X-Factor vol. 13: Hard Labor

Rhane “Wolfsbane” Sinclair’s pregnancy was a plot thread inherited by writer Peter David when the character was written out of the Chris Yost/Craig Kyle iteration of “X-Force.”  Since then he has managed to get some pretty good mileage out of it by using it as a catalyst for conflict between Rhane, Rictor and Shatterstar   That thread comes to a head here as David brings in Feral, Werewolf-by-Night and a whole host of wolf-themed creatures from mythology to fight over who gets to raise the baby.  Because he’s going to grow up to be immensely powerful and will be a great asset in this incredible mystical war that’s brewing, you know.

It’s not the first time the writer has done this kind of plot, but as ridiculous as this sounds it ultimately turns out to be fairly inconsequential to the book’s overall quality.  That’s because David knows to (Say it with me now!) “keep the focus on the characters.”  We get some good scenes between Rhane and Shatterstar in the book’s opening chapter as they hash out their differences while fighting off a horrific monster known as the Sin-Eater.  Then, at the story’s climax we’re treated to a moment that’s heartbreaking in the way Rhane reacts to her newborn in a way that’s both “I can’t belive she did that!/I CAN believe she did that!”  If you remember what happened to Madrox and Siryn’s kid, well, this is almost as bad.  Still, it easily stands as one of the most memorable and striking moments in this series painful though it may be.

Between all that is the usual high-quality mix of superhero fighting and character-driven storytelling that has been the foundation of the title since day one.  Though the stakes are high and the subject matter is ostensibly quite serious, we get a number of quality comedy moments that help to lighten the tone and keep things from getting too dire.  David also advances and even resolves some plot threads as the downside to Strong Guy’s resurrection is acknowledged and put on the back burner for future development and we find out just why Pip the Troll has decided to hook up with X-Factor Investigations.  Serviceable art is provided by Paul Davidson and Dennis Calero for the first two issues, with Emanuela Lupacchino showing up to make things much more lively in the final three.  Even with the ridiculousness of the main plot, the characters still make this volume another worthwhile read.