The issue everybody's talking about. Whad'ja think?
PAD
Posted by Peter David at August 31, 2006 12:45 PM | TrackBack | Other blogs commentingPAD...
I read it and was laughing my head off at the beginning Hugh Hefner homage.
I don't want to ruin the book for anyone but the twist at the end of the book floored me.
I wasn't expecting it at all.
At least your books never bore me.
Now I have to wait another 30 days to see what comes next.
Regards:
Warren S. Jones III
What exactly happened on that last page? (I read it, but I didn't get exactly what he did--I got the end result, obviously.) I'm keeping this vague for spoilers (I don't know how to make the text white), but I'd really appreciate some help on this one.
ET
To be honest, the opening flashback scene left me bored. It read like a hundred other Peter David scenes. (The familiartiy breeds contempt thing).
BUT, the final page! Wow..didn't see that coming! Just goes to show after all these years reading PAD's writing, he can still surprise the stuffing out of me!
I DID see the last page coming, but for my part, it was the Hefner scene that completely floored me. I think what really got me was that Layla seemed to know exactly what was going on, and didn't particularly mind. I don't know why, but that creeped me out even more than the murders she's tried to arrange in previous issues. I can't wait to see where this subplot goes.
I'm not ashamed to say I "whoa"ed like Keanu at that ending. Great stuff, and more proof that you can't go wrong with a PAD title...
I hated it, the key character at the end was one I associated with a lot and hated how it was a reoccuring thing in several other times (AoA, etc...) and disappointed. Though I can see why the character has not had much focus recently.
Also, I am wondering is it on purpose that your comics come out all on the say week ( or almost always do )
Thanks,
Wade
I'll ask the questions that are really burning on everyone's mind, but everyone is afraid to ask:
1)Does Merit still really make cigs?
2)Did you write that, or is that from Renato?
Hmmm. The ending did not totally suprise me after reading earlier in the issue that Layla can not "read" the person. My guess is that the person has been replaced with a duplicate,
I'm hoping the dupe theory is correct, or there's something else going on as I also really like the character. But then, I'm sure Peter is aware of how people view the character and knows there'll need to be a good justification for the action.
Am I the only one who would've been even more amused if Rictor, who last I looked was at least suspected of being gay, had also come out of his room and planted one on Jaime? Given the various extremes the dupes have been showing, it'd seem at least a few would be gay/bi even though Jaime is significantly predominantly hetero.
Loved it. Yeah, it would be nice to further explore Rictor's possible "gayness" (I know that ain't a word but...). Also, I love Rahne and she isn't really showcased much. Plus, her accent has been inconsistent. But I wanted to comment on the fact that the original Madrox series artist is scheduled to take over the penciling reigns as of issue #13 (the "Re-X-aminations" issue). I'm so glad that there's finally going to be a solid and legible artist to take over for Sook's false start and some long needed consistency. It always bugs me out when a quality writer can't be matched up with a top notch illustrator. This book is up there with Carey/Bachalo's "X-Men", and Whedon's "Astonishing" (though that title has been boring me lately) as far as mutant books go.
DrObviousSo,
I haven't read the issue yet, but I can tell you that Merit still makes cigarettes. That was my mother's brand from the mid-'70s until she quit cold-turkey last November.
Paul
I loved it.....Hilarity will no doubt ensue after the fun Jamie's dupe had the previous night. And I was surprised at the betrayer, interesting choice. And of course Layla had the best lines.
I'm curious about something. After Jamie absorbed the Dupe, he seemed surprised by the revelations that each of the women hit him with. It was my impression that when Jamie re-absorbed a dupe, he would also absorb the memories that were included in it. That's the whole point of all the dupes he sent out into the world to learn the zillion diverse skills that he's got access to. Is there some sort of delay due a required "assimilation time" or something? This is the only consistent reason I can come up with that doesn't rely of there being still another dupe invovled in the whole mess that Jamie didn't find.
Not that it ruins the moment any. Even if Jamie not immediately remembering everything isn't how things usully work, it's more than made up by taking his "Oh my God, what did I do last night?" moment that a lot of people get after a night of drinking and making it even worse. He can't even claim that it wasn't him: it was...sort of. But now he's got to deal with the consequences of letting a piece of his personality run wild on a drunken bender. The only difference between him and a normal person is that he can get into a whole lot more trouble in a short period of time...
