The Dark X-Men finally clash with the Goblin Queen and Orchis! Find out what happens in that explosive confrontation in Dark X-Men #4 by Marvel Comics!
DARK X-MEN #4 (OF 5)
Writer: Steve Foxe
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Jordan White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 15th, 2023
Previously in Dark X-Men: Madelyne Pryor assembled her own team to rescue and protect mutant refugees from Orchis’ anti-mutant crusade. However, her methods are violent, and there have already been a ton of casualties. Orchis agents Krol and Vallens pressure the Goblin Queen (A demonic version of Madelyne) to help bring the Dark X-Men down.
Dark X-Men #4 starts with Gambit expressing his thoughts to Rogue, presenting a recap of the social and mental state of the team. However, after he returns to the embassy, Orchis attacks by using the mutant Abyss as a weapon to trap the team. The Goblin Queen and Orchis thus go on a massacre of the estate. The Goblin Queen manages to capture Feint as she looks for the Mercy Crown. Azazel and Emplate make a daring move to kill Abyss, despite being related to Azazel, and free Madelyne, Havok, and Gambit. Now, the Dark X-Men plan to fight the Goblin Queen on top of the pile of bodies this assault has started.
As I sat down to read Dark X-Men #4, I found myself uninterested in the violence in the book. The action in previous issues always served a purpose, but the theme of senseless killing rubbed me the wrong way. Now, I admit that this has a bit to do with certain real-world things that are happening, making this concept difficult. But even so, this book went from well-thought-out attacks to seemingly unneeded gore. We don’t need to show the evil of Orchis in this way; the use of Abyss as a weapon showed that well enough. Instead, we could have used those pages to explore more of Feint’s capture or the relationship between Emplate and Azazel.
The art makes great use of shading, and that is notable in the larger panels. The smaller panels, though, seem to be undetailed at times, falling a little short overall.
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. With that in mind, this comic is 2.5 out of 5 stars.
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Dark X-Men #4
Conceptually, Dark X-Men #4 has some great ideas, but the execution in this issue falls short.
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Writing4
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Art6
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Coloring6
Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com