X-Factor #143 - "The Fall of the Brotherhood Part 1"

Writer: Howard Mackie    Pencils: Duncan Rouleau    Inks: Art Thibert

   I gotta admit this issue is mildly interesting. Despite it being a battle set-up issue, we got to see most of the characters and at least something appears to be happening again... even if it doesn't really make sense.

   To recap for you, the Brotherhood has disintegrated into two fractions on the verge of warfare while the X.U.E. are going after Mystique. The issue comes to a conclusion with Havok and Shard versus Mystique, the X.U.E. and the Dark Beast. Not a bad concept, but when you actually think about it, it begins to appear rather ramshackle. The complete non-sequitor that's been pulled with Havok's character is astounding. Concievably his motivation for breaking the Dark Beast and Fatale out of prison was so that he could force them to join the Brotherhood. That makes sense, right? Now we're led to believe that he broke the Dark Beast out of jail so that he could rescue people the Dark Beast wouldn't have even captured had he been in jail! Say what?!? Onto Mystique... Now I for one was excited about her assuming the Mallory Brickman identity (and hopefully her old deviousness), so when she takes some time out to rumble with some heroes I get a little concerned. If you start a plot, and take a whole issue doing it, please let's see how that plot ends. If they allow her to escape back to her secret identity I think I'm gonna go be very frustrated... The innocent victim being afraid of their mutant savior is also wearing very thin. In the words of Havok: "Why does it always have to be like this?" I couldn't agree more.

   On the good side, however, its nice to see the X.U.E. actually getting developed (One of their bodies, I might add, is a dead ringer for Black Tom, and he's named Jude Black. House of Ideas, indeed! :) along with the long awaited return of Havok, who is looking more and more like the future leader of the Summers' Rebellion (Scott doesn't have it in him!). All in all the plot's a fairly classic one, but it works well as we're left to wonder just what the X.U.E. are doing, and how the future Forge (presumably) is involved. With regard to Rouleau's art, as always, its superb. He's a great story teller and gives each character's look something extra that wasn't there before. I eagerly await the day he arrives on Alpha Flight! Mackie was better than usual, with the exception of the Havok stuff, and delievered a solid story that's gotten me actually excited about the next issue big battle. Maybe this title really will be going somewhere again! Recommended for any X-Factor fans out there.

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