#with all the metal virus shit and everything that happens after both in the comics and in other media

[wereh0gz]

Sonic should be mad abt being a hero and having all this pressure put on him. He should be mad and yell abt how he never wanted to be a hero and that he never was a hero and that he was just doing the right thing bc that's what everyone should do

He should have a breakdown I think

[rei-ismyname]

X-Factor #8 X-Manhunt highlights

I'm not reviewing any issues of X-Factor ever (unless someone paid me.) It's a weak comic, and not bad good either. However, it follows on directly from X-Men issue #13 (review here) and has moments of interest relating to those characters. X-Manhunt is not meant to be a solveable mystery - it's got late Game of Thrones vibes - putting so much effort into subverting expectations that it forgets to make sense or reward close attention.

So long folks!

The two teams fight, of course, real Looney Tunes shit. The Forget-me-not joke is told again and it's still not funny. They lose Xavier after a minute or two, lol. Poor X-Men spent all this effort being competent, but they stumbled into X-Factor's orbit and become bozos.

Update on Warren! He was in hospital for so long because he was receiving 'upgrades.' Elective procedures. Issue #1 established that he lost his Archangel transformation, though he didn't elaborate on how that happened. This book is cancelled and has other threads to tie up, like 'why is Havok such a loser?' and 'what was the point of this?' so I don't expect much on Warren.

That means Archangel mysteriously disappeared then Warren willingly recreated his worst trauma and the bane of his existence. The upgrade is basically Archangel again plus metal feet and a sword. I'd guess that the next writer to use Warren will ignore this, plus his willing stint in the US military.

After Havok was fired from X-Factor he was moping in his bare apartment, angsting over Lorna. Frenzy came over and recruited him for a Mutant Underground mission. He questioned why they'd trust him after he snitched to the military but went with it anyway. Turns out it was Chuck, who needed allies and went with Frenzy and Havok. Not sure when he had time to do that, but it doesn't matter. 'Twas these two who snatched Chuck.

Havok is being unbearably naive. He's just had his heartbreak and depression manipulated into sheltering the most wanted man in the world. He's really nostalgic because that photo is from the sixties. Not sure if Frenzy is telepathically influenced but she seems really happy to help a dude that joined ORCHIS. Scott knocks her out so I guess we'll never know.

Yeah, Alex. It's Scott.

Scott wants to kill Chuck, maybe? Alex wants to protect Chuck, I guess. I probably wouldn't want to talk to Alex right now either tbh. He asks why Scott is doing this, so I assume they really haven't been talking. The brothers haven't been on page together since Dark Web or thereabouts I think. They were on okay terms then, they'd even just had a good chat.

Err, Scott doesn't answer the question verbally. Surely they're both affected by the woke mind virus here. I could believe everything up to 'why can't you just stay gone?' Alex says mouths some lonely platitudes, which is in character, it's just a drastic escalation in general.

I found it annoying in Raid on Graymalkin that all interpersonal communication has a question mark over it due to psychic influence. It's just as irksome here because I'd like to know their actual feelings. The woke mind virus means it can't be trusted and is kinda pointless. No, it's worse than that - it's ambiguous without hope of clarity.

Even the story doesn't care, as Scott abruptly stops fighting to talk to Chuck. He asks him why, but don't get excited for an answer to that.

Chuck has a fucking Krakoan egg. The last one, apparently. Why here and now? IDK. Chuck says Hope a lot which feels like a red herring.

Sadly, there's no time for any kind of resolution or answers. Chuck has an appointment derailing the next issue of X-Force and the most narratively satisfying way to get there is *checks notes* to have a rando appear out of thin air and teleport Chuck away. Oh, okay. See ya buddy!

They don't take the egg, though it's pretty useless without Cerebro. The X-Men's role in X-Manhunt is over, but at least they have an unknown mindless body to deal with. If we're using Krakoan lore for how they work then that person should be dead. Drowned long ago. Let's double check. Goldballs creates the egg, Proteus makes it viable, someone (usually Hope) injects the DNA, Elixir brings them to life, Tempus ages them to adulthood/desired age. All this is done at the same time - when it's finished they're alive but blank. Requiring Oxygen etc. Last step is using Cerebro to put their memories/personality in, but that can be done before or after they hatch.

