Larry Stroman Kicks X-FACTOR Ass! 

One of the high points of my inking career was getting to ink Larry on his issue of NINJAK in 2018, been a fan of his since I was a kid and read Alien Legion. He was a blast to ink.

So glad you guys took a look at the Larry Stroman X-factor comics. These are by far my favorite superhero comics. Very happy to hear that discussion of Al Milgrom's contribution at the end there. It doesn't look like anything else he ever does, but it is really dynamite. I hope one of these days you look at the later issues of this run, where Stroman starts putting together more complex layouts, especially issue #75 and beyond? So many amazing things Stroman does that nobody else seems to be doing in comics (though I have heard someone mention Stroman being inspired by Walt Simonson, and I think I can see that in a lot of layouts); not only the weird proportions of his characters, but also the way he ratchets between big closeups and extremely far-back, long shots (very few medium-length compositions in between). My favorite thing as a kid was how when one of the characters is fighting a villain in the foreground of the drawing, you'd see other members of the team in the background, fighting someone else, or running off in some direction to do something. None of the other Image guys were that big on background action; you'd see a main character, front and center, doing their power thing or their gun thing, surrounded by action lines. When Stroman filled his layouts with background activity, it really made it feel like it was a team, and every character was doing something. Also, while some of the Peter David jokes wear pretty thin, for sure, I think David brings a lot of strengths to the book, as well. He's able to write interesting material for the whole team; he expands the concept of characters like Multiple Man and Strong Guy--all the characters, really, because they're all basically C-stringers before this comic. He also manages to create action and suspense in a kind of small-scale that none of the other X-books can do at this point. There's issues just about Madrox's problems, and their main villain is a crooked senator. Even Mr. Sinister is low-key here, running a team of utter slimeballs who live in a disgusting hovel--instead of living in a super-sci-fi genetics lab and sending the Marauders all over the world to do his bidding. It's some of that low-key storytelling I always appreciated in Power Man & Iron Fist, and Spectacular Spider-man, and some of the other kind of "modest" comic adventures of mid-tier Marvel in the late 80s. For X-factor, it makes the team so much more interesting. That way, David can develop the characters, instead of having the characters take a supersonic jet halfway around the world to fight evil mutants from space, like in X-men #1. I think in the later X-books, the stakes get so high that the character development takes a back seat, and in the end that just means I'm less invested as a reader. Whereas I was really into this X-factor team, each of them as individuals, and then as a team. What I like about this first issue is the way David and Stroman take pains to show us that the team doesn't actually have a team dynamic yet. In fact, the team doesn't really "gel" totally until around Stroman's last issue (where Havok pretends to drink poison so that he can convince Strong Guy to take the antidote with him). In this first issue, they're all just trying to get to know each other, and I think it's clear in the writing that getting them to work together as a team won't really be easy. That's the kind of friction you used to see in the X-men, which I think was part of what made Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Wolverine and eventually Kitty Pryde so enearing. And David and Stroman totally do that here. It was great to see Cartoonist Kayfabe tackle a book I love so much! I hope one day you guys get around to Corto Maltese!

I’d love it if you guys covered Larry Stroman’s TRIBE!

I have been reading back through this run recently. I actually love the cheesy writing bits, but it may just be love of bad dad jokes in me coming out. I really dug the existential crisis that Jamie Madrox has over the next few issues over his copies. This run is definitely worth a revisit.

Loved this team and Larry's art was so dope at the time.

Loved about Larry: - How he draws long hair - The '90s fashion - Focusing on thighs and butts - Fucking weird looking bystanders - African art (usually sculptures) he places in backgrounds. - Architectural/design sense in buildings and rooms. One of my favorite artists.

That cover by Larry Stroman was imprinted into my mind the way that Jim Lee's gatefold cover for X-Men 1 was.

This is my childhood xfactor. So much nostalgia right now, it's like I'm drinking from the fountain of youth.

Peter David’s daughter worked at a Boston comic book store I often visited. Fun facts: Her name was Gwen and David’s wife is named Mary Jane...

It’s like a fun fusion of Mignola & Simonson.

Loved it too. Originally pissed the old X-Factor team folded into the X-Men but Strowman and Peter David blew me away. This is way better than X-Force and X-men of the time.

I'm seeing Patrick Nagel in Stroman's style.

Stroman and David did a neat little Wolverine one-shot around this time where Logan fights a fetus eating Lovecraft style monstrosity on a cruise ship. I think that was the first time I ever saw Stroman's work.

Ed´s comment on that dude's hair made me realise how much of those early 1990s comics are basically Beverly Hills 91210 with superpowers

Jamie Maddrox AKA The Multiple Man AKA a twisted serial killin' juggalo

Wow, so many of us grabbed this at the time. And I had just re-read these recently, and they're great. Everything I've gotten into has been like this issue/run (Sienkiewicz New Mutants, Adams' stuff, Polina on X-Force...)

