Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
All New X-Factor Volume 1: Not Brand X, this volume brings about a big change to the classic X-Factor, a team that had been linked to the X-Men rather closely, but now we are finding that the name is being linked to a group of mutants who normally wouldn’t really be around each other, if they could help it.
A group of hero’s are being brought together by a company; Serval Industries; who are sponsoring a group of hero’s to make society better; but can this new team trust their new boss?
The first comic starts off strongly, we see Gambit and Polaris interact with each other, we find what is meant to be going on – although who can take things at face value? Particularly when it’s part of the Marvel Universe. We then have Quicksilver join the team, although Polaris has reservations about it. It was good to see the trio interact with each other, they wouldn’t normally be around each other under usual circumstances if they remained in their own teams; although Polaris not being on a team would barely have seen the light of day.
When we begin to meet the other character’s it gets bit, iffy. Instead of having the narration being in third person throughout the comic, we get Gambit talking to us. Which wouldn’t be too bad if the writer switched it up for every comic to make different character’s be a central point and have their thoughts highlighted and it would make more sense if this was more Gambit focused, but it wasn’t, it was only the first comic, in the other’s it had Polaris, Quicksilver and the other’s as more central characters and even then it would have worked better as a narration done by third person instead of a central character.
The art style of All New X-Factor is unusual and it works for this kind of comic, it suits the mood of what is going on, although the team is a heroic group, it’s not being good because they want to be, it’s because they want the world to be a better place; the art style reflection this.
The art work is basic, it’s not over done, there isn’t a lot of details with the outfits, but it still works.
This first volume is a brilliant starting point for the comic, it’s good to see Quicksilver and Polaris get together and have some kind of sibling bonding, something that we comic readers haven’t really seen before, it’s always been Quicksilver and the Scarlett Witch; mainly because that is his twin sister, but it’s new and fresh to see him be with his younger sister.
It’s also refreshing to see a band of hero’s who aren’t really in the A-Team, these character’s aren’t going to pull lots of people in solely on their own, but the story will sell it and this is an interesting story to read.
This is a perfect read for those who are new to comics and would like to know a little bit more about these characters, in this comic it gives them plenty of room to shine.
The Pen and the Book 
I particularly was tickled with David’s doctor who reference in the first couple of issues and saddened it got cancelled recently.. Word in the comic dirt sheets I’d Polaris will be playing a much bigger role in Magneto’s comic. As in the recent comic it was realized when Scarlett Witch Hexed her own bloodline and Quicksilver was the only one present effected in other words Magneto is not the twins father… And Polaris might be his one and only true daughter.
It’s good to hear that Polaris won’t be simply pushed to the sidelines once ANXF is finished, and interesting how Wanda and Pietro aren’t going to be related to Magneto any more.
Yep that begs question who the baby daddy is …and I think the retcon was more of a screw you to fox productions because of their rights to the x-men than anything else. Kinda like the same way they cancelled the Fantastic Four. More than likely their father is an inhuman. Which in a way kind of makes sense because of their powers and the difference between them and Magneto. Polaris has his powers and everything so you could actually say she’s his daughter. Neither fully in human or mutant… Wanda and Quicksilver might be the first mutant inhumans but until morale gets the rights to their rights back from Fox if they ever do don’t expect them to be called mutants.
Also interesting is that Polaris’s and her Dark side between losing havoc to another woman and apocalypse turning her into the horseman of pestilence I think she is quite insane still.