I'm curious about something. After Jamie absorbed the Dupe, he seemed surprised by the revelations that each of the women hit him with. It was my impression that when Jamie re-absorbed a dupe, he would also absorb the memories that were included in it. That's the whole point of all the dupes he sent out into the world to learn the zillion diverse skills that he's got access to. Is there some sort of delay due a required "assimilation time" or something? This is the only consistent reason I can come up with that doesn't rely of there being still another dupe invovled in the whole mess that Jamie didn't find.
Not that it ruins the moment any. Even if Jamie not immediately remembering everything isn't how things usully work, it's more than made up by taking his "Oh my God, what did I do last night?" moment that a lot of people get after a night of drinking and making it even worse. He can't even claim that it wasn't him: it was...sort of. But now he's got to deal with the consequences of letting a piece of his personality run wild on a drunken bender. The only difference between him and a normal person is that he can get into a whole lot more trouble in a short period of time...
p.s. I just notice that Tryp (sp) seems to refer to people by there initials. He calls the secretary he was talking to "Mrs. D." He calls Guido, "Mr. C." Has he been doing that all along?
Has the traitor been Manchurianized?
Is Manchurianized anything like being Crunchitized?
When will Jamie's real arch foe-- the mayo jar-- return?
1I have a question. Did Jamie himself sleep with Monet? Or was that also a dupe?
WTF?!?!?
Shocking and very much unexpected. That thing that Layla mentioned is also very interesting. It seems that the case was from the very first time, not just recently, that she couldn't "know things" about.
I love this comic. However, I'd love it even more if the artist could be consistent. I really want one and only one artist on this book. Consistency is key to any successful series and as great as the writing is, the art is very inconsistent.
The art changes doesn't seem to bother me at all. I think the styles are all very consistent to the content and the look and its always amazing. Give my regards to the great art, please, PAD.
That's not the "issue" everyone is talking about. But your silence, while deafening, is probably sage.
I liked the Layla comment too.
I saw you are in CSI this week (the comic). I haven't read that one yet, but plan to this weekend.
"Am I the only one who would've been even more amused if Rictor, who last I looked was at least suspected of being gay, had also come out of his room and planted one on Jaime?"
That really, really did occur to me. But I felt I was pushing the envelope far enough with the notion of "Jamie" sleeping with two women in the same night. My concern was that, if I went in that direction, the entire sequence would be shot down. Of course, I wrote it some months ago. Recently Joe Q. indicated that the Marvel concerns about portraying gays have been loosened up. I might have written it differently had that been the case.
"I'm curious about something. After Jamie absorbed the Dupe, he seemed surprised by the revelations that each of the women hit him with. It was my impression that when Jamie re-absorbed a dupe, he would also absorb the memories that were included in it."
You read it wrong. When Jamie re-absorbed the dupe, he immediately had the recollections of the dupe, and reacted with shock as it all came back to him. So when Monet and Siryn came up to him, one after the other, he was still in shock from the newly absorbed memory.
That's why he was tentative regarding Layla. He had no recollection of anything happening with her (thank God) but, for all he knew, there was another dupe running around who had a thing for young girls.
PAD
Thanks for you response, Mr. David. I read Jamie's "I didn't. We couldn't!" as him putting the pieces together talking to Theresa. It seemed even more like that in the scene with Monet. I guess I was projecting my own reactions onto Jamie.
I'll admit that I'm disappointed in myself. I don't usually misread these things that badly.
I loved Layla's "Dead man walking comment." And those "when we're married" comment have got to be creeping Jamie out more than me."
Regarding that last page, while I was definitely caught off guard, thinking a bit put it into perspective. After all, it's important to remember how and why the person first joined the series way back when.
Always understand what motivates people.
Saying no more. Don't want to spoil it for others.
It was so awesome! Finally something I wanna pick up every month from Marvel!
