Let me begin by saying that Peter David is fantastic. Despite the momentum of X-Factor being constantly derailed by crossovers, he still manages to tell great stories in the context of the latest “event”. Out of Messiah Complex he managed to launch an intriguing exploration of Bishop’s future timeline which spawned this week’s excellent Layla Miller Special. In this Secret Invasion arc, he does a nice job developing Darwin, plus gives us some entertaining Madrox/She-Hulk banter. It is a testament to David’s talent that while many artists seem to mail it in on cross-over issues, he is able to tell a solid story within even the most contrived context.

Unfortunately, for all of Peter David’s prodigious talent, he is still only half the creative team. Penciller Larry Stroman does have a unique and dynamic approach to action sequences (such as the Madrox pig pile on She-Hulk and the climactic battle), but he has a fatal weakness. I’ve often heard artists lament that there is that one thing they can’t draw well – hands, horses, dogs, cars, etc. In Stroman’s case, it’s faces…. and that’s kind of a big deal in comics. His Madrox in particular is atrocious with his face looking sketchy and almost putty-like, and changing dramatically from panel-to-panel.

I only harp on the art problems in this issue of X-Factor, because I desperately want Marvel to put a better artist on the book. Mediocre art would be fine when paired with a writer of David’s caliber. When the art is this distracting, however, it derails X-Factor in a way that no cross-over could.