Super Spoilers! All-New X-Factor #11

 

All-New X-Factor #11

Written by Peter David; art by Carmine di Giandomenico; colors by Lee Loughridge. (Sponsored by Serval Industries.)

Last Time, on All-New X-Factor:

 

I’d just like to point out that they spelled Memento Mori’s name wrong there (“Momento”).

Also, I feel really weird after having just seen inside Peter David’s kid’s house (and the YouTube video is called “Caroline sees end of OUAT Season 3“, BTW); but, thanks for sharing! Really cool thing for a comicbook writer to do on the first page of his comic.

 

This time, on All-New X-Factor:

We saw the opening page on the First Look a couple of weeks ago, and it looks no less astonishing worded here. Carmine di Giandomenico is at the top of his game in this issue.

Things start off back at Serval Industries, where Polaris realizes they’re missing Gambit.

He’s being tortured by Memento Mori (as we saw in the Preview). Eventually Gambit cracks and tells Mori he can find his daughter with “Snow… damned Snow…”. Mori realizes he means Harrison Snow (as opposed to actual snow) and tells Reginald to assemble a strike troop. (I’m not sure why Mori didn’t realize Gambit was working for Serval Industries based on his uniform… maybe the guy’s just dull.) Memento also says he’d “heard tell” that Snow had “assembled a team of superdoers, but he has yet to actually generate a publicity push for it.” (I’m guessing this will be done next issue, based on the cover.)

Back at Serval Industries, Polaris is angry Harrison seems so nonchalant about “forgetting” Gambit (she doesn’t realize Harrison forgot Gambit on purpose as retribution for Gambit sleeping with Harrison’s wife). Polaris calls Quicksilver, who’s carrying Georgia‘s mom, Dakota, and asks him to hurry and get there so she can send him back out to find Gambit. (Another brilliantly laid out, beautifully drawn page here.)

Just as Quicksilver reaches Serval Industries, Memento Mori’s Strike Troop arrives, blasting the place to kingdom come.

(I love those floating panels. I can’t say enough good things about Di Giandomenico’s art this issue!)

Harrison Snow tells Polaris how aware he is of the number of time the Xavier School was destroyed. Luckily, when he bought the name “X-Factor” from Jamie Madrox, he also bought Layla Miller‘s Glove. (I’m sure I’d appreciate this more if I’d read Peter David‘s previous X-Factor comic.) The glove is hooked into the building to give it a force field.

 

Some more beautiful yellow art outside, where Mori’s trying to blast his way in to Serval Industries. His attack ship hits the Glove Force Field, however, and crashes.

Memento and his goons (who look oddly similar to Harrison’s goons who were operating the matter transporter… not sure if that’s a purposeful parrallel or simply how Di Giandomenico draws a goon….) get out of the crashed attack ship and threaten to murder the naked and bound Gambit if Georgia doesn’t come out.

Gambit’s pretending to be all depressed and stuff and daring Memento to pull the trigger. But then Georgia walks out.

Only it’s not Georgia, it’s Danger!

And check out this art:

When Danger (as Georgia) blasts Memento, the panel actually bends back. That’s amazing. Then she drops her holographic projection of Georgia, and the way her one eye becomes the other is outstanding. As Danger tosses Gambit his trademarked trenchcoat and breaks his shackles, the panel break cleverly hides his no-no spot. Then Gambit gets up as Memento return-fires at Danger. Out-freaking-standing art here, seriously. Some of the best I’ve seen.

Gambit finally throws a card!

They’re charged white instead of the normal pink here, but it works really well. And, hey, his eyes are red!

 

Polaris, Quicksilver, and DougLock join the fight. The three page fight scene is drawn, laid out, and paced incredibly well. I love it. Memento Mori tells his goons to fall back. He and Polaris go toe-to-toe before Quicksilver and DougLock take their shots at him.

DougLock

Georgia’s mother Dakota interrupts the fight by putting a hand on Memento’s shoulder. She informs him that she used to practice magic. (She calls him “Mori”, which is odd… I assumed that was his supervillain name, but if his baby mama is calling him that, maybe it’s his real name?) Turns out the reason Memento Mori has these powers is because Dakota incorrectly siphoned a bunch of magical power into him.

Dakota grabs Memento and zaps him into thin air, much to Georgia’s dismay.

 

Georgia cries as Warlock starts to comfort her. Cypher turns away and starts to cry himself. Quicksilver, Danger, and Polaris look around in disbelief. Gambit looks like he found some clothes in the battle somehow. Serval Industries is gone. There is nothing left except scorched earth.

 

Next Time, on All-New X-Factor #12:

• Serval holds an X-Factor press conference!
• Everything should be fine.
• It’s not like any of the members have secrets, right?