who the psychoanlayst was. As for those who are questioning “Why?” – you should read Jason K’s explanation above. Makes sense to me.
And I’m liking this idea going here of a “Doc Samson (maybe that should be “Dr. Samson,” in this case): Psychoanlyst of Heroes” series! IF done by PAD, it could be a great idea!
Rahne is one of my favorites. Too often she’s looked as a weak link in the X Universe but I’ve always found her to be such a strong character. With all that she’s been through she holds on to her humanity and faith. Much like Nightcrawler. I’m glad PAD was consistent with her speech patterns this issue. Lately, she seems to switch back and forth from her Scots to American english. Raimondi does draw her wolf-form like a male’s body. He should change that probably. Oh, does she turn into a full wolf anymore or just this transitional stage. And whatever happend to the fangs she had in her human form when she was introduced way back in the New Mutants (the graphic novel and early issues)? I think that Sook might have drawn them on the cover of X-Factor #1 as well.
As much as I love Jamie, I would love to see more of Rahne. She must have some redeeming qualities since she’s the only mutant to have been in 4 different mutant groups (New Mutants, X-Force, X-Factor, Excalibur). I think that’s the most of any other mutant. C’mon, wolf girls are cool!
I like how Layla is revealed to be a Trek fan. So, is the episode she refers to Balance of Terror?
Great issue as I expected. I’d go over the team members’ sessions one by one if it weren’t for the last page. Saying everything I want to about that is going to be a pretty good-sized post by itself, so commenting on the rest will have to wait.
The last page did nothing to improve my opinion of Monet. Yes, she has been through awful ordeals, but that doesn’t excuse her throwing Jamie through a window after he admitted his dupe had also bedded Terry (which was not really his fault and is not as bad as if he’d knowingly cheated. As far as I know, the only thing he did wrong was keep Terry and Monet in the dark afterwards, as opposed to continuing physical relationships with both women).
For god’s sake, Jamie has had a pro-registration dupe, I believe I’ve read that he’s had bi or gay dupes, he had a dupe that blew himself up just the issue before this. Somebody as intelligent as Monet, even with her emotional involvement possibly affecting her analytical skills, ought to know that getting romantically involved with Jamie Madrox is a very risky affair, and not necessarily due to any fault of Jamie’s!
I don’t believe it’s any more acceptable for a woman to hit a man than vice versa, particularly if that woman can hit hard (or use a blunt object). Monet has SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH, she can cause serious injury, even to a guy like Jamie who can “dilute” his injuries by spreading them across several dozen dupes and then merging again. She can’t just go around hitting everybody who pìššëš her off, and she has to be made to realize that. Slapping Jamie would have been wrong, IMHO, but not unforgivable. Punching him would be significantly worse. Throwing him through a plate glass window that shatters and cuts him up is just inexcusable, I’m sorry.
As strongly as I feel about this, I have to admit I did smile at what he said to Samson before he passed out.
I have been looking forward to this issue ever since it was first discussed – and I loved it! Just as much fun as the last time Doc Sampson sat down for a chat with these folks. Thanks for an enjoyable read!
BTW, in the letters page of the issue, you mentioned the initial negative fan reaction against Layla Miller. I was one of those fans, and you hit the nail on the head – I didn’t like her because she did come out of nowhere to save the day. We may still not agree on whether her introduction worked or did not work, but I think I speak for most fans by saying that is all water under the bridge now – she’s a great character that really has hit her stride. Plus, I feel you’ve got a lot in store for her that you’ve only hinted at so far. I couldn’t be having more fun with the story. I can always count on this book to put a smile on my face, which to me, is the product of a FIRST RATE writer (I wouldn’t take offense to the first printed letter; he’s entitled to his opinion but he must be new to the ballgame and isn’t yet familiar with the players).
The story was excellent as usual, but the lettercol responses by PAD were particularly hilarious. Hard to picture PAD in a fetal position…
X-Factor was awesome as usual. And I can’t wait to see what that Ben Reilly tease is about in FNSM next wednesday…
With the Monet thing is out of my system, it’s time for the rest…
GUIDO: It was pretty clear that he’d need to talk about what Tryp made him do. Occurs to me that shortly after his debut he became a pawn of the Shadow King, so this isn’t the first time that he’s been in this position and any questions he might have had about whether he was made evil or whether the evil within him was merely brought to the surface would have been addressed then. But on the other hand, from what I know of the Muir Island Saga, Guido never actually wound up killing anybody, so this would be the first time he’s dealt with the kind of guilt involved. I like his dialogue, which is sort of a cross between the stereotypical “uneducated thug talk” as written by Claremont and the later version as fleshed out by David. The latter Guido was a lot more interesting, but I like consistency, so making his speech a bit more like it was originally is a good idea, I would say. Completely understandable that he’s angry and frustrated–I can’t imagine being in pain 24/7 and hope I never experience it firsthand.
Guido, like just about everybody on the team, clearly needs more than one session if he’s going to make any progress. If I might make a suggestion, maybe in future issues there could be a line here and there referencing appointments this character or that character had earlier in the week with Samson “off-camera” (or off-panel, not sure what the proper term would be in this medium).
LAYLA: It’s funny how she can cope so well even knowing all that bad stuff that’s gonna go down. I’ve only been reading for three issues now, but she never seems to be shaken by anything. Come to think of it, Destiny (also blessed/cursed with knowledge of the future) was similarly serene much of the time. Perhaps those who have such a clear and thorough view of the future just have time to make their peace with events long before they happen and we never see their initial reactions when they first see what’s to come. Awful nice of her to keep Samson from making moves that would have won her the chess game, too. Man, screw the haters, I really like this girl!
RICTOR: Perhaps this has been covered in previous issues, but I’m not sure why Ric’s dealing so badly with the loss of his powers. I can’t imagine him using them much outside of battles, and most of the characters in the X-books (from what I recall when I read them in the ’90s and early 2000s) have really wanted to take a break from the whole “fighting bad guys and saving the world” thing–have, in fact, NEEDED a break for the sake of their continued sanity. But then, here’s a guy who was victimized by Cameron Hodge, then Sabretooth (as he mentions here) and I have no idea how many others. Could be he just hates feeling helpless after being a victim so many times. I can only imagine what was going through his head when Tryp easily subdued him in issue #12. Bad day, no doubt.
