Dark X-Men #4 (of 5)

COMICON

Things aren’t getting any easier as the Limbo Embassy comes under siege in the very heavy and devastating ‘Dark X-Men’ #4. Every bit of the series is singing as these creators understand how to best set the tone and pull everything they can from these characters and the event concept.

Comic Watch

Dark X-Men #4 is filled with tension, atmosphere, and delicate character writing that brings a sharp edge to the themes and story of this series without bloating out its very limited page count with filler. Foxe and Scharf deserve to see this team grow beyond just a mini-series within the Fall of X.

The Super Powered Fancast

The Story: Foxe continues to craft a dark and bloody story in this issue. The tone continues to be intriguing because of its darker elements and I found the story engaging in how its characters deal with their own dark impulses in the wake of their mission. There is some great action in the story as well and I really enjoyed the dark cliffhanger the story ends on and how it has enticed me to see what happens next. The Art: Scharf delivers some beautifully detailed art in the issue. The visual style is a perfect companion to the dark tone of the story.

ComicBook.com

Dark X-Men #4 starts on a strange foot. Gambit touches base with his wife Rogue, who hasn't appeared previously in the series, seemingly as a reason for him to recap the series thus far. Given this is the penultimate installment of a five-issue series, that hardly seems necessary. Once that's out of the way, Steve Foxe, Jonas Scharf, and Frank Martin kick things into a higher gear with a mercilessness typically reserved for horror stories rather than superheroes. It suits the subject matter – we are dealing with demons here – and the final page earns the stygian atmosphere. There's a nice beat here with Chasm, a.k.a. Ben Reilly, Peter Parker's clone who went villain after some clone stuff happened (again). Chasm rejecting Orchis' rescue outright is a nice touch, making him a slightly more complex character than he might otherwise be given how vengeful he is now. He may yet ally with Orchis to get payback against the specific mutants he hates (the rest of them are fine), but it's an important bit of nuance to put to paper if this character is ever to be redeemed in the future.

Major Spoilers

I think this issue pushed me off the series. I’ll probably read the final issue just to feel like a completionist, but this particular comic just didn’t work. They gave too much space to violence and not enough for the things I find interesting.