The Krakoan called out Ms. Marvel, and she accepted the fight.  Now, she can only hope that her friends choose to fight with her instead of against her.  Your Major Spoilers review of Nyx #4, awaits!

NYX #4

Writers: Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly
Artist: Enid Balam
Colorist: Raul Angulo
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Editor: Annalise Bissa
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 30th, 2024

Previously in Nyx: After the fall of Krakoa, many mutants have found themselves in New York City trying to have some semblance of a life.  A group calling themselves The Quiet Council has begun their plot to create mutant dominance, with The Krakoan, Hellion in disguise, at the forefront.

BINARY CHOICES

Nyx #4 opens with Professor Alleyne, also known as Prodigy, writing down notes on the nature of mutant culture and how it reacts to the pressures of humans.  After appealing to the dean of Empire State University to oppose an upcoming city council meeting, Prodigy is approached by Ms. Marvel.  She says that she’s worked out The Krakoan’s plan and has figured out where his next attack is going to be, but she also believes he’s purposely allowed her to work things out in order to have a public confrontation.  She asks Prodigy to speak to The Krakoan in hopes their shared pasts will make him not want to fight, but Prodigy refuses.  Next, Kamala goes to Sophie Cuckoo and recruits her to join her in the fight, and the two go to meet The Krakoan.  Before things kick off, Ms. Marvel appeals to Sophie to stand by her.  The fight quickly goes south for Ms. Marvel as Sophie is reluctantly pulled in by her sisters to help The Krakoan.  Prodigy then shows up to finally give Hellion the fight he’s been wanting for a long time.

RETREADING GROUND

Nyx #4 is framed around the musings of Prodigy as he works out the truth in mutant nature and calls out the unfair standards mutants must adhere to in terms of their own defense.  It’s a timely message, and as a piece of social commentary, it’s commendable. But it also doesn’t give the reader anything new that hasn’t been examined in detail by the scores of X-Men comics of the past.  Who’s right, Magneto or Professor X?  Can humans and mutants co-exist, or are mutants the only path to peace that leads to dominance? Much like the other comics that have brought up these questions, Nyx #4 doesn’t provide any firm stance and leaves the debate once again perched on the fence.  On an interpersonal level, there’s a bit more complexity here, though.  Sophie and Prodigy are both put in a similar predicament, whether to help Ms. Marvel or not, but even here, the issue refuses to tip the moral scales one way or another as both of them take an opposing side.  Separated from its content, the plot is neatly laid out and is tightly written with a couple of cute easter eggs that are fun if you don’t think about them too much, and the use of Prodigy’s notes as a narrator is a nice touch that lends itself to some clever moments.  For new readers who may have only recently jumped on board to the X-Men lineup of books with this series, this is a perfectly fine introduction to the philosophical debate that is the spine of mutant-focused titles, but for anyone else with a passing familiarity with them, it’ll feel like a rehash.

FINDING VOICES

While the plot of Nyx #4 doesn’t tread any new ground, there’s one area of the writing in this issue that should be applauded, and that is the establishment of the character’s voices here.  There’s a noticeable effort here to give each character a unique voice while still grounding them in the present.  This is particularly noticeable with The Cuckoos, who all have different ways of speaking, even though they’re all the same age and technically part of the same brain.  Also, Prodigy naturally slips between a young person trying to be professional and a confident fighter who’s had enough.  It’s just nice to see a comic that doesn’t treat a generation as a monolith.

BOTTOM LINE:  WELL WRITTEN, BUT DOESN’T BRING ANYTHING NEW TO THE TABLE

Nyx #4 has a lot of good things going for it.  It’s well-plotted, it gives its characters unique voices, and even finds a way to present an old debate in an interesting format.  Where it falters, though, is in how it relies on a well-trodden philosophical conflict while not bringing any new perspective to it or taking a firm stance anywhere.  3.5 out of 5 stars.

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NYX #4

70%

70%

Needs Something Fresh

Nyx #4 is the next X-Men book to broach the age-old question about who’s right, Magneto or Professor X. While it manages to present this question in a well-constructed way with decent writing, it fails to do anything fresh with it and is simply rehashing old talking points.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  7
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