This Vid is Awesome! & Larry Stroman's run on this X title was AMAZING!!.I'm so glad u guys covered Stroman!! His comic work & Style is top tier!! But seem so under appreciated it's criminal..& Kayfabe I think the recurring mayonnaise jar bit..is spot on!..(alot of ppl in general have problems opening jars) mayonnaise back in those days came in glass jars & they do sumtimes need a lil finesse'n to get them open lol..(hence tapping on the bottom of them)..but not so much nowadays cause there All plastic..but slasa jars u still have to do that with!..or anything that come in glass jars!..(just fyi)

I know how yall feel about peter david but could yall do incredible hulk negative 1? adam kubert art was fuego.

I met Stroman in Chicago around 1990 and he did an alien legion character for me in my sketchbook and it’s amazing! I always felt like he was under rated and under Used.

I bought this run off the newsstand at the time. Larry’s art was so original and stylised and I loved it. My teenage hormones appreciated the way he drew Rayne- sexiest version of the character by far!

Love It. It's kinda like Sienkiewicz just joined to Image. Was a really good run and a fresh restart to X-Factor

Good observation about young Jae Lee picking up Stroman-style. Stroman did the cover for #84 with Jae’s pencils inside. Jae takes pencils and covers for 85-86. Literally passing the baton. It would be fun to look at Jae’s evolution before and after that period.

Stroman's cover with Sinister blew my mind!

I'm personally a fan of Peter David - isms. I'm catching up reading a lot of x titles from 2012. And X-factor is one of the titles I can't wait to get back to reading. I get your critique of Peter David. But in his defense, there must be a reason he has been kept on to have a legendary long run on an x-title. But on topic. I also remember being in love with Stromans work. Exactly as you described it. It was a style i hadn't been confronted with.

Stroman is a artist that I look for in comics, unique styles is what catches my eye.

This was the stand out X-book for the first 7-8 issues while Stroman was there. I was pretty good while Quesada jumped onboard up to the famous issue 87. It had humor and character, which made it different from the "extreme" 90s trend kicking off.

gotta do the Jae Lee X Factor issues too

Was waiting for y’all to cover this love the show keep up the great work

Larry's art is awesome. Followed him onto Tribe and just lost track of him after... inspired me to see what is what with his career. You guys rock, thanks.

All time great run. Wish it went longer with this team.

He has such a strong visual style and a very economic storytelling sense. I had the misfortune of taking over a book he was on... lol. I had the script for his issues along with his art and saw all the shortcuts he was able to take to tell the story. He's like an impressionistic painter.

This was the first comic I bought after some Spider-man issues. Off the spinner rack at the grocery store. I love his art still.

That headgear Havok is wearing goes back to Alex Raymond's comic strip Flash Gordon. Flash originally wore headgear like this to protect his ears from massive pressure underwater. Al Williamson apparently liked the look so much that he had Flash wear it all the time. You can see it in a lot of the Al Williamson Flash Gordon work. It was adopted by Kirby and brought into the Marvel U, although I'd be hard pressed to state where it made its first appearance. Probably some background character in Thor.

Oh, I LOVE this era of X-Factor. Stroman's art had an impact on me similar to Sienkiewicz' art on New Mutants but, fortunately, in this case I was old enough that it didn't put me off of it but drew me into it instead. And the inking was freaking BEAUTIFUL, would love to see this in b&w.

I also picked this up fresh off the shelf. Strohman's art is so incredible. Also loved the Doc Sampson story frame.

Curious for your thoughts on Stroman's return to X-Factor during Peter David's 2000s run. That was my first exposure to Stroman, and I didn't understand the love he gets until I saw these earlier issues.

Loved Stroman's Alien Legion when I was a kid. I could never put my finger on it, but his work never looked like anyone else.

You need to show off his Alien Legion work. His X-Factor stuff is nothing compared to it.

NICE! I just pulled out my ORIGINAL copy bought when it came out to read along! And I don't have many X-Factor books, so I must have been encouraged to buy this because it was supposed to become valuable...

I loved Larry Stromans style and thought him and Peter David did a great job. Totally underrated title!

Only X book I read in the 90's!

I didn’t really read X-Men as a kid, other than random issues my mom picked up for me. This was the first extended run of an X series that I ever read.

Huge Stroman fan. Early influence on me in high school. I first came across his stuff on Cloak & Dagger.

I call the havoc / gambit headwear a “headsock”

Stroman had a very lyrical and fluid style that I found to be subtley much more charming and narrative than some of the bigger names of the time. Good spotlight!

This was my favorite book period. The writing was the best type of comic junk food and gave real depth with the sub plots. And the art is the standard I compare everything to. Stroman is the first artist I wanted to learn to draw like.

im such a Lorna stan so i picked up this run from the jump and quit right when Larry jumped to do Tribe. i didnt realize how much i loved Larrys art until later tho

YES! I have this issue.

11:05 super interesting.

Stroman is unreasonably good.

Folks, I have thought of that mayonnaise gag at least once a week since 1992.

I remember hating this stuff when it came out. Stroman's style was too goofy, as was David's writing, and I really disliked the ridiculousness of the Guido character -- felt like my somewhat-serious X-book was being made into a mockery (I was in my early 20s at the time and wanted my comics to be serious!). Haven't revisited it since it first came out, so I might change my tune these days.

Amazing artist. Just don't try and order a commission from him because you're never going to get it. Or your money back.