X-Factor #37 (1989, February)

Follow me on Twitter (@XMenXPert). My pull list post is up if you want to check that out. But for now, by the Simonsons, Wiacek, Scotese and Rosen, “A Matter of Honour.”

“It’s the ciiiiircle of liiiiiiiife!”

X-Factor is finishing off a group of demons. Thanks to the New Mutants and X-Terminators closing the portal, no more are coming. But then things go crazy again, as a result of N’astirh having merged with his magic computer. His demons bring him Nathan, and X-Factor tries to go after him, but more demons block their way long enough for N’astirh to teleport away. He returns, moments later, accompanying the Goblin Queen, who’s holding Nathan. Scott doesn’t want to attack her. This reunion is . . . let’s call it tense.

Gotta be honest, I kinda side with her, here.

She yells at him a lot.

I still can’t say she’s wrong.

And then Jean speaks up, saying she can’t read Maddie at all, and that she’s trying to calm Nathan down.

I love the “oh crap!” reaction of the demons.

N’astirh stops Maddie from blasting Jean, and while X-Factor fights demons, N’astirh continues to manipulate her. Jean and Maddie have a pretty neat bit of interaction, though it’s entirely too short. Then Maddie announces she’s going to kill Nathan, and Scott is forced agree with the others that they need to save him, though she still wants to spare Maddie. They try to go after her but she blasts them down. Then she changes to look normal again, and asks Scott why he’s trying to take her son, as Logan grabs Jean’s shoulder.

This was good. Basically an entire issue of Maddie yelling at Scott and Jean, while the team fights demons and N’astirh tries to manipulate her. Interestingly, for all I’ve criticized the melodrama in Simonson’s run, I feel like this issue could’ve used even more. It felt a little restrained. I wanted more. More from Maddie, more from Scott, more from Jean. The other three were largely sidelined, which is fine. Still, while I wanted more of the melodrama, I also know there is still more coming. A lot more.

Walt’s art still isn’t my style. His demons are cool, though. But still, even here, I’m just not into his art. It did bother me less here than it normally does.

But yeah, on the whole, another good part of Inferno.