X-Factor #65
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeX-Factor #65 marks the debut of the Dark Riders — originally introduced here as the 'Riders of the Storm' — a team of Inhuman warriors enslaved and enhanced by Apocalypse to embody his survival-of-the-fittest philosophy, making it a foundational issue for one of the X-Men franchise's most persistent villain factions. Just as importantly, the issue contains a pivotal moment in Jean Grey's personal history: the telepathic assault she endures at the hands of the Dark Rider Psynapse inadvertently reactivates her long-dormant telepathic powers, an upgrade deliberately engineered as part of the creative transition leading directly into the landmark X-Men #1 relaunch of 1991. As the first chapter of the four-part 'Endgame' arc, it also set in motion the chain of events that would send infant Nathan Christopher Summers into the far future — laying the groundwork for the character who would become Cable. The issue thus functions as a narrative hinge connecting the five-year run of the original X-Factor team to the broader restructuring of Marvel's entire X-line.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.8 ▾ $120–$185 2 listings
Raw — NM- ▾ $2.99–$9.49 5 listings
Raw — VF/NM ▾ $4.99–$8 2 listings
Raw — VF ▾ $4–$10.99 8 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $1.99–$30 23 listings
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was produced during a singular creative moment when Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio — two of the hottest artists in comics at the time — were being positioned as the architects of a new era for the X-Men franchise. The story was plotted by Lee and Portacio, with script duties handled by longtime X-Men steward Chris Claremont; the 'Apocalypse Manifesto' bonus feature — in-universe dossiers written from Apocalypse's perspective covering Archangel, Cyclops, and Jean Grey — was scripted by Fabian Nicieza. Editors Bob Harras and Suzanne Gaffney oversaw production under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, with Portacio providing both the cover and interior pencils inked by Art Thibert. The collaboration essentially represented a handoff, with Claremont providing continuity glue while Lee and Portacio drove the new direction that would culminate in the X-Men relaunch months later.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of the Dark Riders (introduced in this issue as the 'Riders of the Storm'), comprising six members: Foxbat, Tusk, Psynapse, Barrage, Hard-Drive, and Gauntlet — all Inhumans captured and altered by Apocalypse.
- The Dark Riders were co-created by Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, and Chris Claremont.
- Jean Grey's telepathic powers — lost for years — are accidentally reawakened in this issue when the Dark Rider Psynapse attacks her on the Astral Plane, a development directly setting up her role in the forthcoming X-Men #1 relaunch.
- The issue is the first chapter ('Malign Influences') of the four-part 'Endgame' arc, which also involves Apocalypse's attack on the sentient Celestial Ship that served as X-Factor's headquarters, and the kidnapping of Cyclops' infant son Nathan Christopher Summers.
- The creative team consisted of writers Jim Lee, Whilce Portacio, and Chris Claremont (plot by Lee and Portacio, script by Claremont); art by Whilce Portacio (pencils) and Art Thibert (inks); edited by Bob Harras and Suzanne Gaffney.
- The issue includes a bonus backup feature called 'The Apocalypse Manifesto,' written by Fabian Nicieza in Apocalypse's voice, with dossiers profiling Archangel, Cyclops, and Jean Grey — an in-universe format that became popular across the X-books of this era.
- The issue has been reprinted at least six times, including in X-Men: Wrath of Apocalypse #1 (1996), Essential X-Factor Vol. 5 (2012), and the X-Men Epic Collection: Mutant Genesis (2017).
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Facteur X #18 (1992), X-Men #9/1994 (1994), X-Men: Wrath of Apocalypse #1 (1996), X-Men by Chris Claremont & Jim Lee Omnibus #2 (2011), Essential X-Factor #5 (2012), X-Men Epic Collection #19 (2017), X-Men - La Collection Mutante #41 (2022)
Key issues in X-Factor
Variants (2)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.