by Randy Lander

X-FACTOR #1 "The Mountaintop Part 1: The Player" Recommended (8/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Jeff Jensen Artist: Arthur Ranson Colors: Paul Mounts Letters: Paul Tutrone Editor: Mark Powers Price: $2.50 US/$4.00 CAN I've always had a great respect for Jensen's reviews in Entertainment Weekly, and I was intrigued to see him jump from doing those reviews to actually writing comics. But would a critical eye translate into good storytelling? As it turns out, the answer is yes, as X-Factor is a fascinating, understated look at the world of mutant racism and revolutionary doctrine, everything The Brotherhood wanted to be and wasn't. The artwork by Arthur Ransom is equally impressive, reminiscent of detail-heavy artists like Guy Davis or Igor Kordey and perfect for Jensen's gritty and realistic script. Like Tischman's work on Cable, the ambiguity could become a detriment to story clarity, but so far, the mysterious tone and sense of multiple players is drawing me in rather than pushing me away. Like Morrison and Millar, Jensen is exploring the notion of mutant racism from a new and more realistic angle. The similarity between the hate-crime that leads off this story and the death of gay teen Matthew Shepard is a risky choice, one that could possibly cause accusations that Jensen is trivializing real racism and homophobia by comparing it to the fictional anti-mutant sentiment, but I think what he's doing is actually holding a mirror up to society through fiction, as the mutant racism parallel has been used for throughout the years. Jensen also hits the ambiguity of racism and homophobia in his depiction of the characters, as one of the protagonists has an anti-mutant bias of his own, and the nature of the crime allows for investigation into radical organizations both for and against mutant tolerance. Arthur Ranson's artwork is also perfect for this kind of realism and ambiguity. He does stunning work on the backgrounds of the piece, keeping the action moving believably through suburban homes, a radical safehouse, a morgue and the expensive house of a Hollywood producer, with a few establishing shots in-between to show whether the story is in Washington D.C. or Hollywood. I also appreciated his attention to detail, whether it's in the expressive faces of the characters, the guns in the safehouse or the maps and posters on the walls. Paul Mounts also gives an impressive performance on color, keeping it understated but clear and providing moody lighting, such as the reds in the safehouse or the cool blues in the morgue, as well as a depiction of hazy California sunlight that is reminiscent of Matt Hollingsworth's best work. The lettering also stood out for me this issue, and while I generally don't care for the mixed-case approach, it works with this artwork. I also appreciated some of Paul Tutrone's stylistic touches, such as the use of red letters for Jean Grey's mental speech or the increased font and different color for the FBI's loud entry into a room. If nothing else, this story moves. It starts out as a hate-crime, and takes us through a raid on a suspected anti-mutant group by the FBI, a party with an arrogant and potentially dangerous producer and a confrontation with a dangerous mutant, with some periphery involvement by the X-Men thrown in for good measure. Jensen provides a number of complications for the case the two FBI agents are investigating, and he never quite makes it clear who is out for what goals. While this ambiguity can be frustrating, at this point I'm willing to view it as another nod toward realism behind the process of investigation, rather than not giving vital information to the readers. While the murder of William Sumner is setup and resolved in this issue, there are several questions remaining to keep readers interested. Most of them revolve around the two leads, including the details of their past tragedies and the outcome of the hints given this issue about the darkness in the heart of Agent Kearse or Gray's pregnancy. Jensen, Ransom and the rest have crafted a story with themes of anti-mutant sentiment and how government institutions react, but they have wisely grounded it with a couple of interesting characters who I want to know more about. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.