REVIEW: ‘Queen In Black’ Issue 4

Queen in Black Issue 4 is published by Marvel Comics. Written by Al Ewing, art by Iban Coello and Paco Medina, Colors by Guru-eFX and letters by Clayton Cowles.

As the evil Symbiotes get wilder, the one we thought was an ally may be the most dangerous threat. Queen in Black Issue 4 tries to collate all the elements of the Queen in Black event into one book, which makes it incredibly manic and chaotic. The fighting has taken place across the world and beyond, with heroes battling symbiote-coated aliens.

It’s a frantic world war, and many of these threads had almost been forgotten. New York has Nova, Captain Alliance and the Fantastic Four battling Firelord. Tokyo sees Wolverine and Storm taking on a reality-warper. Huge heroes and Emma Frost are battling giants in Italy. And that’s only a few.

The scale is still so enormous even at this stage of the event. There are flashes of everything. And not all of these micro-stories will get a real ending. That’s not including what’s happening in the other tie-ins, which are included towards the end of Queen in Black Issue 4. It’s a scattergun approach to storytelling, and there’s never really been a focus or a tether. It’s exciting and enthralling and just pure comic book joy, but lacking a lot of coherence.

Having followed the run through the tie-ins, it’s easier to understand what’s happening; however, it also adds a jittery, overlapping nature, as the transitions aren’t exactly seamless. What can be said about the characters within Queen in Black Issue 4 is that it truly is part of an epic crossover; almost every corner of the Marvel Universe is tapped into, with cameos coming from all over the world. Some of these are just brief or clear favorites of Ewing. Each encounter is breathtaking and pure fun. There are combinations of abilities, reunions and updates on particular characters.

None of these confrontations are the same. The heroes’ personalities still come through, even with all the noise. It’s difficult to really know who the main character of the event is, as Venom, Spider-Man, Hela, and Knull aren’t really present in this comic, which is another example of how fractured the focus of the crossover has been.

The art has been sensational throughout this event and is once again gorgeous. Medina and Coello embrace the magnitude nd the madness. The comic creatures look awesome anyway, and that is amplified when they transform with teeth, claws, and symbiotic appendages.

In Italy, the fight is about changing size, with Goliath, Giant-Man, and others matching the huge height of their alien adversaries. Wolverine and Storm find reality shifting around them, creating different cartoonish body shapes.

Then in New York, there are the most powerful attackers, including the Supreme Intelligence and Firelord. There is a fantastic mash-up of physicality, brought by the ever-lovin’, blue-eyed Thing, and the cosmic energy brought by the others.

Nova has had to temper his powers in recent stories because of the perils of what happens if it runs out. But the creators find a way in Queen in Black Issue 4 to power him back up, and they present it perfectly. As frantic as the story is, the art always stays clear, with precise attention to detail. And when pages are translated from other books, the character design stays consistent.

The colors are beautifully vibrant and powerful. The comic book excellence on the page is amplified by the incredible brightness of the colors. With the intensity of the non-stop action, the shades also help define what’s happening. The rich tone makes Queen in Black Issue 4 even more exhilarating. The lettering is fantastically easy to read, even with some custom word balloons.

Queen in Black Issue 4 is a forceful and frantic penultimate issue. Trying to successfully contain the scale of this event is like trying to catch a hurricane in a carrier bag. It’s breathtaking and one of the most exciting comic book events in its concept. There’s nothing wrong with the fights. But the lack of cohesion and focus makes it extremely difficult to follow from this flagship book alone.

The main villain has ventured off into other books, so she has no presence in this comic anymore, and it just leaves the army she left behind. Queen in Black is a sprawling epic, but the comic needed to make that clearer.

Queen in Black Issue 4 is available where comics are sold.