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Defenders: Beyond #4 (of 5)

73
Comicscore Index
Generally favorable ratings

Based on 3 critic ratings.

On their quest to save reality itself, the Defenders have stared down the Beyonder and survived the scorching flames of the Phoenix, but now Loki and Co. must face their greatest threat yet — themselves!

The Defenders find themselves in a plane of possibility, where they are haunted by visions of the lives they wish they could have – if only, the dream weaver warns, they didn’t have the others holding them back!

Will they turn against each other?

Or accept closing those doors?

Publication Date
Publisher
Format
Kindle Edition
Print Lenght
23 pages
Language
English
Price
$3.99
Amazon ASIN
B0B6KL78MM

33%
67%
3 Critic Ratings & Reviews from:
  • 100

    Major Spoilers

    Ewing and Rodriguez continue to plumb the depths of the Marvel universe in ways never before attempted, with incredible art and a story that makes me see the multiverse in new and exciting ways.
  • 90

    ComicBook.com

    After reading Defenders: Beyond #4, there's simply one word that leaps to mind: phew—and it's a big PHEW at that. This series is simply Al Ewing being allowed to tell whatever cosmic epic he wants and one glance at this issue confirms that. It's a title with one layer after the next and it should collapse under the weight of its storytelling. Yet Ewing is just cautious enough to pull back the second the support beams begin to buckle, taking readers on a new path around everything that ever was. Few artists have the ability to tell the story Ewing set out to tell and luckily for comic readers around the world, Marvel managed to land Javier Rodriguez for this. Rogriduez's work on this issue, in particular, shows just how perfect a match this whole team is.
  • 65

    The Comicbook Dispatch

    Defenders: Beyond #4 is the penultimate issue of the miniseries. However, this issue is the most predictable and underwhelming when it comes to the Defenders' encounter with Glorian. While one or two temptations are interesting, the rest feel silly and easy to reject, so it's had to believe that any of them are really tempted by Glorian. The main standout in this issue is Javier Rodriguez's art and colors with the latter half of the comic setting things up for the final issue.

More From Defenders: Beyond (2022)

About the Author: Al Ewing

Al Ewing (/ˈjuːɪŋ/) is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for 2000 AD and Marvel Comics.

Career

Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the four-page Future Shocks format for 2000 AD and moved on to regular stints on Judge Dredd (2008–2015), for which his 2010 story “Doctor What?” marked Brendan McCarthy’s return to 2000 AD. They later worked together on a new series entitled The Zaucer of Zilk. Ewing worked on Damnation Station and Zombo, the latter illustrated by Henry Flint, which was collected in trade paperback in 2010.

Ewing has also contributed to Solar Wind, FutureQuake, and The End Is Nigh. He is responsible for the mobile comic Murderdrome, created with P. J. Holden.

In May 2007, Ewing created the comedy blog “The Diary of Ralph Dibney”, writing as the titular DC Comics superhero (also known as Elongated Man), Dibney’s therapist, or as the even more obscure DC Hero Richard Dragon, as they react to the events of each week’s issue of the comic book 52.

Breaking into American comic books, Ewing was also picked by Garth Ennis to provide a six-issue arc on Jennifer Blood, published by Dynamite Entertainment, and a spin-off series The Ninjettes.

His debut prose novel Pax Britannia: El Sombra, published by Abaddon Books in 2007, features a mysterious Mexican hero fighting back against the menace of steam-powered Nazis. It is set in the same Steampunk alternate history as the other novels from the Pax Britannia series. Three other novels have been published since, with a fifth on the way.

Ewing wrote Mighty Avengers and Loki: Agent of Asgard for Marvel Comics and co-wrote the first year of the Eleventh Doctor Doctor Who title with Rob Williams for Titan Comics.

Ewing has since written New Avengers, U.S.Avengers, Ultimates, Rocket, Royals, and The Immortal Hulk, all for Marvel. The Immortal Hulk was a nominee for the 2019 Eisner Award in the “Best Continuing Series” category, and had earned publisher Marvel Comics a Diamond Gem Award the previous year as “Best New Comic Book Series.”

In 2021, Ewing won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book at the 32nd GLAAD Media Awards for his work on Empyre and received an additional nomination in 2021 and one in 2022 for Guardians of the Galaxy. In June 2021, it was announced that Ewing would serve as co-writer of Venom alongside Ram V, with Bryan Hitch serving as artist.

Personal life

At the end of Pride Month 2021, Ewing came out as bisexual.

[Latest Update: July 23, 2022]

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