X-Factor has been an intelligent and unusual examination of the mutant racism allegory, and it comes to an ending that is ambiguous but satisfying. Given the focus on the FBI and how they do their job that has become important in recent days, this story of bombings and conspiracies is particularly timely, but even without current events, Jensen's examination of two FBI mutant rights agents stands out as something quite different than Marvel has had before. With Ranson providing the work with a realistic art style, this was a look at a different aspect of the Marvel Universe than we've previously seen, and it strikes me that there's plenty of room for more of this kind of thing at Marvel as well.
What I like about X-Factor beyond its sense of being new is the many layers of story that Jensen has put in. On a large scale, the story is about mutant-human relations. Going slightly smaller, it's about how the FBI is dealing with mutant racism and a conspiracy within the FBI that may be contributing to the problem. Going even smaller, the story is about a crisis of faith for both of the leads, brought on by their prior encounters with mutants. All of these stories come together and come to a conclusion this issue, but the book does not feel at all crowded.
Jensen has created characters who are not necessarily likable 100% of the time, but who are very real and human. Kearse's failings related to his injuries in the past and interpretation of his faith make him an interesting character, and Cathy's problems with her family are likewise an interesting flaw. These characters are investigating things that don't exist in the real world, doing jobs that most of us can't relate to, but their troubles living up to their own ideals makes them easy to relate to for anyone who has at one point struggled with similar problems, which is to say all of us.
Ranson's artwork has been perfect for this book, and I especially love how he creates a normal and detailed world and then puts mutants and weirdness into it. The scene in the airport is a great example of this, as we get a look at what the Marvel Universe might actually look like, rather than being simply super-heroes or normals with no interaction, and I also appreciate how he reinforced the "more than human" feeling of the X-Men. Kearse's viewpoint on the X-Men, where they appear more as shapes and light than people, is conveyed very well with Ranson's style.
Part crime comic, part social commentary and part super-hero book, X-Factor is one of the strongest X-related mini-series Marvel has ever produced. There's a sophistication to the approach that is rare, and though the subject matter has been a subplot in X-Men titles for the last thirty years, Jensen and Ranson somehow managed to find a new angle on it.