Liked this issue. The different artist for the flashback art was neat (same guy who did Son of M, if I'm not mistaken.) Another different artist doing the main art, I believe. This constant shuffling of the artists is kind of a headache, kinda ruins the flow, y'know what I'm sayin? Personally, I can't wait until the Pablo Raimondi re-enlists around issue 13. I thought his work in the original mini was genius, and I hope he stays on for a long time.
I wasn't quite sure where Quicksilver was / what he was doing. Did he open up a walk-in Re-Mutation clinic in the interveening issues? Eh, guess I loose points for not paying attention. Nice scene, though.
There's alot of stuff to like in this issue: I loved the flashback stuff that opened the book because the whole histroy behind Singularity Investigations gets more and more fasinating with every issue, the splash page of Madrox's big speech was genius, and his morning after revelations were Pure Gold. And, finally, incorporating the Legacy Virus, and Jamie's crazy freak-out reaction, was a little piece of fan continuity thats just a-mouth waterning.
However, after all that love, I have to say I wasn't a fan of the final page (even though it played out very well). Nice twist, but I kind of felt like I Was being jerked around for no other reason than to be jerked around. I hope there's a better explanation for all that as opposed to, "Oops. Sorry, I'm evil, didn't you know? HAH!" Hell, I'd even take a Guido-Skrull as an explanation.
I'm definitely along for the X-Factor ride for the long term, I just hope I don't get bruised too badly. Please. I'm fragile.
Random Jamie Madrox powers question that's been bugging me since I read the last issue. Seriously, it kind of burning my brain here.
Hypothetical: Jamie has a McGuffin Disc (or whatever), that is the Only One In the World. So he decides to make a copy of the McGuffin Disc by sticking it in his pocket and then banging his head against the wall a few times. Presto! Inside the pocket of every dupe he just made is a McGuffin Disc that works just as good as the original.
Silly question and oddly phrased, I know. But the reason I ask is that, in the last issue, Jamie put on the hat and scarf and when he made that slew of dupes, they were all wearing the same hat and scarf. How far does his power of replication extend anyway? Could he just grab an object, squeeze it in his fist, and replicate it over and over?
I really liked it. The ending absolutely shocked me, and I'm still hoping it's all some kind of secret undercover plan.
I agree with the previous commenters who've said they would've liked Jamie's dupe to sleep with Rictor as well. (Or with Guido--that would've been even more interesting in some ways.) But your explanation makes sense, give Marvel's lameass "no gay title characters except in MAX" policy. I'm so glad that's changed. Hopefully now you can follow up on the suggestions in Madrox that Jamie is bi?
On the letters page in #10, somebody said they wanted to see the X-Factor folks behaving more like superheroes. I wanted to say that I completely disagree. One of the things I love about X-Factor is that it's a noir/detective story rather than a superhero story. (Not that I don't like superheroes, but X-Factor is different in a really great way.)
I hope the agency has good insurance coverage because, if either of the girls ever finds out about the other, the collateral damage could get impressive.
Peoples' comments about the 'bi' thing brings up another question. If - say a half dozen - duplicates marry an equivalent number of different women, would that constitute polygamy? Or would the law look at each duplicate as being an independent entity?
TallestFan,
I'm not PAD, but I can tell you some things that I've managed to observe. Generally things that Jamie has on him are duplicated with him. This is why, when he was hand-cuffed in the mini-series, he simply couldn't make a dupe that would help him get out. The dupe would have been cuffed. I figure that's how he got the DNA samples from Tryp(s). He duplicated himself while holding the sample device and then he reabsorbed the dupe(s) and the sample device was reintegrated as well and he had his DNA samples.
So in general, yeah. I think he can make duplicates of small stuff, but those duplicated things are only going to last as long as he lets the dupes keep existing. When he re-absorbed the dupe, the object would disappear into it's source as well. I think this would happen even if he didn't have it anymore.
Finally I'm sure that this wouldn't work with certain things. If Jamie had the Cosmic Cube or the Eye of Agamotto and someone smacked him, I don't think the resultant dupe would be holding a copy. Some things really are unique and I don't think that Jamie's power could change that. On-of-a-kind prototype that took a fortune and years to produce and would take another fortune and years to re-make: yes. Ultimate Nullifier: no. I may be wrong about this, but I'm not uncertain. :)
>This is why, when he was hand-cuffed in the mini-series, he simply couldn't make a dupe that would help him get out. The dupe would have been cuffed.
