As Cerebro does as it was intended to do, Sinister does what Sinister does best and the future comes to an end. Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman continues his reshaping of X-History alongside breakout artist R.B. Silva. The Future of the X-Men begins here!
The past 3 issues of Jonathan Hickman’s Powers of X and House of X series have been the most action-packed, straightforward stories yet. This week’s Powers of X #4 dials it back and is much more in line as far as story and pacing go with the Powers of X 1 and 2. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all the breakneck action and loss the past 3 weeks is time to slow things down a bit and learn new details about Charles and Erik’s relationship with Mister Sinister, which was yet to be explored. Hickman also provides a new level of insight regarding the sentient island Krakoa and its inner workings.
Hickman needs to keep adding layers to his new vision for X-Men so a step or 2 back was expected during this issue, at least by me. In order to get to extremely impactful comics like Powers of X 3 and House of X 3 and 4 a solid foundation needs to be laid. This comic is a bit of a breather from the last few as Hickman takes the time for world building once again. I personally appreciate most everything in this comic, although I don’t think the humor is particularly effective.
R.B. Silva’s art continues improving as Powers of X moves along. He, along with color artist Marte Gracia, do a fantastic job separating the X0, X1 and X3 stories visually. The X0 timeframe has a red tone, X1 is distinguished with yellows and X3 is highlighted by blues. There is a color shift at the end of the comic and I’m still on the fence whether this is an actual time shift within the story. Overall R.B. Silva and Marte Gracia’s visuals continue shining in Powers of X.
Issue 4 is exposition heavy after the past 3 straight forward action-based stories. There is a ton of information to take in and digest here. There aren’t many standout character moments other than the Mister Sinister introduction. The Krakoa origin is really cool and well executed. Most of this comic is setup for future events and there isn’t much payoff in this story.
The latest issue of Powers of X is sure to leave many, like myself, scratching their heads. There is so much information presented in this comic that it honestly feels a bit overwhelming when you put it down. The art from R.B. Silva continues improving each and every issue. Marte Gracia’s color work remains excellent and visually ties House and Powers together seamlessly. There hasn’t been a bad issue during Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men run so far but this is probably the weakest issues since Powers of X #1. And it’s still a really good comic book. Hickman is laying the groundwork for amazing moments in the future but I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the significance of the X3 story.
Jonathan Hickman’s House of X Powers of X series continues as the most exciting, best executed in the industry. This issue may leave some a bit disappointed but there is a tremendous amount of groundwork laid for future X-Men stories. I’m not certain what the exact details of the deal between Charles and Mister Sinister are, but I’m fairly certain Charles will come to regret it in the end.
#x-men #jonathanhickman #powersofx
Contact Thinking Critical:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wes_from_TC
Email
[email protected]
Graphics and layouts provided by Chalpha:
Portfolio: https://chalphagraph.carbonmade.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chalphabet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chalphagraph/