TERRY: Back when Mary-Jane Watson was presumed killed in a plane crash in the Spider-titles, I remember Peter Parker going through similar “denial” because so many people had come back from the dead. This kind of desperate hope, this unwillingness to believe that a loved one is truly and permanently dead, must come easier in the Marvel Universe, for obvious reasons. I was a little surprised that Samson didn’t say so in so many words, aside from saying he couldn’t be 100% sure Banshee was gone. Banner was presumed dead by Samson and turned out very much alive, right? Jamie was “dead” for a while, which Samson probably heard about. So were all the X-Men. I can’t keep track of them all, but I’m sure Terry has “wasted tears and grief” on people who eventually came back, likely more than once, so it’s understandable her not wanting to do so again. But obviously she has to face the possibilty that this death might be the real deal, sooner or later. I never thought about Terry having to avoid screaming in frustration, the way Ororo had to stay calm to keep the weather from going crazy. Presumably, Terry could fly out to some isolated spot and scream her heart out when it gets to be too much; just pulverize some rocks somewhere, or scream at high altitude.
MONET: I admit I’ve never been crazy about Scott Lobdell’s work; some of his stories were okay, others just made me go “meh.” This means that I never read Generation X, and thus don’t know much about Monet’s history. But it certainly SOUNDS horrible! With her relationship with Jamie being the only thing in her life that gave her any happiness, I can understand why she reacted the way she did when he told her about Terry, even if I can’t excuse it.
JAMIE: There’s not a whole lot I can think of to say about him. Obviously he’s got a lot to worry about and deal with, and being in a leadership position has obviously forced him to be more serious (I didn’t get the mayonnaise jar reference…did that happen before X-Factor #87? Because that was the very first issue I picked up, hadn’t read any of the ones with Havok’s incarnation of the team before that). I’ll just take this opportunity to echo what I read somebody else muse on another site: how do you think Apocalypse would react if somebody told him that he, like Jamie, was not a mutant but a “killcrop”?
RAHNE: One of my all-time favorite characters. With all she’s been through and all that it appears is in store for her, you just want to reach into the page and give the poor girl a hug. In a fight she can be as deadly as Wolverine, but unlike Wolvie she’s sensitive, still innocent despite being through the wars, and sympathetic. That makes her, IMO, more interesting than Logan/Howlett. And now she thinks she’s doomed to an eternity in hëll…that just sucks beyond all description. I’ll tell ya, if there IS a hëll, and by extension a devil and a God and all the other things the bible tells about, only an unbelievably cruel God would allow anybody to suffer there forever. And if there is no hëll, if hëll is just a concept somebody made up to scare people into being devout and good, then the person who started the myth of hëll deserves to really suffer for all the anguish the notion of hëll has caused people through the centuries. People like poor Rahne.
PIETRO: So he says people may judge him harshly NOW, but history will reflect that he was a savior, huh? That sounds sickeningly familiar….
It was a pretty good issue. PAD managed to get us into the characters’ heads as usual, with the exception of maybe Rictor who was very resistant to the idea.
“M has to deal with how long she was Penance, PLUS the price to free her from the role (namely, her sisters).”
You do know, Al, that Monet’s sisters were freed from Penance’s body in Generation X #57. They didn’t really spend much time in there either. So, the price doesn’t seem like that much because her sisters are fine. She probably would have gotten over that part by now (though, as this issue proves, you never know). Also, just to add some info, Penance turned out to be a real person because she got up and started walking around without anyone in the “shell” (how it was supposed to be when Scott Lobdell created Penance).
A great issue, lived up to my expectations. PAD didn’t try to replicate XF #87, he continued it! Awesome tack to take. Some new characters, some old with new life experiences to deal with.
Most of the comments in this thread are excellent, and I’ve enjoyed reading them. I have little to add (that wouldn’t be more psychological exegesis on each individual character).
Rahne is up there with Magneto and Moira MacTaggert as one of my top three favorite characters; she is just a wonderfully complex little girl in vicious wolf form. PAD, I humbly beg you, explore more of what you started (besides the glimpse of the so-called future that Tryp showed her). More Rahne, and her problems, and her father-figure issues. She’s in crew-cut, grunge mode at the moment — denying her feminity, her sexuality, trying to find an appropriate wolf-identity too. Which I think is the first time I’ve encountered that take on a lycanthrope. (Rahne asks, is she a girl who turns into a wolf, or a wolf who turns into a girl? As if the girl-form is as dependent on the wolf-personality that is dominant, as the wolf-form is dependent on the psychological state of the girl.)
As to the unseen Leonard Samson, since this was called “re-examination” I didn’t doubt for a moment it was Doc Samson doing the therapeutic interviews, so I didn’t think the creative team was going for a “twist” on his identity. I just thought we were seeing the issue through Samson’s eyes, we were viewing the characters from his pespective, as someone said above — a quasi-breaking through of the fourth wall. I loved the way Samson came into the streets after visiting Pietro (and his doughnuts), and we saw him finish his dictation just as Jamie got tossed for “two-timing” Theresa and M.
Speaking of which, if someone slept with Maddrox, wouldn’t they naturally wonder if it was the real Maddrox, or a dupe? Sort of like with identical twins sometimes switching places? I mean, shouldn’t M and Theresa have been expecting something like this, and wouldn’t they stop and think there could be a dupe involved, and it wasn’t really Jamie’s “fault”?
I loved the art. Maybe I’m being too happy at the moment, but I thought this was some of Pablo Raimondi’s best. Loved Quesada’s cover, too. (That’s the one I bought.)
A great comic book. Thank you, to Quesada, Schmidt, Ryan, the cover artists, Raimondi and PAD for making it happen.
Oh, and I also would like to see Peter David write a Doc Samson mini. If this were one of the usual message boards, I’d start a thread, list the top five characters in the entire Marvel Universe you want to see in therapy with Doc Samson, as written by Peter David. 🙂
LAYLA: It’s funny how she can cope so well even knowing all that bad stuff that’s gonna go down. I’ve only been reading for three issues now, but she never seems to be shaken by anything. Come to think of it, Destiny (also blessed/cursed with knowledge of the future) was similarly serene much of the time. Perhaps those who have such a clear and thorough view of the future just have time to make their peace with events long before they happen and we never see their initial reactions when they first see what’s to come.
Or, just as likely, the folks who DO freak out when seeing the future just don’t have the inner calm and stability to become a player or have adventures. I mean, a person who rolls up into a catatonic ball after seeing the future isn’t going to be much of an active player in the Marvel Universe.
Peter, why was Samson not seen for most of the issue? Was it to recreate the surprise of the original “X-Aminations” issue for those who didn’t read it? Were you hoping to do a fake-out with those who had read it by having them think it would be someone other than him until the end? If so, why the alternate cover with Samson on the cover? Me, I got the Samson cover, and only noticed the “Variant” label sometime before I finished reading it.
Great issue, btw. As good as the original story.
The really funny thing, to me, about the entire Siryn situation is that history will almost certainly bear her out to be right — Banshee will turn up alive sooner or later. Heck, resurrections are so common in the X-Universe that people who seriously MOURN at funerals are the ones people should make fun of — they’ve even taken to putting a “She’ll be back!” tag on Jean Grey’s gravesite.
PAD wrote(amongst other things)”The point of the way I was handling Monet was quite simply that those who have so much oftentimes are far more miserable because of their problems than those who have less.”
