X-Men + Fantastic Four #4: A Parting Gift

Zdarsky’s writing in this concluding issue, as always, strikes a fine balance between wacky fun and deeper narrative explorations at the same time that we are granted glimpses of the large repercussions the new Krakoan Nation is having on the Marvel world. There are some really interesting character moments in this book (particularly for Reed and Xavier) but the stakes never feel particularly high,and the danger for the characters is more hinted at than confirmed.

Doctor Doom would never really imperil his nephew (Valeria reminds us of this pretty constantly) and so this story never really developed into more than an excuse to reiterate Reed’s tendency to put his own desires over and above the safety of his family. The darkest story element was easily Xavier’s treatment of Reed (that his actions were tinged with mercy makes them more chilling rather than less) but if you’re reading this series for Dark Themes™ you’re in the wrong place.

As for the rest, if anything comes from Kitty’s potential new power, it could make life interesting. The fact that she’s been tampered with by Doom and Reed solved the mystery of why she’s unable to use the gates without much fanfare at all. It would not surprise me at all, if her stubborn determination to remain dead in the current books was down to Reed’s masking of her X-Gene. But future books will have to dive into that.

This was a character study with some flash bang explosions. As such, the art was perfect. Dodson’s linework was absolutely compelling: pretty, energetic, but never too polished. Laura Martin’s coloring assed just the right brand of pizzaz, turning the many (many) splash pages into glitter bombs.

In short, this was a fantastically fun read. Pick it up if you can.