But it still would have been easier for the duplicate to pick the lock (or use some tool to break the cuffs) on the original's handcuffs than it would have been for the original to do it to himself.
"But it still would have been easier for the duplicate to pick the lock (or use some tool to break the cuffs) on the original's handcuffs than it would have been for the original to do it to himself."
Technically true, but then we wouldn't have gotten to see him demonstrate his new spy-type skills to get him out. It a great example of "don't tell, show."
Plus, his dupes had been getting unreliable and quirky. I suspect that he didn't want to risk the guy making a lot of noise and giving him away.
I see that X-Factor #10 is iFanboy.com's Pick of the Week, and I couldn't agree more. For a few months, it seemed like things were building a bit slowly, but for the last couple of issues I've been chomping at the bit to see what happens next. This is probably my favorite cast of characters ever to go by the name "X-Factor"... though if Polaris and Havok could reunite with the gang I certainly wouldn't complain. Thanks for your work, PAD!
But if the dupe drops the item...does it get reabsorbed?
And was it the same Hef Dupe that slept with Monet and Siryn, or did one dupe sleep with one, and another with the other...that's what I had thought, but PAD's comments above lead me to think otherwise..
Well, it *is* a comic book so trying to figure out how a character's powers work is almost certain to run into contradictions. But it's certainly a fun game to play.
If Jamie duplicates not only himself, but also whatever he's wearing or touching it doesn't seem X-Factor should ever run out of money.
Does Jamie's duplicating ability apply to his duplicates as well? Certainly there has been a scene somewhere wher he's divided into two, then those two into four, etc. So could a humanitarian dupe decide to go to some poor country with a pot pie in his pocket and feed the world?
If the contents of Jamie's pockets gets duplicated when he does, does the contents of his dupes pockets show up in Jamie's when they are re-absorbed? Could lead to some bulge pockets. What of the contents of their stomachs? Picture Jamie taking some dupes out to lunch and them absorbing them all. (Hmm, maybe not a pretty picture.)
If some things dupe with him (clothes, handcuffs) and some things presumably don't (Cosmic Cube, Ultimate Nullifier) Which category would other people fall into? (Jamie's been known to make dupes when casually bumping into walls. What happens during an energetic moment of passion?) Is Cap's shield cosmically unique enough that Jamie couldn't dupe it?
I enjoyed the issue a lot but was suprised to find the most suprising thing to me about the ending was how little it suprised me. Not that I saw it coming at all but (because I've read a LOT of comics over the years??) I find my jaw just doesn't drop like it once used to. More of a "Oh, OK. I wonder where this will go."
Part of any reaction I would have was due to the art which I've found a bit difficult to follow at times. I could see what happened in the first two panels. More accurately, I could tell the result, but wondered what was happening in the two panels. Did he hit him twice? The sequence was just not as clear as it should be for me, and having to think about it put some brakes on just reacting to it.
When Guido first encounters the fleeing scientist it looks like the car pursuing him suddenly shows up coming from the direction the scientist was running towards. I had to puzzle for a moment with a "Where did that car come from? Is that supposed to be the pursuers? Must be, why else would it be facing that way." And a moment later I couldn't clearly tell if the window was down or not. Was it down, or is something sticking thru the glass?
Anyway, the art, to my eyes, is not very good at clearly showing actions.
I liked it alot Peter. The bit with Layla saying she was saving herself for their wedding night was priceless. And the artwork was really good, especially in the opening sequence, where it resembled the style of Frank Quitely/Milo Manara. I'm wondering why Renato Arlem changed it for the rest, as I would've loved seeing it that way for the entire book, as it was much less murky than the rest of it.
I think I did see some surprise ending coming up as soon as Guido got on the phone with a then-unseen person, but I admit I had no idea what it would be. Well done!
A couple of problems with Renato Arlem's storytelling, however: When Jamie begins to absorb the "Hefner" dupe, on page 11, we see the dupe begin to warp, but then the next panel cuts back to Jamie, who expresses shock at something going wrong. The panel then cuts to Siryn, coming out of her bedroom. I thought that something was going wrong with the absorption of the dupe, because we didn't see him actually go "into" Jamie.