Maybe Chuck did his bit before he got snatched and they'll hatch shortly. If not, they'll die very soon. Some mutants don't need Oxygen etc, but they're rare. Like I said, this is not meant to be solvable through clues. One would assume it's related to the Xandra mission, but who knows? My guess is a much younger Xavier who dies immediately lol. Then they have a corpse and some fresh trauma, though no answers. I wonder what Frenzy is doing. Are the two teams still fighting?

For a relaunch that's determined to distance itself from Krakoa something as iconic as an egg is a weird choice. Cool, I guess? What do you think?

[egg-emperor]

lol saw people are talking a bit about how Starline isn't mentioned in future solicitations or something and wonder what happens to him in #50. it's wishful thinking but if they finally take a break from using Starline all the time and hopefully also focus more on Eggman in that time instead of making him disappear in the same way for ages yet again, it would only be fair and he absolutely deserves it. if they don't focus on him enough and give him a more consistent important role in the stories, there's never going to be a chance for him to improve.

everyone complains like "ugh it's so boring when we get the same villain all the time with Eggman" but say nothing about how Eggman has barely been treated as important of a character to the plot for a good amount of time since the comic fucking started while it's usually always Starline Starline Starline that gets way more focus instead. they never say they're getting bored because they think he's better then Eggman for many reasons, which often include believing Eggman is as inferior as this comic keeps treating him and nowhere near as evil.

but with Starline's focus in the Metal Virus arc, Bad Guys, 2020 annual, Chao racing arc whatever it was called they had Clutch but still had to involve Starline, the Belle arc, Imposter Syndrome, and main issues since. maybe I'm forgetting something because I honestly don't pay enough attention to non Eggman involved arcs and issues anymore because I got really bored. and then when Eggman is actually there for once it's only a bit of focus for two issues max at a time but usually less, and it's instead the D6 and now Surge and Kit as other villains that are getting the most.

and this isn't just me being like "waaa other villains that aren't my husbando are hogging all the spotlight" though I can't lie that is a little part of it, you know me lol but also they genuinely haven't been balancing out the focus of villains well at all. and never seeing the main villain of the series for months on end while favoring Starline's excessive appearances in everything as if he really is the Eggman replacement he wants to be and how him and almost all other villains shit on Eggman really sucks. and why do we never get to know what Eggman is doing behind the scenes for these massive breaks in appearing? is he just sitting on his beautiful sexy fat ass? lol and it's like okay but please tell or show me because it's like he just phases out of existence every time he disappears and the only thing that reminds people he exists are abandoned bases and other villains shitting on him. but I feel it's because they don't know what he's supposed to be doing, they don't care to come up with anything.

and most damaging is how they've done Eggman so dirty to try to make Starline seem better and more evil that readers see him as a "poor innocent victim with Tinker as his true self trapped in "this nightmare" of being Eggman who was forced into it by super evil nasty Starline who's the most evil ever and totally the only one that's done fucked up gaslighting and been horrible to his creations and lackeys because Eggman is such a super great wholesome dad and caring person that's never done way more fucked up shit before!!!!" /s and if they don't do that then they believe Eggman is dumb like the comic tried to portray him as and refuse to acknowledge his evil and say Starline is more better and evil that way too.

I know I'm probably asking for too much by not only wishing that Starline gets much less focus at last after #50 and gets even a little less plot significance like Eggman has for most of the comic since it started, and for them to actually treat Eggman like the main evil intelligent villain of the series that he is for once. though it shouldn't be too much but this is IDW. and I guess really I should be prepared for the possibility of them focusing way more on other villains instead, even if Starline does disappear for a little bit. because apparently both fans and writers think Eggman is so boring, ignore all his potential, and truly just a loser.

even after everything there's still part of me that keeps desperately hoping and wishing for more good Eggman writing and an improving portrayal, even though I may end up a huge fool again. I just want my husband to get at least some of what he deserves :')