X-Men Re-read: X-Factor v5: The Only Game in Town

The Great X-Men Re-read

X-Factor v5: The Only Game in Town

Collects: X-Factor vol. 3, #28-32; X-Factor: The Quick and the Dead
Writer(s): Peter David
Penciller(s): Pablo Raimondi, Valentine De Landro

The first post-Messiah CompleX collection of X-Factor.

Quick Synopsis
Core Cast: Monet St Croix (M), Jamie Madrox, Julio "Ric" Richter (Rictor), Theresa Cassidy (Siryn), Guido (Strong Guy)

The team adjust to the fallout from Messiah CompleX with Layla being trapped in the future. Ric and Jamie do this in similar ways, mainly by beating up the bad guys - Ric with some randoms and Jamie by beating up a church of Purifiers. Rahne leaves, to be seen next in X-Force. Theresa and M discus Theresa's pregnancy.

Theresa fails to tell Jaime that she's pregnant, in a crossed wires conversation that M likens to a sitcom. Ric is kidnapped by Arcade and the rest of the team look for him. What follows is a an Arcade / Purifiers story-line with the remains of Mutant Town, NYC, as the game zone. At the conclusion Val Cooper tries to recruit X-Factor into the O*N*E program, but Jaime declines blowing up the X-Factor office and moving to Detroit.

There's also a Quicksilver story at the back, The Quick and the Dead, which goes some way to redeeming the character back onto a path of heroism. It's take it or leave it stuff, I'm not particularly a fan of Quicksilver.

Best Bit
Arcade being revealed to be a robot, only to reveal himself to be wearing a robot mask once X-Factor have gone.

Final Words
Messiah CompleX hasn't stopped the momentum of this title.

Top Notch
8 / 10