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After coming out swinging on the first issue, X-Factor is back for round two and it does not disappoint. A new case has been launched that brings the newly-formed team to the heart of the Mojoverse, and it is damn delightful.
X-Factor #2 is written by Leah Williams, with art by David Baldeon, colors by Israel Silva, letters by VC’s Joe Caramagna, and designs by Tom Muller. The main cover is provided by Ivan Shavrin.
Aurora & A New Mystery
A mysterious person arrives on Krakoa, presumably a mutant since they’re unaccompanied by anyone else, and drops a package at the Boneyard for the newly-formed X-Factor Investigations team. Arriving in the morning is Aurora, who has been freshly resurrected after the events of the first issue. She almost immediately gets overwhelmed by everyone asking too many questions, as she’s pretty new to being alive again, which is something we haven’t stopped to question enough in these new X-books.
Reclamation to being alive again isn’t something that seems like it would be easy, so it’s nice to see Aurora not move on as if everything is completely fine. Aurora is also a bit dodgy about the questions, but whether that’s to keep her own safety a secret, or if she’s just fuzzy on everything, remains to be seen. While she hasn’t exactly joined the team, Aurora has been granted a place in the Boneyard and is folded into the story going forward, it seems, at least deepening the mystery around her death.
Journey To The Mojoverse
X-Factor #2 wastes no time in getting to the real story here, started by what’s in that mysterious package. Leah capitalizes on every opportunity to show off what a character can do and how they contribute to the team dynamic. It can’t be overstated how important this is when writing a team book like X-Factor. This is exemplified in their tracking down of where the package came from — The Mojoverse
The Updated Mojoverse
It was made immediately clear that the Mojoverse had undergone some changes. This makes sense for a couple of reasons, as we haven’t been to the Mojoverse in quite some time, even mostly avoiding it in X-Men Black: Mojo.
Also though, as the X-Men have undergone changes over the course of at least the last six months(in Marvel time) at least, so to have their enemies and adjacent cast members. Krakoa has been a hit in the Mojoverse, almost echoing how the new X-line has been received in the real world. It gives Leah a clean slate in a way where she is free to remake the Mojoverse into something a little more modern or relevant, and boy does she swing for the fences here.
The team all has to go on stream to audition, where the crowd responds to them and gives an incredibly modern take on how things work in the Mojoverse now. If you spend any time online, this is going to feel like a stroke of brilliance, largely because it is. This is how you update something to keep it exciting and fresh, without stepping all over what came before. It is purely additive and doesn’t contradict itself. The stream chat is straight-up twitter humor, which isn’t a bad thing. X-Factor knows exactly what kind of book it wants to be and who it is made for, and that’s something to be celebrated.
The Power Of Branding
Williams’ true master-stroke in X-Factor #2, is how she creates a parallel to The Five on Krakoa, in the Mojoverse. The Five are powerful, revered figures in Krakoa, so who would be their equivalent here? In this world, streaming is the ultimate power, and who powers streamers? They’re the brands, and so the Mojoverse’s Five are the top five streamers who have each been given their own brand identity. It’s a different kind of power, but one no less impressive, and possibly even more fascinating.
The premise of this new kind of Mojoverse is thrilling in itself. Utilizing the data pages for ads and charts relating to streamers is brilliant, and gives X-Factor even more of a unique identity. We know at least one of the Five is a good old Spiral so far, but the others? The mystery deepens!
The Art Of X-Factor #2
Firstly, Amazing Baby is one of the Baldeon’s greatest ever creations. People will be talking about this creature for months, if not years, to come. He has just captured himself so adorably, not unlike his own Baby Yoda even, to keep people charmed every time he is on-page. He has so much personality, with absolutely no dialogue, and is truly a treasure. Speaking of awesome Baldeon designs, his Mojo is gross and terrifying and hilarious all at once and that is…perfect.
It’s exactly how I should feel when I’m looking at Mojo. I should be both disgusted and amused at the same time. The uniforms look fantastic on-page. They look almost like the fusion of a superhero costume and street-clothes. The only thing unifying about them is the new X-Factor logo (created by Tom Muller), which allows for quite a bit of diversity among the costumes. Everybody has a different approach to what they’re comfortable in, which is yet another way that David showcases how different each character is, and shows their own unique voice.
Should You Read X-Factor #2?
One of Leah Williams’ greatest strengths as a writer is how she characterizes people in their dialog. The way in which they speak tells you everything you need to know about who they are, especially if you’re new to anyone here. The body language that David Baldeon utilizes independently for each character only further emphasizes their personality and uniqueness. The chemistry of the creative team is reflected well in the chemistry of the team on-page.
Together, these creators are capable of delivering fully-realized and fleshed out characters that feel like real people, with real personalities, saying real things. This is absent in so many comics these days, that it feels like a breath of fresh air almost. Shavrin’s cover is a good cover, don’t get me wrong, but it’s possibly not the right cover for X-Factor #2. He has a much more rigid style than Baldeon’s, which leaves everyone looking much more serious than what you’ll see on the inside of the book.
This book functions like a Saturday morning cartoon in comic form, and that should be reflected on the cover as well so people have a better understanding of what they’re in for. Two issues deep and X-Factor continues to deliver on its hype in the lead-up to its release. This book is packed with fresh ideas and exciting new takes, and it’s only the beginning. There will be at least one more issue dealing with the Mojoverse before it’s time to cut into the upcoming event, X Of Swords, so plenty more excitement is sure to follow!