That’s something I’ve said for a looooooooooong time. My uncle, a really smart guy, has a lot of money, so his family’s been really well taken care of. My dad, who was equally smart, just not as lucky, didn’t have as much money, but we were always a hëll of a lot happier than anybody in his family, just because we didn’t have to worry about half the crap that they did.
And it doesn’t say “She’ll be back” on her gravesite. It’s one of those carboard clocks, “Will return at:”
A therapist knows they have hit a client’s core issue when the client reacts with strong resistance. Samson tagged Julio with a bullseye- and while I’m sure Peter David didn’t spell things out (in order to please the more astute readers) I would have loved to hear how the rest of the session played out. Did Samson press the issue and get Julio to talk? Was he at least able to bring material into “Ric’s” awareness?
Actually, this was the weakpoint of the entire issue: I wanted to see everyone’s entire hour.
Oh, and I also would like to see Peter David write a Doc Samson mini. If this were one of the usual message boards, I’d start a thread, list the top five characters in the entire Marvel Universe you want to see in therapy with Doc Samson, as written by Peter David. 🙂
Should I answer that question? I’m tempted to say Howard the Duck– but I’m afraid someone would be forced to hurt me.
Just wanted to say that each time you put out a new issue in this series I am amazed at how you can consistently out do yourself with each new issue.
I look forward to the next one and hope you and this book have a long, LONG run ahead of you.
I loved the letters page in issue 13. I don’t often enough laugh out loud reading comics anymore. Thanks.
Or, just as likely, the folks who DO freak out when seeing the future just don’t have the inner calm and stability to become a player or have adventures. I mean, a person who rolls up into a catatonic ball after seeing the future isn’t going to be much of an active player in the Marvel Universe.
Well I’m not saying I expect her to go all fetal (that expression is contagious, apparently), Roger, but you’d expect something from a normal person (which Layla isn’t, of course, which is part of her appeal).
Rahne is the example that immediately comes to mind. She’s seen what she thinks is the future and is quite distraught about it. But given enough time she’ll be able to put it out of her mind and not worry about it too much until the day when Jamie and Layla get married (if that day ever comes), at which time she’ll probably be on pins and needles.
I can think of a couple examples of people being disturbed by the future, yet not turning into emotional train wrecks and becoming completely useless.
Rachel Summers comes from the “Days of Future Past” era and has been quite traumatized by it. I’ve not read any stories featuring her since her Excalibur days, but I remember that whenever she saw a sign that the world of today was turning into the world she remembered, it really scared her. Why wouldn’t it? Rachel has been known to take extreme measures to ensure that the future she grew up in doesn’t come to pass.
In Uncanny X-Men #249, Psylocke was rendered unconscious and had a dream or a vision of the X-Men being ambushed and killed upon their return to their base. After recovering from the shock of it and being returned home, she feared that events would unfold as they had in her vision, so she telepathically manipulated the X-Men into entering the Siege Perilous and escaping…by transporting them to random locations all over the world and giving them amnesia.
In both Rachel’s and Betsy’s case, the woman in question was afraid enough of a potential future that she did something she later regretted to avoid it. They weren’t so petrified that they were unable to function, but they were dramatically affected by their experiences.
If Layla is affected by the stuff she knows, she hides it well. On the surface it seems to be one of three things: acceptance, resignation, or apathy regarding future events.
If there are indeed things coming up that Layla dreads, however, she hasn’t shown it. Like Rahne, I would guess she’s just not thinking much about those things too often these days because she knows it won’t do any good, and she will cross those bridges when she gets to them.
Rictor doesn’t feel sorry for himself 24/7 because sometimes he’s simply too busy, or (I’m guessing) other things catch his attention and distract him. The same may very well be true of Layla.
Now for more about Pietro. I think most of the people who post here know who he sounds like when he says that history will vindicate his currently unpopular actions. Pietro’s always been capable of a certain level of dickishness, but I’d hate to see him become a mutant version of THAT GUY. Other similarities between these two individuals would be possible Messiah complexes and experiencing what they believe to be religious awakenings. I mean, his talk about “expiating his sin” and him being the “instrument of judgment” and “spreading the good word”…Pietro always struck me as being way too cynical to have faith in any sort of higher power, but it seems that he now might. Who does he think is judging these mutants on whom the Terrigen Mists fail, and why does he think they “get what they deserve” if the mists have an undesired effect?
Personally, I didn’t consider Samson a twist.
It had either to be him or a smart-ášš dupe of Jamie.
* * *
Or maybe a REALLY buffed up Moonstone?!?
I suppose the expectations were so high for this that there was just no way it wouldn’t slightly disappoint. For me, no character revelation in this one managed to match the Quicksilver one in the original. But, make no mistake, it was still a waaaaaaaaay above average comic book with a theme I’d love to see revisited on a regular basis. (Maybe this could be PAD’s version of the annual JLA/JSA team-up!)
I’m a longtime reader, first-time poster (here, anyway). X-Factor with Peter’s work has been a must-buy every month, and it’s one of those “bottom of the stack” comics so that you end with the best story of the month.
SPOILERS/RUINERS FOLLOW
— I dug the way in which the whole thing keeps Samson offstage so that these are, basically, dramatic monologues. I could see these things being given a public reading performance and working almost as well as they do with the cool visuals.
— As he did on MadroX and Books of Doom, Pablo Raimondi rocks at facial expressions and body language. Wonderful “acting.”
— Nice seeing the underside of Julio’s Galahad complex in recent issues.
— I suppose if anyone has a reason to be afraid of commitment, Jamie does.
— It’s been very interesting to see PAD play comic-book tropes off of realism in this comic. Teresa refuses t believe her father’s dead because of the revolving door called “comic-book death;” conversely, Guido applies a more realistic notion of hypnosis than we usually get in comics, where hypnosis is a generic mind control method. Just so long as we don’t get “Dark Guido” smashing up the logo and blowing up asparagus people, this should be good 🙂
— Pietro seems to have a serious empathy deficit, and I wonder if the point here is that he always has. Back in the prior round of “X-Aminations,” we got his perspective on superspeed living in a slowspeed world…but interestingly, no sense that he’s ever considered anyone else’s or tried to. Here, we get him expounding upon the joys of normal speed, but still not bothering to make the connection to “normals” in the process. I get the sense that his overprotectiveness of Wanda was less that she was his sister than that she was his sister. Interesting, and subtly drawn out here.
A great issue of a routinely great series. Thanks, Peter David!
First, evereybody, it’s spelled SAMSON!
Second, as others have stated
Third, I would imagine quite a few people who read this issue have not read the 1993 story, so why not do it that way?
Fourth, the variant cover should help increase sales, which is a good thing.
