Marvel Comics X-Factor #222 By Josh Dean July 23, 2011 - 17:13 Publisher(s): Marvel Comics Writer(s): Peter David Penciller(s): Emanuela Lupacchino Inker(s): Guillermo Ortego Colourist(s): Matt Milla Letterer(s): Cory Petit Cover Artist(s): David Yardin $2.99 US There is a bit of a disease going through today’s comic book writers. Everyone wants to write the “definitive” story of character ____. Maybe, every now and then, you get a writer who likes to contrast one hero with another (like Superman to Batman) but mostly, they are interested in exploring the psychological depths of their main character(s). The idea of heroes living in a shared universe is mostly gone. If there is a guest star, they are announced way in advance and usually come from another title that needs a bump. Both Marvel and DC have a treasure trove of awesome characters to pick from and yet their creators tend to play in very segregated sandboxes. Peter David has no such issues. David has used his exemplary run on X-Factor to pull in all sorts of characters from both the x-universe and Marvel’s great unused background character file. Pip the Troll recently joined the team, Thor popping up in the title seems just as reasonable as the ghost of Feral and this issue features a great “why didn’t they ever do this before?” appearance by a Marvel horror character. With X-Factor based in New York, away from all the left coast X-nonsense, they are free to run into the Black Cat while acting as bodyguards for J Jonah Jameson or traveling through time to team up with a decrepit Dr. Doom. More than any other title right now, X-Factor captures that feeling I used to get when reading comics as a kid that anything and anyone might appear. The current storyline is about a host of supernatural evils attempting to hijack Wolfsbane’s pregnancy for their own purposes. The X-Factor team must ward off the threats with the assistance of a kind of awesome guest star. Meanwhile, the keep the subplots at a simmer, Guido has escaped death and is making some moves on one of his teammates. They don’t make ‘em much like this anymore. Emanuela Lupacchino has sort of a Dodsons feel to his work which is helpful in capturing everything from the non-costumes of Pip, Rictor and Guido to the various Irish and Egyptian creatures coming to mess Wolfsbane up. The art includes all needed info and is super easy to follow. A little heavy on the cheesecake at times but not so much to make anyone blush. There is even a better variety of facial features than I am normally used to. Lupacchino probably won’t blow anyone away but the work is very solid. If you like adventures set in the Marvel Universe that take full advantage of said universe, you could do much worse than checking out this title. I even think this whole storyline may be a stealthy Fear Itself tie-in although it is never explicitly stated. © Copyright 2002-2019 by Toon Doctor Inc. - All rights Reserved. All other texts, images, characters and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. Use of material in this document (including reproduction, modification, distribution, electronic transmission or republication) without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.