The second problem was when Guido (Spoiler Warning!) killed Buchanan. Guido's holding the cell phone, and brings it to Buchanan's throat. The next panels repeat this action, and we see blood coming out of Buchanan (from his mouth?) I was trying to understand if he was stabbing him with the cell phone (though there was no wound), whether the "krunch" sound meant that he was breaking his neck or strangling him (but would that produce blood?).
I also have a question about the Jamie dupe's trysts. Did he have a menage a troi with both Siryn and Monet? Or did he do one of them, and then sneak off to the other's bedroom?
Still, it was a good ish. Keep it up, Peter!
Sean, some of the problems you're having with the art may be due to two things: First, the artist seems not to want to use speed lines to indicate motion. Second, the artist seems to be using photos for a lot of backgrounds and props--like the car you mentioned. If he'd used a few speed lines and maybe adjusted the positions of the wheels a little bit, the car would have "read" as having swerved around the corner to block the fleeing scientist (a few wisps of tire smoke or some skid marks wouldn't have hurt, either). As rendered, it just looks like a car parked at the curb.
The last page, I read as the scientist getting hit in the throat and his attacker holding his hand there to both maximize the damage and keep him quiet until he expired.
Paul
Have we ever actually seen Jamie dupe an object he's holding? IIRC he didn't even duplicate the handcuffs, just assumed that they would dupe with him. (His clothes don't count--leaving aside unstable molecules, it would be too much of a story inconvenience for his dupes to turn up naked every time.) I'm just wondering if his powers somehow distinguish between clothes and other items, or if objects that reach too far outside a fairly small body aura aren't affected (perhaps the contents of his pockets?). (He certainly doesn't duplicate any inorganic object he's touching when he creates a dupe, or any time he knocked on a door, was hit by a car, etc. he'd duplicate it.)
Applying Occam's Razor here, it's simpler to assume that Jamie's power works on his clothes rather than him actually being Madrox the Multiple Object Duplicator, and that handcuffs would count as clothes/jewelry to his powers. That still leaves plenty of cans of worms open (the contents of his pockets, for example) without getting into really wild areas of speculation...
(If you take the Jamie-feeding-a-country-with-his-powers scenario to its logical conclusion and beyond, if he reabsorbed the dupes that had been created with the food, the molecules of the food remaining in the bodies of those who ate it would disappear from their bodies, so it lacks something as a long-term solution. Hey, what happens if something eats a dupe and then Jamie reabsorbs it? How long after it's dead could he attempt it?)
More of my completely unofficial opinions coming. Note that this is all based on what I've seen since the Maddrox mini. Before that I hadn't seen Jamie since 1979/1980:
"So could a humanitarian dupe decide to go to some poor country with a pot pie in his pocket and feed the world?"
As I said before, anything that duplicates with Jamie has disappeared when the dupe has disappeared and stuff that the dupes have picked up after the fact has stuck around (like the Hef clothes). This neat little trick would duplicate a lot of pies until the dupes were reabsorbed at which point they'd disappear. I don't know what would happen if someone had already eaten it before it disappeared, but I'm guessing that it would disappear out of their stomach. It MIGHT not do anything aweful if the person had already digested it, but to do this, the extra dupes would have to stick around long enough for the food to work its way through their system and someone's got to feed the dupes...so I don't think that Jamie's the solution to world hunger.
"If the contents of Jamie's pockets gets duplicated when he does, does the contents of his dupes pockets show up in Jamie's when they are re-absorbed? Could lead to some bulge pockets."
Anything in the dupe's pockets that was also a duplicate would reintegrate with the original objects. The loose change that he duped would merge with the original change whether it was still in his pockets or in a vending machine. Jamie wouldn't get more change, there simply wouldn't be duplicated change "out there" anymore. The contents of a dupes pockets that he'd picked up afterwards would just be left behind like the empty "Hef" suit in issue #10.
What of the contents of their stomachs? Picture Jamie taking some dupes out to lunch and them absorbing them all. (Hmm, maybe not a pretty picture.)"