Fifth, PAD – you literally made me laugh out loud with your letter column responses:) We may disagree on many things, vehemently, but you are definitely not a second-rate writer.
• 
Loved it! Would pay good money for a PAD scripted “Doc Samson” mini or on-going.
loved the issue- possibly not as much as the original, but that had the added “element of surprise” twist to put it over the top.
i’m still not too thrilled with Rahne’s new extra-Wolfman transitional state.
one question some of us were debating- yes, Monet’s been through quite a bit, but were she to stack it up against, say, Rahne or Siryn, it isn’t especially tragic. not for a person of X. and compared to them, does her retreating behind the uber-b***h shell seem a tad less justified to you?
still, i absolutely adored this issue and can’t wait for the next one with the repercussions
Personally, I didn’t consider Samson a twist.
It had either to be him or a smart-ášš dupe of Jamie. There aren’t that many known psychologists in the Marvel Universe.
I absolutely loved the letter column. Peter, you have such a refreshing sense of humour. It’s nearly first-rate material.
Hmmm. Loved it. I would second the nomination for Peter to do a Doc Sampson miniseries, but only if it would focus on the therapy aspects of the character.
If nothing else, I would love to see a follow-up issue in a year or two.
Some people enjoy watching minor league baseball games, so you can see great ballplayers before they become famous, and famous ballplayers on their way down. Others like minor league ball because that’s where Real Baseball gets played.
Of course, all that’s irrelevant, and I have no idea what made me think of it. As someone who never read the original X-Factor issues, so I am unable to compare this issue to the earlier one it alludes to, I enjoyed it immensely. I think I liked Layla’s session the best.
Though I never would have thought someone could tell a Helen Keller joke that I would laugh at.
“one question some of us were debating- yes, Monet’s been through quite a bit, but were she to stack it up against, say, Rahne or Siryn, it isn’t especially tragic. not for a person of X. and compared to them, does her retreating behind the uber-b***h shell seem a tad less justified to you?”
I disagree. Sure, Terry and Rahne have also had it tough, which brought all sorts of consequences. M has to deal with how long she was Penance, PLUS the price to free her from the role (namely, her sisters).
Keep in mind that the whole “M” personality itself is based on a falsehood.
1
I liked the issue very much. The reason for this email is to ask about that really great line delivered (with wonderful pompousness) by Peitro: “The FUTURE is written by the winners. HISTORY is written by the survivors.”
I was going to send that line to my daughter (who graduated several years ago with a history degree), but she’ll want to know the source of the quotation. She knows who Peter David is through those Supergirl comics (the only decent thing to come out of the past 20 years of the DC universe). But before I tell her that this quote is by Peter David (which is probably correct), I thought I’d better check to ask if you might have been borrowing it from another source (my daughter would be picky about such things and would want the source to be “accurate”)
(though she also admits that there probably are no truly new and original lines of poetry, philosophy, etc).
– James Whitenton
Personally, I didn’t consider Samson a twist.
It had either to be him or a smart-ášš dupe of Jamie. There aren’t that many known psychologists in the Marvel Universe.
The previous poster probably referred to the X-Factor issue from 90s. When I read that one, I thought the hidden shrink was your normal faceless run-out-of-the-mill one, not someone we should know about.
Leaving Samson’s identity ambiguous in this case actually played against the story. I felt that “I know it’s Samson — why does the writer go to such lengths to keep him hidden?”
I felt the page count was too little in this case. Yeah, I know, no can do.. but few of those people could have used an extra page or two. Maybe tighter grid could have been used? These were, after all, mostly just talking heads.
I didn’t know who Helen Keller was, and therefore the joke went over my head. It was referred to again in the end, which bugged me so much I had to wiki her up. It took me a while to sink in that she was blind and deaf and still an activist and writer… but after that went in, I found the joke very hilarious indeed. In retrospect, having that joke was a very good touch.
I would have liked Samson hearing about the future marriage of Layla and Madrox. I’m still wondering how this will come to be. You can’t just go “five years later” with this comic, so the other alternative is that…ah yes. That would work. I’m hoping this -and marriage- will actually happen, and the comic isn’t cancelled before that or PAD kicked out.
Thanks for a very good issue, it might have been one of the best in the new series. I’m still wishing for a sideshow, something that could run few panels an issue.. like the family of villains in the original run that the team never even met. But that’s wishing, I guess..
“But before I tell her that this quote is by Peter David (which is probably correct), I thought I’d better check to ask if you might have been borrowing it from another source (my daughter would be picky about such things and would want the source to be “accurate”)”
If anyone else said it, I sure don’t know about it.
PAD
Well, crap.
I just ran a google check and some guy named Max Lerner wrote:
“The so-called lessons of history are for the most part the rationalizations of the victors. History is written by the survivors.”
I never heard of him before just now.
PAD
I enjoyed that Samson was hidden the whole time. I did not know that it was him.
The issue was very enjoyable. This series seems a bit leisurely in its pacing, but the character development makes it one of my favorite reads every month.
Eric
I found this to be the best Peter David comic in a long time. I’ve been a P.D. fan long enough to know that he’ll occasionally write a characterization-heavy, non-action story, and it always satisfies. His stories always excel when he uses Doc Samson, clearly someone he has fun writing. And finally, a Peter David story that gets strong art. The cover (by the interior artist, not the Quesada one) was so eye-catching! And the interior art was just as solid. If I’ve had one complaint about Peter’s comics lately, it’s been the art. Dale Keown, George Perez, Gary Frank, Chrisscross and even Todd McFarlane were some of the artist who drew pages that lived up to Peter’s stories. I hadn’t really seen that quality in the last few years (although there have been a few here and there). But with this issue, finally, some art that was just as impressive as Peter’s story.
Peter, I’m surprised that you’ve never heard of Lerner, one of the great (and often controversial) journalists of our time. The fact that part of the quote took root in your subconscious at some point would suggest that you were exposed to something of his work. My favorite quote, and I hope I get it right, is ‘When you choose the lesser of the two evils, always remember that it is still an evil.’ If anybody knows about any of his old columns that can be accessed online, I would love to track some of them down.
But at the risk of digressing, let me add my vote to those who welcomed the addition of Doc Sampson. I’m still waiting for the definitive Doc Sampson series to be written (hint, hint).
I meant SAMSON of course. Always remember to spell-check before posting, especially when everybody else got it right!
Very nice issue.
It seems that the artist decided to make a more “montrous” Wolfsbane, very different from the first issues. Perhaps her wolf form is affected by her mood… she really believes she is a monster because of future actions.
And Samson should continue to help her. I mean, she´s the poster child of mutant angst !
Was it supposed to be a suprise that it was Sampson? I thought the it was always known and the green tinged balloon pretty much gave it away..
Plus given the plot who else was it going to be?
I thought the reason we never saw him until the end was because we are sort of taking his spot allowing the characters to kind of break the fourth wall without breaking it.
