X-Factor #24 (1986) - CLASSIC COMIC OF THE WEEK
By d. emerson eddy — Inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame this past weekend during the SDCC @ Home ceremonies was legendary comics writer and editor, Louise Simonson. Simonson's was one of the voices for mutants and Superman while I was growing up in the '80s and '90s and has lauded runs on Power Pack, New Mutants, X-Factor, Superman: The Man of Steel, and Steel. She brought an apocalypse to the X-Men and helped kill a man of steel and replace him with a quartet of imposters. Among my favorites of her work is X-Factor #24 with Walter Simonson, Bob Wiacek, Petra Scotese, and Joe Rosen.
The holiday issue, X-Factor #27, was actually one of the first Marvel titles I bought at my new corner store when my family moved into the city and I suddenly had a wealth of new comics to choose from other than DC. I immediately gravitated to the artwork from Walter Simonson, whose Thor was one of the few that I had actively sought out before. I loved that issue and when given the opportunity to visit an actual comics shop, with back issues, I kind of went into a frenzy and bought up what I could afford of the previous issues. Including #24.
As part of the “Fall of the Mutants” crossover, it featured a thematic tie-in through hardship and betrayal as X-Factor found themselves captured by Apocalypse. Though the storyline had been running for some time before now, with events from the “Mutant Massacre” crossover and X-Factor's previous run-ins with Apocalypse's horsemen converging, X-Men #24 brought it to a head with a huge confrontation including the revelation of who was Death.
Louise Simonson does an incredible job here in portraying Apocalypse. He lays out carefully his vision for the future of mutantkind, revealing his long past revered as a deity throughout many cultures, and how his survival of the fittest is at odds with the “peace” preached by Xavier and his flock. It's definitely megalomaniacal, but there's a kind of cruel logic to it that you can understand how someone would think that growth comes through strife. And it serves as a third point to the Xavier and Magneto philosophies. Better living through conflict. An appealing concept to a corrupted, defeated Warren Worthington and eventually perennial Morlock whipping boy, Caliban.
All of it elevated visually from Walter Simonson, Bob Wiacek, Petra Scotese, and Joe Rosen. Walter Simonson's layouts here are impeccable. Many pages feature one tall side panel, followed by tiers, linked throughout by Joe Rosen's placement of word balloons, resulting in an incredible full page effect for the storytelling.
Overall, X-Factor #24 is a wonderful exhibition of how to build a credible threat and a long-lasting, believable villain from L. Simonson, W. Simonson, Wiacek, Scotese, and Rosen. It's one of my favorites in Louise Simonson's body of work and it's still a joy to read decades later.
X-Factor #24 (1986)
X-Factor #24
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Walter Simonson
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Publisher: Marvel
Release Date: September 22, 1987
FALL OF THE MUTANTS tie-in! X-Factor has been spirited away to Apocalypse's secret orbital base. There, they battle the deadly Horsemen of Apocalypse, including their former teammate Angel!
Price: $1.99 on Comixology | Also available in the collections: X-Men: Betrayals ($6.99), X-Men Milestones: Fall of the Mutants ($16.99) and The Fall of the Mutants Vol. 2 ($24.99)
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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.