Okay, that's a good question. It also implicitly raises the question of what happens when he absorbs an injured dupe. I remember at the beginning of Maddrox when he absorbs the dying dupe, that he didn't appear to be injured but he seemed to be very disturbed by the process. Based on what we've seen so far it looks like Jamie-Primes physical condition in the controlling factor and that he remembers what both he and the dupe have done.
"If some things dupe with him (clothes, handcuffs) and some things presumably don't (Cosmic Cube, Ultimate Nullifier) Which category would other people fall into? (Jamie's been known to make dupes when casually bumping into walls. What happens during an energetic moment of passion?)"
Goodness, what an image. I don't believe that Jamie can create a dupe of another living thing. I think you'd just get multiple Jamie's.
Is Cap's shield cosmically unique enough that Jamie couldn't dupe it?"
In the speculative universe that I created when I posited the hypothesis that cetain unique items can't be duplicated by Jamie, Cap's shield is an example of a special-case unique item that would not be duplicated even if it was small enough to be duplicated.
Now I get to find out if anyone else has answered this while I've been working on this...
About when Jamie does the re-absorb and the object he duped dissapearing as well (dug all the answers so far):
Okay, how about this -- Somebody steals a jacket from a dupe in New York and sticks the jacket in a box in Antarctica. Jamie reabsorbs the New York dupe, but what about the dupe's jacket halfway across the world? He seems to have to concentrate to re-absorb dupes from long distance (and I don't mean across continents, I mean from down the block) and he does have a tedency to have dupes running around (see Jamie Madrox - Agent of SHIELD) that he doesn't know about. Would the object disappear halfway across the globe?
Also, how complex can the duping of objects get? If he's playing his PSP, gets frustrated, kicks his foot against the ground, and there's another dupe playing a PSP. "You handle it!" Can he make another complex object like a handheld videogame system? What if he's holding a small baby chicken in his hand? Does that dupe as well?
Argh, the mind. It boggles. for some reason, total guess on my part, lets say he can't re-create something very complex (PSPs and baby chickens) but anything small, easy, and on his person gets duped along with him.
But what about the dupe's jacket in the box in Antarctica, though? Humph.
The cliffhanger caused me physical pain...I tore out my hair in frustration...because I didn't have the next issue in front of me.
"That really, really did occur to me. But I felt I was pushing the envelope far enough with the notion of "Jamie" sleeping with two women in the same night. My concern was that, if I went in that direction, the entire sequence would be shot down. Of course, I wrote it some months ago. Recently Joe Q. indicated that the Marvel concerns about portraying gays have been loosened up. I might have written it differently had that been the case."
Too bad it didn't happen--that would have been a hoot. Of course, I guess it remains a possibility for future issues...the MADROX mini suggested that Jamie has at least one gay dupe inside him somewhere, so I'm sure he/they will turn up again at some point.
I am a new reader to the series--I was excited about the series when it was announced, but budget concerns at the time stopped me from picking it up. But things have changed, and last week I went and picked up the hardcover of #1-6 and have been getting myself caught up.
Keep up the great work PAD!
TallestFanEver: Somebody steals a jacket from a dupe in New York and sticks the jacket in a box in Antarctica. Jamie reabsorbs the New York dupe, but what about the dupe's jacket halfway across the world?
I recall reading about some aspect of quantum theory where two particles would interact simultaneously even though they were nowhere hear each other. One particle in NY and another in LA (or Antarctica if you wish). And when the one in NY zigs the one in LA simultaneously zags without even waiting for the micro second it would take some light-fast signal to get from NY to LA.
Of course, Einstein had a word for this action at a distance. He called it "Spooky".
I suppose "comic logic" would work as well.
A very interesting issue.
Quick, somebody get into Marvel HQ and sneak away with the art from the next issue so we know what's going on! :)
Hmm
There is anoter question about Madrox's power in this issue: He absorbs the dupe who had sex with the girls and he absorbs his clothes too.
So, can he absorbs any clothes or small object that are in possesion of his dupes even if he never posseded those objects?
I'm thinking some kind of mind control on the traitor. S/he seemed fine, got a phone call, and then bam! Some sort of trigger word or something could have been invovled there. Of course, s/he could have just been getting instructions too.
