Unless you’re an X-Fan, you’ve probably never heard of Madrox: the Multiple Man. That’s a shame, for he’s one of the best Marvel characters they have. And it’s all because of this little mini series in 2004.
Largely a background character Madrox appeared here and there until joining X-Factor and becoming a prominent supporting character. His ability to create duplicates via physical impact made him quite an asset. In the 2000s there was a big X-Men upheaval, leaving many characters forgotten or in limbo. Madrox, no longer with X-Factor, decided to set up a detective agency taking on all cases large and small.
“MadroX” reintroduces us to the Multiple Man as he tries to make a new life in this brilliant noir tale. With the ability to create duplicates he’s able to work on more than one case at a time. After bringing in old X-Factor alumni Wolfsbane and Strong Guy, they get to work on a cheating husband case, while the main Madrox (aka Jamie Prime) sets to solve a murder of someone very close to him. Himself. Recently, Madrox’s power evolved. When his dupes would learn sometime and were reabsorbed Jamie Prime would keep that knowledge. Quite an advantage, however, comes with backlash. The dupes also gained their own personalities making them somewhat difficult to trust. One of those dupes returns, on death’s door, and Madrox has only seconds to reabsorb him before he loses any chance of solving this murder. Getting just enough information to set a perfect crime thriller moving Madrox heads to Chicago to deal with shady business men, mysterious hitmen,
beautiful dames, and Steve Buscemi.
Peter David is one of the most acclaimed writers in comics, ever. With good reason. He can make even a C-lister like Madrox into a beloved A-list super hero. What he does with “MadroX” is create the perfect combination of noir and super hero. This is the book for fans of crime fiction that don’t read comics. It’s a gateway book that will easily turn someone into a fan. The mini series was successful enough to spawn an ongoing series, a retooled “X-Factor.” Madrox and his merry band of mutants solve cases and foil crimes in some of the most brilliant and intricate comics that have ever been released. Peter David played the long game with these books. He lets a lot of seeds lie, waiting for the perfect moment for them to bloom and take us all by storm. It all started with “MadroX.” Now it’s eight years later and Madrox and “X-Factor” are continuously one of the most beloved and acclaimed books on the stands. Once you start with this
series, it’s impossible to give it up. Get a start at the beginning and read “MadroX.”
Jo