Despite being half-sisters, Scarlet Witch and Polaris have never really known each other very well. It’s been nearly 10 years since they last spoke a single word to each other. So what better way to change that then to simply give them a girl’s day out?
When the Scarlet Witch first shows up to say hi to her sister, Polaris is resistant to the idea of hanging out. Only after Danger says it’s a good idea does she agree to head to town. The rest of this issue is actually a great character study for both characters, exploring Wanda’s lack of experience with general socializing while examining Polaris’s mindset. To make this issue more entertaining, Peter David throws in a number of jokes, including a bit too much drinking on Wanda’s part and Danger’s extremely awkward requests for, well … it’s in the preview pages if you want it spoiled. And it wouldn’t be a proper superhero’s day out without them running into some sort of situation or two.
The situation that presents itself involves a staged witch burning, however with a bit of criminal intent thrown in. One of the “knights” is upset over the “witch” for declining a date with him, and then making fun of him online later. This leads to a decent action scene with some more humour thrown in, but that’s not the important part. The important part is that this particular scene feels quite relevant to a huge controversy happening in the video game world right now. Basically, there are two women in the industry who are suffering a fury of hateful comments and death threats by much of the gaming community. It’s one thing to respectfully criticise one’s work, but it’s another thing entirely to send death threats to their families and publish all sorts of rumors and stolen information about them online. I won’t expand on it further or provide any links, but it kind of makes me ashamed to be a gamer. Sure, the comic industry has its fair share of controversy, including Scott Lobdell’s sexual harassment scandal, but I’ve never heard of anything this bad. At least for me, this is what makes this issue special.
The art by Pop Mhan and Scott Hanna is simple but it works. The environments are set up nicely, and Wanda appears appropriately drunk after having five beers in half an hour. There’s not much else to say about the art really. It works, but it’s nothing special.
It’s a bit odd that there are two “hang-out” issues in a row, with the last one concerning Quicksilver and his daughter Luna, but that’s not a huge problem. Both of these issues do a great job at exploring their respective characters while retaining a sense of fun. This isn’t the greatest issue of All New X-Factor yet, but it’s certainly worth reading if you enjoy the series, Polaris or the Scarlet Witch.
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This felt like an issue of X-Factor, and as a fan of X-Factor, I loved it. Drunk Wanda was kinda cute. Lorna seemed to almost be trolling her all through the issue. Danger being pervy was fun. Really fun issue.
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Yeah, I just started reading Peter David’s post M-Day X-Factor from the start, and it’s so good. This one does kind of have that vibe, even though none of the characters are the same.
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His original X-Factor run, in the ’90s, was also great. I love PAD. I’ve been reading his Incredible Hulk run, and it’s great stuff. He really did a lot to make the character interesting again after years of the same stories being told again and again.
What I like about his X-Factor stuff, though, is his use of characters no one cares about. The previous run did fantastic work with Wolfsbane and Monet. It, and his ’90s run, did great work with Madrox and Guido. He’s one of the few writers who can make me give a damn about Quicksilver. The relationship between Rictor and Shatterstar was awesome.
That post-M-Day run also has one of the most genuinely shocking moments I’ve ever come across in a comic. I won’t spoil it, but you’ll probably know it when you reach it. The recap page actually asks readers not to spoil it, and readers obeyed. It was such a huge shock that people agreed not to talk about it.
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I’ve read his 90’s run actually. It was too short if you ask me, but it was good while it lasted (and his issues of Xcutioner’s song were by far the best).
I’m about 3 trade paperbacks into the post M-Day run, so I’m not sure if I’ve seen this shocking moment yet. There was that one intense moment in the first paperback that caught me off guard … involving an invader with a knife and the most hardcore finishing words possible for the given situation. Beyond that, I’ve read the Messiah Complex issues (Messiah Complex was the first X-Men event I ever read in full), the Secret Invasion tie-ins, the Second Coming Tie-ins and everything after the Hard Laybor arc (where Wolvesbane had her son).
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