Oh, and Peter? Why did you have to go and reveal that Layla meant the comment about her Jamie getting married. I would have rather been kept in the dark there about whather she was telling the truth, or just pulling his leg.
And more Rahne please!
"I'm thinking some kind of mind control on the traitor. S/he seemed fine, got a phone call, and then bam! Some sort of trigger word or something could have been invovled there. Of course, s/he could have just been getting instructions too."
So will the traitor self-destruct or escape in a nuclear submarine?
Wade Tripp asked:
"Also, I am wondering is it on purpose that your comics come out all on the say week ( or almost always do )"
A problem throught the industry. Some creator's books come out the same week every month.
Some companies put out all related titles in the same week. For instance, Dark Horse ships all the Star Wars titles the same week.
I bought several comics this week. I selected 4 that I expected to read right away. They were Justice, All Star Superman, Usagi Yojimbo, and X-Factor.
I read X-Factor first. X-Factor is some of your best work.
How old is Layla supposed to be anyway? I can never entirely tell, and I was sort of skeeved out by the implication that a dupe of Jamie might have had sex with her.
Yeah, although I find Layla's comments of Jamie and her together extremely funny, I'm at the same time disturbed of the age different since she seems like she's in her early teens.
Don't know if it's too late to jump in on the Jamie's Powers speculations, but it seems to me that there is almost certainly a mental influence, probably sub-conscious, on his part as to what gets duped.
It has been shown in the past (Fatal Attaractions to be precise) that he can make a dupe appear where he wants. (Like inside an acolyte. Yuck.) It would seem, at least to me, that items of clothing get duped because, on some level, he accepts what he's wearing as "part of him" in some way, shape, or form.
Now, if he had, say, Captain America's shield, I doubt he could duplicate it, being "Captain America's Shield" and all. Possibly if Xavier or some other particularly skilled telepath convinced him on a deep enough level that it was "Jamie Madrox's Shield," then it would duplicate, but what really would be the point?
Mystical/Cosmic items, on the other hand would be a completely different can of worms. Again, without being utterly convinced that it's part of his uniform, no dice. Also, depending on the nature of the item, the universe may simply be incapable of supporting two or more of it, or its power may be split between them, the individual items becoming less and less powerful. Or the dupes may be duds entirely. Of course, when talking about something on the level of a Cosmic Cube or the Infinity Gauntlet, the items themselves would likely grant him the power to duplicate them along with himself, so it really becomes a moot point in that case.
Well, I think I've rambled on long enough...
I just had a thought though, that depending on how it was played, it could be amusing to see some threat that requires Cap handing off his shield to Madrox, Prof X doing his thing and having Jamie form the largest, most star-spangled shield wall ever. :P
-Rex Hondo-
Hah! I liked the Jamie sequence. Though I honestly expected him to wake up with *himself*! That would've been a mindbender.
"Though I honestly expected him to wake up with *himself*! That would've been a mindbender."
I think I speak for (most) everyone here when I say: Ewwwwwwwww!
Which does raise a famous science-fictional question -
If you have sex with your clone, is that incest, or just very elaborate masturbations?
Yow, I'm having flashbacks to The Time Traveller's Wife.
-Rex Hondo-
Is anybody gonna throw a punch in this book? I read the last few issues in a row and it's like reading Bendizzz light, lots of talk and no or little action.
I can't wait to see more of Tryp's history. I can't wait to see where that revelation at the end goes. I can't wait to see Leonard again.
Excellent issue with much-improved art. Not noir-ish, but readable fo sho.
Well I guess now that Tryp's powers have been revealed we know how he killed Madrox's parents.
If you have sex with your clone, is that incest, or just very elaborate masturbations?
My guess would be a healthy mix of both, cause your having sex with yourself, yet the dupe would be some sort of identical twin.....I'm sure that Monet and Theresa enjoyed the dupes in that way but I'm not sure if Jamie ever has ;)
I've always gotten a gay vibe from Madrox. Or a narcissistic vibe, at least (sort of like the gay vibe that everyone got from Fight Club before it turned out to be a form of narcissism).
