Jan Duursema

X-Factor by Peter David Omnibus Vol. 3 keeps the team’s offbeat rhythm alive, with investigations, fractured trust and humour that rarely hides the damage underneath. Peter David’s strength is making the cast feel like people stuck with one another long enough for every joke to reveal a bruise. The volume rewards readers who like Peter David’s slower character burn. The jokes are still there, but they work because the cast has accumulated enough pain for humour to feel defensive, not decorative.