This recent story arc of X-factor has felt like an odd read, perhaps because of the drop in number of pages and the resulting pacing of the issues. It just has really surfaced to me during the reading of this issue. Maddox is still his wise cracking self, but for some reason it felt out of place in this issue. Even the coloring in this series didn’t eminate the hard boiled detective palette established throughout the run of this book.

The lack of well established environments are starting to stand out to me after reading these issues. The city of mutant town has played a large role as a mood in this series. When the team proceeded to Maddox’s home town, there still was a feeling of a rooted place as well. This last issue really didn’t fire off on all cylinders in terms of my taste for getting transplanted to another area.

Peter David has yet to let me down with this books, it’s one of my favorite monthlies, so this arc doesn’t tarnish his ability in any way. I, as a fan of the book, look forward to seeing how he wraps this up in the next issue.