Not to mention, the variant cover had Samson on it. 🙂
“I miss making mayonnaise jars that won’t open.” Hee.
This book just keeps getting better. I remnember the original fondly. The best issue of the original volume (any writer by far– and this one by far.
– Guido being silent at first seems to be a thing with him and Samson
– Siryn could really use his help weekly.
– Maybe Rahne should go on a date with Jack Russell. Bwhahahahahahaha!
Again, why try to hide Samson. He was on the friggerin’ alternate cover. (I almost bought that one instead.)
PAD written Samson doing therapy series would be great. Imagine the guest stars that would need his help– start with some big names like Spidey or Punisher. Move into some more obscure or obtuse characters like Madcap or J. Jonah Jameson. Maybe he could give Reed and Sue help with their current marriage problem. Who knows maybe at the end of the first climatic year Samson could psychoanalyze Galactus. And when sales begin to tank around issue 15 or so– Wolverine can make an appointment. It’d be fantastic.
I really enjoyed this issue, and found it to be on par with the original. Everytime someone bemoans the state of current comics, I direct them to X Factor.
And good job for making me adore Layla Miller!
I remember buying that old issue of X-Factor 87, years ago, back in ’93, when it had Havok, Polaris, Quicksilver, Wolfsbane, Guido (or Strong Guy) and Multiple Man as members… and I still have it with me.
Now that I have read this volume’s number 13, I see things that I have gone through during the time between both issues; after I read and compared the ways the attitudes and views of some of the characters have changed, and how they have not in others, it takes back to my situation at the beggining of the 90’s; it reminds me of the way I was, my awkwardness, my worries, the struggles to understand, young platonic love, the burning hope for somethig better… it is a bittersweet experience, but I believe that I have learned not to worry about silly things, since now I have new things to preoccupy me!, he!.
I really hope I can get both issues signed at the next comic convention, since I am a big PAD fan, and love his work on X-Factor.
Arturo.
>>Personally, I didn’t consider Samson a twist.
>It had either to be him or a smart-ášš dupe of Jamie.
Not having seen the alternate cover, Samson honestly hadn’t occured to me. I tended to think more a Jamie dupe who may have gone in for a psych degree at some point. Though, to be honest, I didn’t see the point in keeping Samson hidden. Not sure it really added more than a distraction – trying to figure out who he was – to the marvelously-written sessions.
Meanwhile, message to Monet: You’ve got more going for you than 99.9…% of humanity. Yeah, you had a real raw deal. Key word here: “had”. Now develop some empathy and start using those gifts to do well and you just might find the pain starts to fade. Beats sitting there feeling sorry for yourself.
(Yeah, I know, is it were that easy, a lot fewer people would need therapy.)
“Meanwhile, message to Monet: You’ve got more going for you than 99.9…% of humanity.”
There’s a lot of “pretty people” who share that status. Yet they seem to live their lives in an endless state of divorce or unhappy romances, police run-ins, drug busts and substance abuse, and early death. The point of the way I was handling Monet was quite simply that those who have so much oftentimes are far more miserable because of their problems than those who have less. When you have so much, what you don’t have becomes magnified to the point of being intolerable. That’s why Monet’s reactions to the difficulties she’s had in her life were so much bigger than everyone else’s. I just didn’t spell that out. Perhaps I will in an upcoming issue.
PAD
Best. Issue. Ever.
Seriously, I had high expectations for Re-X-aminations, and PAD not only met them, but exceeded them. References to Penace, Emplate, and the best X-villain of all time, the dreaeded jar of mayo!
I still don’t like Rictor though. That’s not PAD fault, however, I never did like him.
That, and having your brother turn you into a monster and then eat your marrow (or whatever) for an extended period isn’t really a “little” thing no matter how you cut it.
My only problem with this issue(and it has nothing to do with the story, which was great) was that the copy I bought the art and lettering was blurred on the first two and the last two pages. I may have to go in search of a better copy. Having worked in a newspaper pressroom it’s clear to me that the press was not lined up properly. Good job at the printing press Marvel. Did anyone else have this problem?
>When you have so much, what you don’t have becomes magnified to the point of being intolerable.
Not to mention that, when you’re as smart as she is, not being able to solve all life’s problems can beget enormous frustration.
Now she just needs to get with the “give me the strength to accept what I can’t change” program. And, yeah, again, if it were that easy …
One of the best lines I’ve ever read in comics is in the current IRON MAN where Stark is really doubting himself in the current mess and his driver, Happy Hogan explains to him, in words of two syllables or less, why he’s uniquely suited to be fair about the whole thing. Stark looks up and comments “You’re the only guy I ever met who can make me feel like a moron.” Monet desperately needs someone like that to kick her in the mental side and help her get back on her feet.
“I disagree. Sure, Terry and Rahne have also had it tough, which brought all sorts of consequences. M has to deal with how long she was Penance, PLUS the price to free her from the role (namely, her sisters).”
I didn’t mean to diminish the tragedy of Monet’s life, but, just to look at Rahne, you have a girl who was emotionally for most of her childhood by a minister who turned out to be her father (although that was not known at the time), who tried to lead a mob to kill her. She was killed by the Beyonder, resurrected, then shipped off to the White Queen for “healing”. Her first love was shot saving her life. She was turned into a mutate and bonded to Havok. The closest thing to a mom she had was the only human to contract the Legacy Virus, and was then killed by Mystique (who, at the same time, depowered Rahne). Not to mention being shamed in front of all her friends at Xavier’s at her relationship with a student.
I think that’s fairly comparable to Monet… again, it doesn’t lessen what M went through, but nearly every person wearing the X has a fairly tragic past.
Another excellent issue! I may save most of my substantive comments for another letter to the column – as someone who really missed letter columns when Marvel quit them, I really should do my part to encourage the ones that are around now – but there are a couple of replies I can make to this thread.
Joe Nazzaro – I have to take issue with this assertion: “The fact that part of the quote took root in your subconscious at some point…” . It is possible that PAD came across this quote at some point, then completely forgot it, until it drifted into this story; but it’s equally likely – if not more likely – that he came up with the idea which Quicksilver expresses totally on his own. Sometimes people do come up with similar realizations or concepts completely independently; as PAD was unaware of this quote until googling for this thread, it seems to me at least as probable that we have a separate “parallel evolution” of ideas here. (BTW, I’m enjoying your “Writers’ Season by Season Guide” series in the BtVS/Angel magazines. I’m a bit behind on my reading, but what I’ve read so far has been very interesting and well-written.)
As far as Samson being unseen for most of the issue – personally, I didn’t think he was supposed to be a secret; between the previous letter column, the alternate cover – which happened to be the version in my pullbox – and the green voice bubbles, I never had any question about who the psychoanlayst was. As for those who are questioning “Why?” – you should read Jason K’s explanation above. Makes sense to me.
