My Rating
“Invasion of the Baby-Snatchers”
The Soulsword of Illyana Rasputina has left the dimension of Limbo without its former ruler. Belasco is gone, Magik has moved on, and nature—especially demonic nature—abhors a power vacuum. Two powerful demon lords now have their eyes on the throne: the monstrous S’ym and his rival, Mawthtur. Only one can claim dominion over Limbo, and Mawthtur believes he has discovered the perfect way to tip the balance in his favor.
The price? Twelve human children.
Back on Earth, the youngest members of X-Factor have problems of their own. Rusty Collins, Skids, Rictor, Boom-Boom, and Artie and Leech aren’t exactly the polished superheroes found in the Avengers or Fantastic Four. They’re young mutants still learning how to control their powers—and, in Rusty’s case, learning that being the loudest person in the room doesn’t necessarily make you the leader. Unfortunately, the forces gathering in Limbo aren’t going to wait for these kids to grow up.
Will the youngest members of X-Factor step up and face a supernatural threat far beyond their experience? Can Rusty put his ego aside long enough to become the leader his friends need? More importantly, does Boom-Boom have enough willpower to survive the horrors of Phillips Academy prep school? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
This is the first issue of the original four-part X-Terminators miniseries from 1988. I’ll admit right up front that I know f*ck-all about X-Factor, so I went into this book without much knowledge of Rusty, Skids, Rictor, Boom-Boom, Artie, or Leech. Surprisingly, that didn’t hurt my enjoyment of the issue one bit. The characters and their personalities are introduced well enough that a newcomer can jump aboard without needing a stack of back issues sitting nearby.
What really grabbed my attention was the connection to Illyana Rasputina and Limbo. About two weeks ago, I read Marvel’s four-issue Magik miniseries detailing Illyana’s origins, her years trapped in Limbo, and her relationship with Belasco. Coming into X-Terminators with all of that still fresh in my mind made the demonic side of this story much more interesting. The struggle to fill the void left behind in Limbo feels like a natural continuation of that mythology, even though the spotlight has shifted to a completely different group of young mutants.
The Contrast
I also enjoyed the contrast between the supernatural horror and the teenage drama. On one side you’ve got demon lords plotting the sacrifice of twelve children, while on the other you’ve got Boom-Boom dealing with prep school and Rusty trying to figure out how to lead a group of kids who aren’t always interested in following him. That’s exactly the kind of strange mixture that made late-1980s Marvel Comics fun. The book can be creepy one minute and almost ridiculous the next without completely losing its footing.
If you’re reading the 2022 X-Terminators series and want to see where the name originated, I’d recommend digging up this original four-issue run. Fans of Magik and the darker corners of Marvel’s mutant universe should also find plenty to enjoy. I went into issue #1 knowing almost nothing about X-Factor, and now I’m interested enough to see where these kids—and those demons—take the story next.