Zeitgeist gets some new troops, and the X-Statix are still playing catch-up. Can Mister Sensitive pull his team together in time to save the day? Your Major Spoilers review of The X-Cellent #4 from Marvel Comics awaits!
THE X-CELLENT #4
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Mike Allred
Colorist: Laura Allred
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot
Editor: Darren Shan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 29, 2022
Previously in The X-Cellent: Zeitgeist recruits two new members for the X-Cellent! Meet their new teleporter Whoosh! And the incredibly handsome Fluff! But will these two turn out to be team players, or will they be the latest in a long line of adversaries for Zeitgeist?
WHAT IS ZEITGEIST REALLY UP TO?
The X-Cellent have been making headlines with their ongoing “happenings,” which has somehow blinded the general public to the fact that they’re a team of idiots helmed by a monster. Zeitgeist even managed to break into Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, thanks to his new teleporter, Whoosh, but it wasn’t entirely clear why. As this issue begins, X-Statix leader Mr. Sensitive has engaged popular vlogger Girl Joe to help raise their team’s profile, but romantic distractions within the team made them miss their deadline. Worse still, one of Zeitgeist’s team, the man called Fluff, interceded in their place, earning a hero’s welcome from the internet. That’s bad enough, but Doctor Strange manages to contact the X-Statix with worse news: Somehow, the X-Cellent copied a spell from the mystical Book of the Vishanti, but thanks to the mystical nature of that book and its endless pages, there’s no telling WHAT spell… or why.
Also, dead team member U-Go Girl (whose daughter Gone Gal is one of the X-Statix) pays a visit from beyond the graaaaaaaave!
I’M JUST HERE FOR FLUFF
One of the great joys of Milligan/Allred joints is the bizarre and outré powers that their creations have, and the newest member of X-Cellent is a perfect example. With the power to generate and control bellybutton lint, Fluff should be ridiculous, but he somehow manages to be both impressive and disturbing in these pages, saving Girl Joe and earning her admiration. Of course, his whereabouts at the end of this issue doesn’t bode well for his survival, but you can’t expect anyone to live very long in this particular corner of the X-Verse. The Allreds combined skills make this issue a joy to look at, and I especially enjoy the X-Cellent uniform designs. This book is unusual in that it focuses on (and is NAMED for) the villains of the piece, and Milligan’s story makes it clear that this is a good decision, as the internecine problems of Zeitgeist’s squad are as interesting as any hero team. The X-Statix don’t get shorted in terms of interesting developments, but it’s clear that Zeitgeist and his team are the stars of this show.
BOTTOM LINE: WORTH SEEKING OUT
The X-Cellent #4 is a good one, reminding me of the glory days of X-Statix, lo those many years ago, combining an interesting, twisty story with the usual amazing Allred imagery, making for a well-deserved 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. If you’re looking for mutant action that isn’t all tied to the goings-on in Krakoa, this is definitely the place to go… even if it’s not your standard mutant hijinks.
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THE X-CELLENT #4
Approaching the story with the villains in focus is a tough proposition, but this creative team pulls it off with aplomb.
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Writing7
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Art9
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Coloring8
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.