And I’m liking this idea going here of a “Doc Samson (maybe that should be “Dr. Samson,” in this case): Psychoanlyst of Heroes” series! IF done by PAD, it could be a great idea!
Rahne is one of my favorites. Too often she’s looked as a weak link in the X Universe but I’ve always found her to be such a strong character. With all that she’s been through she holds on to her humanity and faith. Much like Nightcrawler. I’m glad PAD was consistent with her speech patterns this issue. Lately, she seems to switch back and forth from her Scots to American english. Raimondi does draw her wolf-form like a male’s body. He should change that probably. Oh, does she turn into a full wolf anymore or just this transitional stage. And whatever happend to the fangs she had in her human form when she was introduced way back in the New Mutants (the graphic novel and early issues)? I think that Sook might have drawn them on the cover of X-Factor #1 as well.
As much as I love Jamie, I would love to see more of Rahne. She must have some redeeming qualities since she’s the only mutant to have been in 4 different mutant groups (New Mutants, X-Force, X-Factor, Excalibur). I think that’s the most of any other mutant. C’mon, wolf girls are cool!
I like how Layla is revealed to be a Trek fan. So, is the episode she refers to Balance of Terror?
Great issue as I expected. I’d go over the team members’ sessions one by one if it weren’t for the last page. Saying everything I want to about that is going to be a pretty good-sized post by itself, so commenting on the rest will have to wait.
The last page did nothing to improve my opinion of Monet. Yes, she has been through awful ordeals, but that doesn’t excuse her throwing Jamie through a window after he admitted his dupe had also bedded Terry (which was not really his fault and is not as bad as if he’d knowingly cheated. As far as I know, the only thing he did wrong was keep Terry and Monet in the dark afterwards, as opposed to continuing physical relationships with both women).
For god’s sake, Jamie has had a pro-registration dupe, I believe I’ve read that he’s had bi or gay dupes, he had a dupe that blew himself up just the issue before this. Somebody as intelligent as Monet, even with her emotional involvement possibly affecting her analytical skills, ought to know that getting romantically involved with Jamie Madrox is a very risky affair, and not necessarily due to any fault of Jamie’s!
I don’t believe it’s any more acceptable for a woman to hit a man than vice versa, particularly if that woman can hit hard (or use a blunt object). Monet has SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH, she can cause serious injury, even to a guy like Jamie who can “dilute” his injuries by spreading them across several dozen dupes and then merging again. She can’t just go around hitting everybody who pìššëš her off, and she has to be made to realize that. Slapping Jamie would have been wrong, IMHO, but not unforgivable. Punching him would be significantly worse. Throwing him through a plate glass window that shatters and cuts him up is just inexcusable, I’m sorry.
As strongly as I feel about this, I have to admit I did smile at what he said to Samson before he passed out.
I have been looking forward to this issue ever since it was first discussed – and I loved it! Just as much fun as the last time Doc Sampson sat down for a chat with these folks. Thanks for an enjoyable read!
BTW, in the letters page of the issue, you mentioned the initial negative fan reaction against Layla Miller. I was one of those fans, and you hit the nail on the head – I didn’t like her because she did come out of nowhere to save the day. We may still not agree on whether her introduction worked or did not work, but I think I speak for most fans by saying that is all water under the bridge now – she’s a great character that really has hit her stride. Plus, I feel you’ve got a lot in store for her that you’ve only hinted at so far. I couldn’t be having more fun with the story. I can always count on this book to put a smile on my face, which to me, is the product of a FIRST RATE writer (I wouldn’t take offense to the first printed letter; he’s entitled to his opinion but he must be new to the ballgame and isn’t yet familiar with the players).
The story was excellent as usual, but the lettercol responses by PAD were particularly hilarious. Hard to picture PAD in a fetal position…
X-Factor was awesome as usual. And I can’t wait to see what that Ben Reilly tease is about in FNSM next wednesday…
With the Monet thing is out of my system, it’s time for the rest…
GUIDO: It was pretty clear that he’d need to talk about what Tryp made him do. Occurs to me that shortly after his debut he became a pawn of the Shadow King, so this isn’t the first time that he’s been in this position and any questions he might have had about whether he was made evil or whether the evil within him was merely brought to the surface would have been addressed then. But on the other hand, from what I know of the Muir Island Saga, Guido never actually wound up killing anybody, so this would be the first time he’s dealt with the kind of guilt involved. I like his dialogue, which is sort of a cross between the stereotypical “uneducated thug talk” as written by Claremont and the later version as fleshed out by David. The latter Guido was a lot more interesting, but I like consistency, so making his speech a bit more like it was originally is a good idea, I would say. Completely understandable that he’s angry and frustrated–I can’t imagine being in pain 24/7 and hope I never experience it firsthand.
Guido, like just about everybody on the team, clearly needs more than one session if he’s going to make any progress. If I might make a suggestion, maybe in future issues there could be a line here and there referencing appointments this character or that character had earlier in the week with Samson “off-camera” (or off-panel, not sure what the proper term would be in this medium).
LAYLA: It’s funny how she can cope so well even knowing all that bad stuff that’s gonna go down. I’ve only been reading for three issues now, but she never seems to be shaken by anything. Come to think of it, Destiny (also blessed/cursed with knowledge of the future) was similarly serene much of the time. Perhaps those who have such a clear and thorough view of the future just have time to make their peace with events long before they happen and we never see their initial reactions when they first see what’s to come. Awful nice of her to keep Samson from making moves that would have won her the chess game, too. Man, screw the haters, I really like this girl!
RICTOR: Perhaps this has been covered in previous issues, but I’m not sure why Ric’s dealing so badly with the loss of his powers. I can’t imagine him using them much outside of battles, and most of the characters in the X-books (from what I recall when I read them in the ’90s and early 2000s) have really wanted to take a break from the whole “fighting bad guys and saving the world” thing–have, in fact, NEEDED a break for the sake of their continued sanity. But then, here’s a guy who was victimized by Cameron Hodge, then Sabretooth (as he mentions here) and I have no idea how many others. Could be he just hates feeling helpless after being a victim so many times. I can only imagine what was going through his head when Tryp easily subdued him in issue #12. Bad day, no doubt.
TERRY: Back when Mary-Jane Watson was presumed killed in a plane crash in the Spider-titles, I remember Peter Parker going through similar “denial” because so many people had come back from the dead. This kind of desperate hope, this unwillingness to believe that a loved one is truly and permanently dead, must come easier in the Marvel Universe, for obvious reasons. I was a little surprised that Samson didn’t say so in so many words, aside from saying he couldn’t be 100% sure Banshee was gone. Banner was presumed dead by Samson and turned out very much alive, right? Jamie was “dead” for a while, which Samson probably heard about. So were all the X-Men. I can’t keep track of them all, but I’m sure Terry has “wasted tears and grief” on people who eventually came back, likely more than once, so it’s understandable her not wanting to do so again. But obviously she has to face the possibilty that this death might be the real deal, sooner or later. I never thought about Terry having to avoid screaming in frustration, the way Ororo had to stay calm to keep the weather from going crazy. Presumably, Terry could fly out to some isolated spot and scream her heart out when it gets to be too much; just pulverize some rocks somewhere, or scream at high altitude.
