X-Factor - Volume 1: The Longest Night: Longest Night v. 1 (X-Factor (Numbered)) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Peter David's new X-FACTOR series rivals Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's ASTONISHING X-MEN in excellence. Thanks largely to the success of the 5-issued MADROX: MULTIPLE CHOICE limited series, Peter David was able to resuscitate the X-Factor title. In the aftermath of the sweeping HOUSE OF M and DECIMATION story arcs and as a direct continuation of the aforementioned Madrox limited series, Jamie Madrox is still heavily invested in his work in the private investigator field. However, his detective firm undergoes a name change, from XXX Investigations to X-Factor Investigations (because its members thought it sounded too much like they were investigating pornography). In addition to Jamie Madrox (Multiple Man), Guido (Strong Guy), and Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane), new members now include Theresa Cassidy (Siryn), Monet St. Croix (M), and the depowered Rictor. A mysterious and manipulative young girl named Layla Miller (Butterfly), who professes to "know stuff," rather abruptly makes herself welcome to the group.

Because X-Factor's purview is New York's Mutant Town, the team is constantly reminded of M-Day, the inexplicable event in which 90% of the world's mutants lost their powers (again, see HOUSE OF M and DECIMATION). So, besides their everyday cases, the team is also trying to unearth what really happened on M-Day. X-FACTOR VOL. 1: THE LONGEST NIGHT presents the first six episodes. And writer Peter David reliably does not disappoint.

Now X-Factor is still a "mutant" title; thus, the angst tends to flow heavy and often, as well as a certain sense of bleakness. Peter David does keep the dark tone from being too oppresive by, as always, wisely injecting his trademark humor into the proceedings. The narrative is told from Jamie Madrox's point of view, so the storytelling is somewhat irreverent, in spite of the somber issues raised in the story arcs. Fans of X-Factor and the Madrox limited series, of course, realize that Jamie's flippant side serves to hide a minefield of devastating psychological proportions.

Naturally, Multiple Man isn't the only one with problems. In fact, the intrigue of this series doesn't lie in their adversaries or in the action scenes, but, rather, in the interpersonal conflict amongst the team members themselves. This is such a mismatched band of characters: The insufferably condescending, self-absorbed Monet; the brooding, now "ordinary" Rictor; Siryn, who is a recovering alcoholic; Rahne, who persists in opting for violence and who teeters on the verge of losing control, even as she fervently follows her religion; and the very cryptic young Layla Miller. The most complex is Jamie Madrox, whose "Multiple Man" powers are enough to mess up anyone. It's gotten to the point where, at times, Jamie now even questions whether it was he or his duplicate who had slept with someone. Of all of them, Guido seems to be the most "normal" of the lot.

Writer Peter David continues to be a boon for comic book fans. X-FACTOR VOL. 1: THE LONGEST NIGHT is written with a noirish flair. David eschews the epic storylines, preferring to scale down the stories to a more human, more gritty level. There aren't grandiose superhero melees in this six-issue arc, although a main adversarial element is introduced in the form of X-Factor's investigative rival, the shadowy Singularity Investigations, led by its enigmatic CEO Damian Tryp. It's noted that Tryp seems to have an ulterior motive with regards to the X-Factor team. Even as early as these first six issues, it's evident that things aren't as they seem as Peter David nicely works in layer after layer of character complexity and plot reverses. Don't blink.

Ryan Sook and Dennis Calero's excellent artwork brings David's storytelling to life. Except for issue #6, the stories take place at night and in shadows; Sook and Calero ably translate the appropriate visual moods onto the pages. The great covers, as provided by Ryan Sook, Gabrielle Dell'otto, and Jose Villarrubia, leap off the comic book shelves. I thought the cover to issue #1 (which is also used as a cover for this TPB) to be particularly effective.

I wouldn't normally give a fig about this bunch of castoffs. As written by someone else, chances are these characters would very quickly be relegated to what they'd been for the longest time: second and third-rate mutant superheroes the fans choose to ignore. The difference, of course, is Peter David. He makes Jamie Madrox relevant to me, someone who's simultaneously humorous and tragic. Layla is my second favorite character, while Monet and Siryn have become interesting and Rictor shows signs of promise as he copes with his loss of power. However, I still don't like Wolfsbane and Guido needs to be fleshed out more.

But, having been a collector of this new X-Factor title from the get-go, I can already tell you that this series only gets better. Prepare for further skullduggery and for more shocks ahead. Trust me, I know stuff.

Peter David transformed mutant Jamie Madrox in his earlier miniseries, 'Madrox'. Jamie Madrox had been something of a joke before then, and the fact that he was essentially forgotten was something that didn't bother many people. Until 'Madrox'.

Now, Madrox catches a second wind in X-Factor. This is the first volume, detailing Peter David's attempt to turn a group of unimportant, forgotten, or flat-out hated characters into a group of the most interesting people currently inhabitting the Marvel Universe.

The book is difficult to compare to anything else in the Marvel Universe. It's clearly more of a traditional superhero book than 'Madrox' was. It's clearly more noir than New Avengers, or other traditional superhero books. It's somewhere right in the middle.

This first book deals with two entwined plots. The first is their confrontation with the sinister Singularity Investigations, a group of people who cater to the rich and famous, covering up their crimes and stomping all over anyone who gets in the way. X-Factor Investigations investigate a suspected mind-control plot, and the murder that follows.

At the same time, they have to deal with a newcomer to the team - Layla Miller, the walking MacGuffin from 'House of M', who invited herself onto the team and proceeded to make herself indispensible...and creepy as hell. Why did she show up? How do she know what she knows? All questions that the people at X-Factor Investigations are curious about, but they have bigger things on their plate for now.

The book deals with both of these plots and more, resolving issues that Marvel left hanging in a number of different poorly planned crossovers. You don't have to have read them to follow what's going on, but the sense of approaching closure will be appreciated by those who were deeply unsatisfied with the endings to those crossovers.

As always, Peter David is NOT one to pull the punches, emotionally or physically, and some of the imagery and plots are pretty dark. While the book doesn't fall prey to the 'extreme grim 'n' gritty' plague that's sweeping comics, it doesn't sugar-coat anything for you either, so be prepared to deal with some fairly realistic, depressing violence. For me, it was a welcome change from the consequence-free cartoon violence that is pervasive in our media, but it still may initially surprise some. My advice: push through. When you come out the other end, you'll realize that it really does contribute positively to the story.

X-Factor has been many things, from a team reprising the original X-Men line-up to a cast of B-characters led by Cyclops's brother Havok. With "The Longest Night," however, Peter David uses the team name for Madrox's new mutant detective agency. While many of the team members have been on previous X-Factor incarnations, the title isn't bogged down with the past like the main X-books often seem. Instead, this is a fresh start for X-Factor that even non-superhero fans will find appealing with its neo-noir artwork and pacing.