REVIEW: ‘Uncanny X-Men’ Issue #4

Uncanny X-Men #4 is published by Marvel Comics. It is written by Gail Simone, with art by David Marquez, colors by Matthew Wilson and letters by Clayton Cowles. In this latest issue, Rogue goes to save Wolverine and faces the Hag, while the young mutants face an army at their door.

Uncanny X-Men #4 is split around this new mutant world, closing in on Rogue’s ragtag group of both old and new members. Wolverine is dying, leading Nightcrawler and Rogue to go and find him. This leads to the best battle of the series so far. Rogue faces off against a character quickly becoming one of the most fearsome and powerful the X-Men have ever faced. Even if they don’t feel like one, this X-Men team is fragile and not yet ready for war. Even as a conflict is brewing underneath, this series continues to be based on horror.

Something about The Hag causes outright terror. She has shown herself to be so dangerous that she is even scarier. The secrecy of what is happening at Xavier’s School continues to be a thorn in their side that the X-Men can no longer ignore. The pacing is perfect, not moving too fast while still being utterly enthralling.

The dialogue and the characters are sensational. Simone beautifully writes Rogue as the central character. She is full of love and fire, war and romance. When she talks about the other X-Men, her words contain so much adoration and care for them.

The narration during the battle with The Hag is brutal and descriptive. It helps add intensity to the fight, detailing the damage and revealing her enemy’s power. She compares the punches to other X-Men and characters, showing that The Hag stands out among the pack. The villain’s history connects directly to Xavier, which is tragic and relatable.

It explains why the woman feels so much hatred for Xavier and his children. Rogue is alone and desperate to keep the fight that way. The connection between those classic characters is fantastically written. They are a family and will be there for each other at the end if needed.

Even in this new series, the history between Rogue, Wolverine, Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Jubilee drives it, twinned with the freshness of the young kids. At the end of Uncanny X-Men #4, the team’s leadership falls to Gambit, who has a different approach to others who have taken that role before him.

The art is incredible. Marquez details just how brutal the villain is by showing off what it did to Wolverine. The Hag has utterly wrecked a resilient character capable of recovering. She is monstrous, with a horrifying face and long, spindly limbs and fingers. But in her backstory, she is a beautiful, ordinary woman desperately in love with Xavier. Uncanny X-Men #4 reveals the transformation in a story that contains as much tragedy as the creators can describe.

Rogue is a different fighter from Wolverine, faster and stronger, leading to a more expansive battle. However, it is still violent, physical, and visceral, with damage dealt to possibly the team’s most powerful member. The Hag has an army of her own, and the creatures within reconnect the folk, natural horror that has been ever present in this series.

The colors in Uncanny X-Men #4 are fascinating. The Hag seems to drain the color from the page, which is an indication of her power. Away from her woods, which are deep in shadows and thick black mysteries, the rest of the landscape is gorgeous. Nature is prevalent in this book, and the natural shades are stunning.

The brightness can also be found in the heroes’ costumes, while Wolverine is just covered in pints of his own blood, coating everything in red. The lettering is brilliant. The custom font given to The Hag is the best option to describe her scratchy, haunting voice, like nails on a chalkboard.

Uncanny X-Men #4 is the perfect mix of horror and heroes. The heroes face a monster that combines terror and outright power, matching any of them in a fight and simultaneously scaring the life out of readers. It’s a comic with world-class creators giving their all.

Uncanny X-Men #4 features love and pain, with the heart of the X-Men visible on every page. Even when they hurt, there is still a devotion to protect those they love and save those who can’t save themselves.

Uncanny X-Men #4 is available where comics are sold.