It's a good week to be a fan of Peter David's Marvel work. This week brought the announcement that, for at least a short time, he's going to be back on the Hulk (still one of his most beloved work of all time) and it also brings the first issue of another reunion of sorts, as Peter David delves back into some of the cast members of his cult hit X-Factor. Madrox is not simply X-Factor redux, however... in fact, aside from the characters, it's a completely different book, with a darker sensibility more akin to his Fallen Angel work and a fascinating take on its multiple bodied protagonist. The first issue throws a lot of information at the reader, particularly the reader not already familiar with these characters, but it is also strong with potential and moves along at a pretty good clip, inviting the reader to keep up.
Peter David has recast Jamie Madrox as a private detective, with all the Sam Spade trappings that implies. However, even in the first issue, it is recognized that Madrox really isn't a detective, and instead this is another path for someone who can choose to try out a variety of lives simultaneously. This is a really neat little idea of how Madrox can use his power, and I love the notion of aspects of his life just walking back into his door and adding to his experiences every now and then. If nothing else about the series struck me, that idea alone would seem like the kind of thing that could inspire numerous stories of various stripes.
Of course, this central conceit, that Madrox has spread his life out into many lives, is but one of the aspects of this series. The central plot involves a murder with a twist that Madrox is uniquely suited to get involved in. The setup features a reunion of sorts between Madrox and two of his X-Factor compatriots, Rahne Sinclair and Guido Carosella. To be honest, I don't think either of these characters are particularly good, but in David's hands, they're always interesting. David's Rahne is less of a waif and slightly more worldly, a nice balance between the Claremont original and the version currently on display over in New X-Men, maybe more snarky than we're used to seeing but an entertaining character nonetheless. And although Guido's part in this book is pretty sparse, I am pleasantly reminded that David is the guy who turned Guido into more than just a one-joke character, giving him a little psychological depth even while maintaining his class clown image with legitimately funny humor.
David is joined in this endeavor by Pablo Raimondi, a guy who gets more and more impressive with each new project. His work here, with inker Drew Hennessy, is a beautiful mix of photorealism and shadowy mood, reminiscent of the realistic work being done by David Yardin on District X but with a South American flavor that has echoes of Eduardo Risso. I particularly love their work on Rahne's wolfen form, which looks more terrifying and yet more like an actual animal at the same time, and there's some great detail in his work in general, from the city backgrounds to having a fly sitting on Jamie when he's lying in his office. The storytelling is also very strong, with some great high and low angles and a clever panel bleed during Jamie's re-integration process. Brian Reber's colors, good throughout the issue, are particularly notable in this scene as well, as he uses a bit of blur effect to set the scene.
Honestly, I'm very much in the "another X-book?!" camp in general, but Madrox is an exception to the rule that more X-Books are a bad thing. For one thing, this is a niche within the X-Books that isn't really being explored, linking up nicely with the style and world that District X is creating. For another, it's got a tone and style that sets it apart from the rest of the X-Book line, and indeed from Peter David's previous X-Factor work, making it something new and different.
