A short introduction to a group of like 8-12 posts on X-Factor volume 3.
X-Planation & X-Tolment
The week of Christmas, I read all of X-Factor, most of it for the second or third time, though the last 30 issues or so were new to me. Written entirely by Peter David (for over 100 issues now) with a large and rotating group of artists, it was a somewhat varied but ultimately deeply rewarding read, taking full advantage of its medium and serialized format. I want to look at how it works, why it works, and the reasons for it biggest successes and failures. This will be a collection of pieces, first discussing individual sections of the narrative and then talking about some themes and ideas of the series as a whole.
Before I dig into that, though, I'd be foolish and careless not to mention the trying, frightening situation in which Peter David and his family currently find themselves. Right before New Year's, David suffered a stroke, and though the moving and detailed updates from his wife Kathleen indicate that his recovery is coming along well overall, the family of course needs any support the world can offer. Here and also here is what Kathleen has suggested people can do to help out, and I strongly encourage anyone reading this to pitch in. He's a great talent, providing consistently strong work not only on X-Factor but throughout his long and prolific career, and I wish him as speedy and painless a recovery as possible.
Later today, I'll talk about X-Factor's first twenty-issue stretch, which I see as sort of a single story, and why it's an excellent introduction to the massive, ever-growing series that follows.
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