All New X-Factor #17

By Peter David, Carmine Di Giandomenico & Lee Loughridge

All New X-Factor is one of the strongest comics on Marvel’s shelf and this issue is no exception. Delivering another excellent issue that proves that even though we may still be involved with the events of AXIS, Peter David is able to craft strong, smart and enjoyable issues that keep the reader on the edge of their seats waiting to find out what happens next. This might not be the most mainstream X-Book on the market right now, but it’s certainly the best, and with only three issues left, it’ll be really sad to see this title go especially when David  not only delivers an excellent issue, but also Carmine Di Giandomenico and Lee Loughridge have managed to sustain a mostly high level of consistency yet again with their pencils and colors on the title.

Characters have been the strongest selling point of All New X-Factor and this issue of the series is no exception. There’s some great character based focus here and with the temporary additions of the likes of Longshot and Sunfire, two powerful allies turned by the events of AXIS, it becomes more entertaining than ever. With plenty attention on the characters it’s great to see that David can also handle the battle sections of the issue, crafting an entertaining, edge of your-seats read that’s written incredibly well. It’s great to see a comic that gets the perfect balance of the characters and action because only the best comics can handle both at the same time, with most normally getting one or the other per issue. All New X-Factor is not just your average comic, however.

The artwork from Carmine Di Giandomenico is stellar as usual. Even though sometimes it can be confusing, that doesn’t decrease the impact of the overall story quality, with some excellent work on the characters and the battle sequences for the large part of the issue. There’s also some good work from Lee Loughridge on the colors to make this book even more of a standout, as both Giandomenico and Loughridge work together with David to bring the series sadly towards its final stages.

Concluding the main AXIS storyline while at the same time setting up the potential for more with an appearance from Magneto towards the end of the issue, Peter David is continuing to pull out all the stops with All New X-Factor. It’s certainly a title that nobody can afford to miss and despite its flaws, which are only minor in this issue, is very enjoyable indeed.