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A review by bmaackreadscomics
Marvel Masterworks: The X-Men, Vol. 4 by Dan Adkins, Don Heck, Werner Roth, Ross Andru, Roy Thomas
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The Problematic
Still WASP central. However, less racism and sexism which was good.
The Bad
Not as much bad this time around. Some pretty kooky and wild villains though that just made things feel cheesy and unnecessary. Grotesk the Sub-Human? Frankenstein’s Monster? Tyrannus the Subterranean Emperor? Pretty weaksauce.
The Good
In no particular order, the new costumes are pretty great and make panels much more fun to look at since the X-Men all look different now. The Factor Three saga was pretty darn good too with some really high World-vs-Mutant types of stakes. The cringe-y love drama of Scott and Jean is toned down heavily. The death of Professor X was sad to see, especially with Angel carrying his limp body. The back issue flashback story of Cyclops’ origin was solid the whole way through. My favorite issue though was the X-Men trying to make enough money to fly to Europe and rescue the Professor. The villain Mekano, though incredibly cheesy, at least had some more nuanced motivations of just trying to impress his estranged father, and it was fun seeing the X-Men try to interact in the workaday world for some scratch. Also, some good little quotable moments here from issue #42 such as “But one should never underestimate the power of a woman..especially when she has telekinetic abilities”, or the sad lines written after Professor X’s death.
Overall
A noticeable improvement and probably the best collection of issues so far. There are a couple of unnecessary villains and plot points, but overall this is pretty enjoyable.
Still WASP central. However, less racism and sexism which was good.
The Bad
Not as much bad this time around. Some pretty kooky and wild villains though that just made things feel cheesy and unnecessary. Grotesk the Sub-Human? Frankenstein’s Monster? Tyrannus the Subterranean Emperor? Pretty weaksauce.
The Good
In no particular order, the new costumes are pretty great and make panels much more fun to look at since the X-Men all look different now. The Factor Three saga was pretty darn good too with some really high World-vs-Mutant types of stakes. The cringe-y love drama of Scott and Jean is toned down heavily. The death of Professor X was sad to see, especially with Angel carrying his limp body. The back issue flashback story of Cyclops’ origin was solid the whole way through. My favorite issue though was the X-Men trying to make enough money to fly to Europe and rescue the Professor. The villain Mekano, though incredibly cheesy, at least had some more nuanced motivations of just trying to impress his estranged father, and it was fun seeing the X-Men try to interact in the workaday world for some scratch. Also, some good little quotable moments here from issue #42 such as “But one should never underestimate the power of a woman..especially when she has telekinetic abilities”, or the sad lines written after Professor X’s death.
Overall
A noticeable improvement and probably the best collection of issues so far. There are a couple of unnecessary villains and plot points, but overall this is pretty enjoyable.