I loved the issue, as always, although some of the dialogue seems a bit off ("They were great, powerful beings, with power and presence"?... "They want winds? I'll give them winds!" Um, actually, no one ever mentioned winds).
$*%$#*^$!$#^&^$^$@
I read the last page of this issue and hated your guts, man.
I guess that means you're doing it exactly right, so congrats.
One thigs for sure, I'm staying with the book.
1I was surprised by the ending. I am wondering if Layla is really predicitng that she is going to marry Madrox or that's just wishful thinking.
Quick question about Jamie--when the dupes get reabsorbed, does he retain their memories as seperate, individual memories? Or do they all just kind of get chopped up and blended? Don't know if I'm being clear. When the multiples become the single, are the memories compartmentalized? Or do they all just get squishied together?
Am I making any sense? Am I overthinking this?
Well, I think the question is clear enough. Granted, I haven't read anything with Madrox in it for quite a while, but it seems to me that unless he had the mental capacity to compartmentalize the memories of re-absorbed dupes to some degree at least, he would have been driven completely mad by multiple conflicting memories, especially those of multiple viewpoints of the same event.
-Rex Hondo-
Freakin' Awesome!
Okay...the more mature response...it was a great read. I am assuming the opening sequence will make more sense in a few issues.
That last two pages had me sitting slack jawwed.
Rex, EXACTLY! That's just what I was thinking. I mean, that could be a whole story line. Madrox GOes Mad, or something. But, if I thought of it, I'm sure someone else has, so has it been done? I haven't seen it, but that doesn't mean anything, really. I don't see as many comics as I'd like to lately.
"I mean, that could be a whole story line. Madrox GOes Mad, or something."
Here's the problem: I do that, and I get crucified by fans who will claim I'm regurgitating the Captain Marvel Goes Mad storyline.
PAD
Well hell, you're currently doing a multiple man suffering from his dupes having multiple personalities although you've already done someone with multiple personality disorder! And didn't you have someone hit someone once? I think I remember that happening.
Rex Hondo: unless he had the mental capacity to compartmentalize the memories of re-absorbed dupes to some degree at least, he would have been driven completely mad by multiple conflicting memories, especially those of multiple viewpoints of the same event. (emphasis added)
Ooooh. Madrox as a one-man Roshamon. Could make an interesting issue.
PAD: Here's the problem: I do that, and I get crucified by fans who will claim I'm regurgitating the Captain Marvel Goes Mad storyline.
Someone will get mad no matter what you do. ("Oh, look. David's just regurgitating that Hulk Smashes Something storyline again.") So if the idea appeals to you, do it. If it don't, that's fine, too. But I'd rather not miss out on an interesting PAD story for fear someone else may not appreciate it.
Okay, I didn't think of the Captain Marvel thing. I know people that would say that, too. But these same people aren't happy unless they're complaining about something. But, hey, then I can complain about them.
Well, if you want to have Jamie go mad, a potential trigger could be to have a sort of "prodigal dupe" come home who had been captured at some point and had spent the last several years being tortured and brainwashed. The returning dupe may even be an amalgam of multiple dupes who had undergone similar treatment. (I know dupes can duplicate themselves, but I'm not sure if they can reabsorb the dupes they create.) The sudden influx of so much horror into his memory could just push him over the edge.
-Rex Hondo-
Loved the issue. My only problem was the twist at the end, which the previous page gave away. (It also didn't help that the solicitation gave away the fact that there was a traitor in X-Factor. Unfortunately, it killed the surprise. I know that fans hunger for knowledge of what's happening in the months ahead, but it diminishes the importance of the book that's in your hands today.)
I thought it was great how you plugged your daughter's bowling trophy at the end of the recap page.
"It always bugs me out when a quality writer can't be matched up with a top notch illustrator. "
I like Raimondi, but this statement is bullshit. Every illustrator on this book HAS been top notch, Sook, Callero, Martinez and JOSE VILLARRUBIA (the colorist) have all been great and it is actually now pet peeve of mine when people slam Callero, who kept the comic coming out and doing a great job at it when Sook could no longer do it. This is basically ungratefulness and nitpicking of the worst sort.