X-Factor #143

X-Factor issue 143, published in early 1998, serves as the penultimate chapter of the long-running original series. During this period, the book was navigating the aftermath of the 'Zero Tolerance' crossover event and was preparing for the eventual cancellation of the title, which would see the team's narrative threads woven into other X-Men books of the era. The story reflects the shifting tone of late 90s Marvel comics, where high-stakes mutant politics often gave way to introspective, character-driven subplots.

The creative team on this issue, including writer Howard Mackie and artist Jeff Matsuda, worked to balance the dark, gritty aesthetic common in the late 1990s with the complex interpersonal relationships that had defined X-Factor since its 1986 debut. While the series was winding down, the production maintained the standard house style of the time, focusing on kinetic panel layouts and the dramatic stakes of the mutant struggle as the publisher prepared for the eventual relaunch of the franchise under the X-Factor banner years later.