Hellions #4
Duna Haller
Recap
HAVOK STANDS ALONE! Krakoa’s resident rabble are up against the grand dame of the damned — the Goblin Queen, Madelyne Pryor! Talk about a return that could raise some havoc!
Review
Hellions ends its first arc in a traumatic but bonding conclusion, combining bloody and raw art with dark coloring with an issue in which everyone has their heart a little tore apart. The story clearly calls back to Louise Simonson and Chris Claremont’s Summers drama in “Inferno,” and the tribute and themes it takes focusing in Havok, the ignored brother, and Madelyne, the unreal girl, is bittersweet and perfect.
In the middle of a Krakoan reboot era that makes it impossible to tidy all loose ends or explore all characters, Zeb Wells makes sure we understand this team’s growing bond deeply, and that Madelyne’s loose end is tied closely, even showcasing the Quiet Council’s hypocrisy and imperfection.
The dysfunctional-but-clear-bond between these characters finally explodes when they all laugh together as they are “a bunch of crazy sons of %$!&!”. There’s a certain joy here for me as someone with a mental illness and survivor of systemic mental health abuse in watching these too-crazy-to-be-respectable characters thrive, even if overshadowed by Sinister’s manipulation and plotting.
Of course, there are also some things that I would prefer otherwise, like the impossible “sexy” postures and clothes design (and them tearing apart to show… boob windows?). Or the too-’90s style cover. Or Havok’s dissociation disorder being more dramatization than actual representation. But even in those points, the end of the arc is heavily trying to be fair and kind to Havok as a victim more than a perpetrator, and not falling into unrealistic stigmatizing and demonization. And the art is still showing bloody terror in a way that makes us empathize with its main characters (including Madelyne) even in icky and morally complex situations. And THEN there’s a new angle in Kwannon thriving in this new situation that fits the book perfectly. Overall, I’m eager for what’s to come.
Final Thoughts
Hellions #4 was deep character exploration, a reflecting and impacting ending to a bloody tale, and a comic about bonding between the outsiders, the rejects, the "crazy sons of %$!&!". I'd consider a tiny step in the good direction in the tiring trope of putting mentally ill people as comic villains, with a twist of making us care, understand and humanize most of these usually hated and ignored characters.
Hellions #4: It’s A Bloody Family Mess
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8.5/108.5/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 8.5/108.5/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10
8.2/10
User Review
( votes) Comments Rating ( reviews)
Curious that you don’t say anything about the real victim of this story – Madelyne, whose abuse and abandonent by the X-Men (especially Scott) goes on and on, as it has for decades. She is, in my view, the most sympathetic character by far and tho one who raises the most questions at the end. If Madelyne is not “real” because she is a clone, then how many of the mutants on Krakoa -so many of whom are clones, the product of the same technology that created her – are any more “real”?
Hi Shaun!!
I’m the writer of the article, and I *love* your comment. I definitely agree and hear all you said, and at the same time it gives me perspective onto approaching next reviews, especially if Madelyne comes back or the cloning aspect is brought into question again. Thank you for this gift.
I admit I didn’t wanna spoil the ending in the review so it was difficult to approach this theme fully, but I definitely need to clarify that I found it “bittersweet and perfect” cause it showcases the mistreatment and the drama behind Havok and Madelyne’s story, the unfairness, the creation of “monsters” from people who really are just victims. I think him stating that she’s real in the end gives me goosebumps and showcases this shared struggle, that I find in a lot of the other characters of this book, even if in Madelyne is the most unfair representation of that.
Thanks for adding this, and I really hear you. Madelyne drama since Inferno has always been unfair with her, and I really hope this is not the last we see of the “unreal” girl who dared to be more than real.
Duna.