MONET: I admit I’ve never been crazy about Scott Lobdell’s work; some of his stories were okay, others just made me go “meh.” This means that I never read Generation X, and thus don’t know much about Monet’s history. But it certainly SOUNDS horrible! With her relationship with Jamie being the only thing in her life that gave her any happiness, I can understand why she reacted the way she did when he told her about Terry, even if I can’t excuse it.
JAMIE: There’s not a whole lot I can think of to say about him. Obviously he’s got a lot to worry about and deal with, and being in a leadership position has obviously forced him to be more serious (I didn’t get the mayonnaise jar reference…did that happen before X-Factor #87? Because that was the very first issue I picked up, hadn’t read any of the ones with Havok’s incarnation of the team before that). I’ll just take this opportunity to echo what I read somebody else muse on another site: how do you think Apocalypse would react if somebody told him that he, like Jamie, was not a mutant but a “killcrop”?
RAHNE: One of my all-time favorite characters. With all she’s been through and all that it appears is in store for her, you just want to reach into the page and give the poor girl a hug. In a fight she can be as deadly as Wolverine, but unlike Wolvie she’s sensitive, still innocent despite being through the wars, and sympathetic. That makes her, IMO, more interesting than Logan/Howlett. And now she thinks she’s doomed to an eternity in hëll…that just sucks beyond all description. I’ll tell ya, if there IS a hëll, and by extension a devil and a God and all the other things the bible tells about, only an unbelievably cruel God would allow anybody to suffer there forever. And if there is no hëll, if hëll is just a concept somebody made up to scare people into being devout and good, then the person who started the myth of hëll deserves to really suffer for all the anguish the notion of hëll has caused people through the centuries. People like poor Rahne.
PIETRO: So he says people may judge him harshly NOW, but history will reflect that he was a savior, huh? That sounds sickeningly familiar….
It was a pretty good issue. PAD managed to get us into the characters’ heads as usual, with the exception of maybe Rictor who was very resistant to the idea.
“M has to deal with how long she was Penance, PLUS the price to free her from the role (namely, her sisters).”
You do know, Al, that Monet’s sisters were freed from Penance’s body in Generation X #57. They didn’t really spend much time in there either. So, the price doesn’t seem like that much because her sisters are fine. She probably would have gotten over that part by now (though, as this issue proves, you never know). Also, just to add some info, Penance turned out to be a real person because she got up and started walking around without anyone in the “shell” (how it was supposed to be when Scott Lobdell created Penance).
A great issue, lived up to my expectations. PAD didn’t try to replicate XF #87, he continued it! Awesome tack to take. Some new characters, some old with new life experiences to deal with.
Most of the comments in this thread are excellent, and I’ve enjoyed reading them. I have little to add (that wouldn’t be more psychological exegesis on each individual character).
Rahne is up there with Magneto and Moira MacTaggert as one of my top three favorite characters; she is just a wonderfully complex little girl in vicious wolf form. PAD, I humbly beg you, explore more of what you started (besides the glimpse of the so-called future that Tryp showed her). More Rahne, and her problems, and her father-figure issues. She’s in crew-cut, grunge mode at the moment — denying her feminity, her sexuality, trying to find an appropriate wolf-identity too. Which I think is the first time I’ve encountered that take on a lycanthrope. (Rahne asks, is she a girl who turns into a wolf, or a wolf who turns into a girl? As if the girl-form is as dependent on the wolf-personality that is dominant, as the wolf-form is dependent on the psychological state of the girl.)
As to the unseen Leonard Samson, since this was called “re-examination” I didn’t doubt for a moment it was Doc Samson doing the therapeutic interviews, so I didn’t think the creative team was going for a “twist” on his identity. I just thought we were seeing the issue through Samson’s eyes, we were viewing the characters from his pespective, as someone said above — a quasi-breaking through of the fourth wall. I loved the way Samson came into the streets after visiting Pietro (and his doughnuts), and we saw him finish his dictation just as Jamie got tossed for “two-timing” Theresa and M.
Speaking of which, if someone slept with Maddrox, wouldn’t they naturally wonder if it was the real Maddrox, or a dupe? Sort of like with identical twins sometimes switching places? I mean, shouldn’t M and Theresa have been expecting something like this, and wouldn’t they stop and think there could be a dupe involved, and it wasn’t really Jamie’s “fault”?
I loved the art. Maybe I’m being too happy at the moment, but I thought this was some of Pablo Raimondi’s best. Loved Quesada’s cover, too. (That’s the one I bought.)
A great comic book. Thank you, to Quesada, Schmidt, Ryan, the cover artists, Raimondi and PAD for making it happen.
Oh, and I also would like to see Peter David write a Doc Samson mini. If this were one of the usual message boards, I’d start a thread, list the top five characters in the entire Marvel Universe you want to see in therapy with Doc Samson, as written by Peter David. 🙂
LAYLA: It’s funny how she can cope so well even knowing all that bad stuff that’s gonna go down. I’ve only been reading for three issues now, but she never seems to be shaken by anything. Come to think of it, Destiny (also blessed/cursed with knowledge of the future) was similarly serene much of the time. Perhaps those who have such a clear and thorough view of the future just have time to make their peace with events long before they happen and we never see their initial reactions when they first see what’s to come.
Or, just as likely, the folks who DO freak out when seeing the future just don’t have the inner calm and stability to become a player or have adventures. I mean, a person who rolls up into a catatonic ball after seeing the future isn’t going to be much of an active player in the Marvel Universe.
Peter, why was Samson not seen for most of the issue? Was it to recreate the surprise of the original “X-Aminations” issue for those who didn’t read it? Were you hoping to do a fake-out with those who had read it by having them think it would be someone other than him until the end? If so, why the alternate cover with Samson on the cover? Me, I got the Samson cover, and only noticed the “Variant” label sometime before I finished reading it.
Great issue, btw. As good as the original story.
The really funny thing, to me, about the entire Siryn situation is that history will almost certainly bear her out to be right — Banshee will turn up alive sooner or later. Heck, resurrections are so common in the X-Universe that people who seriously MOURN at funerals are the ones people should make fun of — they’ve even taken to putting a “She’ll be back!” tag on Jean Grey’s gravesite.
PAD wrote(amongst other things)”The point of the way I was handling Monet was quite simply that those who have so much oftentimes are far more miserable because of their problems than those who have less.”
