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The New Defenders. (Defenders #127)
Moondragon, Cloud, Gargoyle, and Valkyrie demonstrate the kind of high drama and subtext that makes three ex-X-Men feel right at home. (Defenders #127)
Warren and Bobby simultaneously contemplate one of the great questions of the universe. (Defenders #126)
Hank opens up to Vera about his shifting personality. (Defenders #116)
The end of the last issue of Defenders. Total downer (except for the puppy). (Defenders #152)
The worst part is that neither of them is wrong, exactly. (X-Factor #1)
Three guys who definitely don’t want to be superheroes anymore. (X-Factor #1)
Well, this can’t possibly end badly. (X-Factor #1)
OH GOD NEVER MIND. (X-Factor #1)
Rich people are different from the rest of us. (X-Factor #1)
Goddamnit, Warren. (X-Factor #1)
Goddamnit, Scott and Madelyne. (X-Factor #1)
Later, in Apartment 3-G… (X-Factor #1)
X-Factor is just painfully awkward on so many levels, for so long. (X-Factor #1)
“Seriously, Warren, you are LITERALLY WEARING A SUPERHERO COSTUME RIGHT NOW.” (X-Factor #1)
“Look, just go walk it off for a couple weeks. You’ll be fine.” (X-Factor #1)
If we had a dollar for every job interview that ended like this… (X-Factor #1)
Iceman is just goddamn delightful. (X-Factor #1)
There are several important things going on here, but all of them are overshadowed by the fact that Warren is wearing a cape with a sweater vest. (X-Factor #1)
It’s like they know how an intervention works, but not how it’s supposed to end. (X-Factor #1)
“Also, he’ll be gradually brainwashing us all and destroying our lives for the next year and change!” (X-Factor #1)
WE’RE HERE TO BELIEVE YOU! (X-Factor #1)
It just never stops sucking to be Rusty Collins. (X-Factor #1)
No, seriously. (X-Factor #1)
“It’s almost like some outside force is manipulating our lives, making sure to stretch this dramatic tension as long as possible.” (X-Factor #1)
How no one ever recognized the X-Terminators as the original five X-Men is one of the great mysteries of the Marvel Universe. (X-Factor #1)
NOTE: The appropriate soundtrack to literally every scene Cyclops is in in this issue is “Country Feedback,” by R.E.M., on repeat. (X-Factor #1)
WHO YOU GONNA CALL? (X-Factor #1)
“I mean, it’s been solicited as an ongoing, and everything.” (X-Factor #1)
Aw, Madelyne. (X-Factor #1)
NEXT WEEK: The Beyonder ruins everything. Again.
LINKS AND FURTHER READING:
- Special thanks to guest X-Pert Elle Collins. When she’s not catching us up on the Defenders, here’s where you can find Elle online:
- Secrets Behind X-Men: Jean Grey’s Return in X-Factor
But someone DOES the connection! Phil Sheldon does! And he’s kind of annoyed no one else notices it (I love Marvels)
Maki, ya beat me to it! Clearly Kurt Busier agreed with you about that one, Rachel.
So regarding the “did the Phoenix force replace Jean in Earth-811” issue, was this ever addressed later, one way or another?
Oh dear god…the rabbit hole that is “Secrets behind the x-men” is going to destroy my productivity. 🙂
Thanks for linking it.
The thing that gets me about the early issues of X-Factor is what a monumentally bad idea it is to be stoking the fires of anti-mutant hysteria in the name of helping a few mutants. Seriously, they rescue how many mutants, six? And how many instances of mutant-bashing would their ad campaign have provoked?
When Hodge did his heel-turn and revealed that the whole thing wasn’t actually meant to help mutants, that was a relief, but why didn’t any of the supposedly smart superheroes figure it out before then?
One of them trusted Hodge blindly and implicitly; two others were professionally frustrated and desperate to get back into the superhero game with their friends; another was profoundly at sea in the modern state of things and bereft of most of the skills she’d previously leaned on for people-related decision-making; and the fifth–to whom the other four had usually looked as the voice of reason–was in the middle of a massive breakdown.
(I mean, yeah, X-Factor’s shell structure is the worst idea ever, and they still should have caught it, but they’re not exactly a team poised for good decision-making.)
I agree with Rachel, the core structure of the original X-Factor was a flawed idea. You’d think the O5 would be smarter than that. Part of my dislike for the first few issues of “X-Factor” is that I feel Bob Layton just didn’t get the O5’s voices right. But Louise Simonson, who took over the title, had on the characters before so she righted the ship.
Hehe, “Ship.” That was unintentional but funny.
But I think in-story, or my head canon at least, here are 5 people in their early 20s (Marvel time; remember the O5 are the same age as Spider-Man and the Human Torch) who have spent much of the past few years in a weird boarding school with one adult, followed by interdimensional gallivanting. Some naivety, lack of social and business skills. could be involved here. It could be they’re letting their hearts (Jean is back!)override their logic (Hodge is CLEARLY playing them).
But at the very least Cyclops and Beast, the two with uninterrupted super-heroing careers and experience with dealing with two-faced people (like Moondragon) should know better.
Am I the only one who kind of liked the 70s Defenders and Champions?
I haven’t read any of the Champions, but there were some great runs on the Defenders. Englehart, Gerber and DeMatteis all are very enjoyable.
Rachel & Jeff bring up some very good points about why the team didn’t catch on to what Hodge was up to.
In an unrelated matter, I have found another instance of “Yaybo” in a comic! http://eclecticpjf.tumblr.com/post/117607358056/now-theres-a-bit-of-slang-you-dont-see-every
It’s from an issue of Doc Savage from the 70s.
Wow does that defenders panel take on some new subtext. Maybe Iceman was thinking about Yul Brynner?
Late to the game, but I’ve been wanting to read X-Factor vol. 1 and it looks like it’s only been collected in those cheap b&w Essential books? No collections in color? Does this mean I’ll be hunting down all the back issues?! :\
“It’s almost like some outside force is manipulating our lives, making sure to stretch this dramatic tension as long as possible.”
Hard to tell if that caption is referring to Cameron Hodge or the Marvel editorial staff.
PS: Aimee, I really liked the Defenders too, especially the DeMatteis run.