X-Men Before The Fall: Sinister Four #1

In Sinister Four, Gillen has written one of the year’s most narratively complex, emotionally impactful, and entertaining comics. This book is as loaded with information, scintillating characterization, and breathtaking action as the best of novels. Still, it’s delivered in less than forty pages, rendering it the best possible marriage of poetry and visual art.

In work of this type, King Context must share its crown with Queen Economy. Consequently, as well as providing an absolutely fantastic meet-cute for the original characters, we are given just enough of a glimpse into the lives of Stasis and Righteous, these sordid little lovers (and all the nasty little games they’ve been playing) to provide a sense of both solid emotional connection, revulsion, fear, and a particular brand of passionate, near-horrific joy.

Some highlights include Stasis setting off Sinister’s mutant-mania in the early twentieth century, Righteous raising a pair of redheaded twins in the 1950s, Stasis working to generate the nuclear bomb, Righteous making a deal with Belasco, and a scene (which serves to further the plot rather than lay the groundwork) in which the two of them call down the very Moon herself, for the betterment of Orchis.

The fact that this story does propel the plot of the upcoming event as effectively as it fills readers in about the past is an absolute triumph. It makes one deeply regret that this story isn’t penned solely by Gillen and Ewing working in tandem. Aside from his usual incoherent mess, it’s difficult to see what Spurrier is contributing to this triad. Gillen even manages to make Righteous into a fascinating character rather than the bleakly misogynistic cardboard stereotype she was introduced as.

Paco Medina’s art is (like Sinister himself) lush, delicately rendered, cockily humorous, and, in places, absurdly violent. He’s the best possible artist for this story, and he took the assignment and ran with it. Edgar Delgado and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo provided bright, vivid colors, bringing out the best of the strong line work.

If you want to read the perfect villain-centered story, this astonishing piece of art is for you.