That’s something I’ve said for a looooooooooong time. My uncle, a really smart guy, has a lot of money, so his family’s been really well taken care of. My dad, who was equally smart, just not as lucky, didn’t have as much money, but we were always a hëll of a lot happier than anybody in his family, just because we didn’t have to worry about half the crap that they did.
And it doesn’t say “She’ll be back” on her gravesite. It’s one of those carboard clocks, “Will return at:”
A therapist knows they have hit a client’s core issue when the client reacts with strong resistance. Samson tagged Julio with a bullseye- and while I’m sure Peter David didn’t spell things out (in order to please the more astute readers) I would have loved to hear how the rest of the session played out. Did Samson press the issue and get Julio to talk? Was he at least able to bring material into “Ric’s” awareness?
Actually, this was the weakpoint of the entire issue: I wanted to see everyone’s entire hour.
Oh, and I also would like to see Peter David write a Doc Samson mini. If this were one of the usual message boards, I’d start a thread, list the top five characters in the entire Marvel Universe you want to see in therapy with Doc Samson, as written by Peter David. 🙂
Should I answer that question? I’m tempted to say Howard the Duck– but I’m afraid someone would be forced to hurt me.
Just wanted to say that each time you put out a new issue in this series I am amazed at how you can consistently out do yourself with each new issue.
I look forward to the next one and hope you and this book have a long, LONG run ahead of you.
I loved the letters page in issue 13. I don’t often enough laugh out loud reading comics anymore. Thanks.
Or, just as likely, the folks who DO freak out when seeing the future just don’t have the inner calm and stability to become a player or have adventures. I mean, a person who rolls up into a catatonic ball after seeing the future isn’t going to be much of an active player in the Marvel Universe.
Well I’m not saying I expect her to go all fetal (that expression is contagious, apparently), Roger, but you’d expect something from a normal person (which Layla isn’t, of course, which is part of her appeal).
Rahne is the example that immediately comes to mind. She’s seen what she thinks is the future and is quite distraught about it. But given enough time she’ll be able to put it out of her mind and not worry about it too much until the day when Jamie and Layla get married (if that day ever comes), at which time she’ll probably be on pins and needles.
I can think of a couple examples of people being disturbed by the future, yet not turning into emotional train wrecks and becoming completely useless.
Rachel Summers comes from the “Days of Future Past” era and has been quite traumatized by it. I’ve not read any stories featuring her since her Excalibur days, but I remember that whenever she saw a sign that the world of today was turning into the world she remembered, it really scared her. Why wouldn’t it? Rachel has been known to take extreme measures to ensure that the future she grew up in doesn’t come to pass.
In Uncanny X-Men #249, Psylocke was rendered unconscious and had a dream or a vision of the X-Men being ambushed and killed upon their return to their base. After recovering from the shock of it and being returned home, she feared that events would unfold as they had in her vision, so she telepathically manipulated the X-Men into entering the Siege Perilous and escaping…by transporting them to random locations all over the world and giving them amnesia.
In both Rachel’s and Betsy’s case, the woman in question was afraid enough of a potential future that she did something she later regretted to avoid it. They weren’t so petrified that they were unable to function, but they were dramatically affected by their experiences.
If Layla is affected by the stuff she knows, she hides it well. On the surface it seems to be one of three things: acceptance, resignation, or apathy regarding future events.
If there are indeed things coming up that Layla dreads, however, she hasn’t shown it. Like Rahne, I would guess she’s just not thinking much about those things too often these days because she knows it won’t do any good, and she will cross those bridges when she gets to them.
Rictor doesn’t feel sorry for himself 24/7 because sometimes he’s simply too busy, or (I’m guessing) other things catch his attention and distract him. The same may very well be true of Layla.
Now for more about Pietro. I think most of the people who post here know who he sounds like when he says that history will vindicate his currently unpopular actions. Pietro’s always been capable of a certain level of dickishness, but I’d hate to see him become a mutant version of THAT GUY. Other similarities between these two individuals would be possible Messiah complexes and experiencing what they believe to be religious awakenings. I mean, his talk about “expiating his sin” and him being the “instrument of judgment” and “spreading the good word”…Pietro always struck me as being way too cynical to have faith in any sort of higher power, but it seems that he now might. Who does he think is judging these mutants on whom the Terrigen Mists fail, and why does he think they “get what they deserve” if the mists have an undesired effect?
Personally, I didn’t consider Samson a twist.
It had either to be him or a smart-ášš dupe of Jamie.
* * *
Or maybe a REALLY buffed up Moonstone?!?
I suppose the expectations were so high for this that there was just no way it wouldn’t slightly disappoint. For me, no character revelation in this one managed to match the Quicksilver one in the original. But, make no mistake, it was still a waaaaaaaaay above average comic book with a theme I’d love to see revisited on a regular basis. (Maybe this could be PAD’s version of the annual JLA/JSA team-up!)
I’m a longtime reader, first-time poster (here, anyway). X-Factor with Peter’s work has been a must-buy every month, and it’s one of those “bottom of the stack” comics so that you end with the best story of the month.
SPOILERS/RUINERS FOLLOW
— I dug the way in which the whole thing keeps Samson offstage so that these are, basically, dramatic monologues. I could see these things being given a public reading performance and working almost as well as they do with the cool visuals.
— As he did on MadroX and Books of Doom, Pablo Raimondi rocks at facial expressions and body language. Wonderful “acting.”
— Nice seeing the underside of Julio’s Galahad complex in recent issues.
— I suppose if anyone has a reason to be afraid of commitment, Jamie does.
— It’s been very interesting to see PAD play comic-book tropes off of realism in this comic. Teresa refuses t believe her father’s dead because of the revolving door called “comic-book death;” conversely, Guido applies a more realistic notion of hypnosis than we usually get in comics, where hypnosis is a generic mind control method. Just so long as we don’t get “Dark Guido” smashing up the logo and blowing up asparagus people, this should be good 🙂
— Pietro seems to have a serious empathy deficit, and I wonder if the point here is that he always has. Back in the prior round of “X-Aminations,” we got his perspective on superspeed living in a slowspeed world…but interestingly, no sense that he’s ever considered anyone else’s or tried to. Here, we get him expounding upon the joys of normal speed, but still not bothering to make the connection to “normals” in the process. I get the sense that his overprotectiveness of Wanda was less that she was his sister than that she was his sister. Interesting, and subtly drawn out here.
A great issue of a routinely great series. Thanks, Peter David!
First, evereybody, it’s spelled SAMSON!
Second, as others have stated
Third, I would imagine quite a few people who read this issue have not read the 1993 story, so why not do it that way?
Fourth, the variant cover should help increase sales, which is a good thing.
Fifth, PAD – you literally made me laugh out loud with your letter column responses:) We may disagree on many things, vehemently, but you are definitely not a second-rate writer.