Reactions to Chris Claremont'sX-Men: Forever have been mixed. Some fans are thrilled to see Claremont back on the X-Men from a period of comics history that they loved, while others (myself included) are turned off by the old fashioned story-telling.
Whatever we feel about it, it seems that Marvel has become addicted to the 'Forever' concept. Chris Claremont has already talked briefly about the upcoming New Mutants: Forever, which will pick up from when he left the title with issue #54.
Now here comes the latest in the line of 'Forever' mutants titles. X-Factor: Forever will be written by Louise Simonson. She wrote the original X-Factor from it's premier up to issue #63. The team consisted of the original five X-Men, who were living in Apocalypse's celestial Ship.
Unlike X-Men: Forever, this will only be a 4-part mini series. While in the same vein as X-Men: Forever, the story will pick up right after the writer's last regular appearance on the story and then divert off into another universe of possibilities.
Weezy Simonson said:"Returning from a space adventure involving the Celestials, X-Factor's Ship - originally a Celestial information gathering artifact appropriated by the immortal villain Apocalypse - has landed upright, a towering monolith on the site of the destroyed X-Factor building in lower Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River. Ship has begun to experience a few minor malfunctions.
X-Factor continue, for good or ill, as publically known mutants. They have offered the press photo-ops in exchange for a modicum of privacy. Even though they live in New York, they can't make an outside move without someone snapping their picture.
Scott/Cyclops has a baby son, Christopher, by his dead wife Madelyne Pryor - who became the Goblin Queen. For those who don't remember, Maddy was a clone of Jean Gray, created by the villain Mr. Sinister. She died during "Inferno."
Most mutants don't begin to manifest powers until adolescence, but the infant, Christopher, can already project a protective force field - a variation on Jean's telekinetic shield power. When Jean and the baby use their powers at the same time, because of their relationship, their powers repel each other.
Scott has asked Jean to marry him, but Jean has refused since she's having trouble integrating the confusing and terrible memories left her by the out-of-control Phoenix entity - a being that once impersonated her and became a destroyer of planets - and the Goblin Queen, who tried to sacrifice her own son. Though Jean is no longer telepathic, she's beginning to have low-level telepathic flashes. Because this seems linked to the Phoenix persona, she's not quite sure how to react. Jean is also troubled because both of her "clones" became evil. She fears that this happened because the original is badly flawed. Despite the baby's origin, Jean loves little Christopher, who is the son of her genes, if not the child of her body.
Warren/Archangel, no longer the sunny Angel, has begun to accept his own transformation by Apocalypse into a blue-skinned living weapon. He has begun to master his dark emotions and exert control over his lethal wings.
The super-intelligent Hank/ Beast is blue and furry, agile, and stronger than ever. He misses being able to pass as human, is tired of being stared at because of his physical differentness, and hides his discomfort behind a joking exterior.
Bobby/Iceman's powers have increased to the point where, without his power damper belt, his ability could go dangerously out of control. In the past, he'd seen himself as second rate, but, as he matures, he's beginning to accept his own strength.
The villain Apocalypse continues to monitor the activities of X-Factor and Ship, as well as the other mutants on Earth.
Apocalypse's Hellhound, the transformed Caliban, has been stalking the Marauders who murdered his people, the Morlocks. Sabretooth is Caliban's final target. But Sabretooth wants nothing more than to finish off Archangel."
It brings back a lot of memories! I loved the original X-Factor (not just because it had Boom-Boom in it). It was a chance to see the original X-Men together & doing what they did best. What's more, it had the unusual twist of having them as publically loved figures at a time when distrust of mutants was at an all time high & the Mutant Registration Act was being enforced.
So what can we expect of X-Factor: Forever? Once again, Louise Simonson filled us in on what we can expect to see.
Weezy said:
"The Celestials have begun to keep a sharp eye on evolving humankind. Apocalypse believes he knows why, and that mutantkind has a desperate and pervasive problem that puts humanity, itself, at risk of extinction. The arrival of a Celestial poses a deadly threat, and X-Factor and Apocalypse - deadly enemies - must join forces to prove humanity's worthiness before the colossus can use his vast power to destroy the Earth."
Personally, I'm not sure if I want to see this. So far, Dan Panosian's art looks great; a modern take on the classic X-Factor look. I've also been a big fan of Louise Simonson's work on the mutant titles in the past. However, I'm tired of seeing these rejigged 'what if...' type histories. At least she's smart enough to admit that these are all new stories...
Weezy added:
"I know I'm going to hear the question, "Is this really, exactly, what you would have done if you'd continued with "X-Factor" eighteen years ago?" The answer is…of course not. Or not exactly. There have been a lot of stories involving these characters in the last eighteen years, and I'd want to avoid re-telling any of them."
So what does everyone think? Is this a story you'd like to see? Are you excited about seeing the original X-Men together as X-Factor again? Or are you tired of going back in time to retell stories about what could have been??
Check out the whole interview with Louise Simonson, over on CBR.
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