Empyre: X-Men #4 Review: Quite Literally Forgettable

All around the (Marvel) world, the vegetable forces of the Cotati seek to exterminate all meat-based life, and seriously, that does not even remotely matter for the purposes of this issue. Wanda Maximoff, the patron saint of messiness called the Scarlet Witch, got the idea that she could use magic to bring sixteen million mutants back to life on the desolated island of Genosha. Wanda has suffered under the guilt of her "no more mutants" shenanigans some years ago, and this is her latest hamfisted attempt at making things right.

Discussing whether or not Wanda is a better super-villain than her alleged father ever was is not the point here (but it'd be a fair discussion to have), but this issue sets up a resolution to the idea of the Cotati fighting sixteen million mutant zombies in a way that's literally forgettable.

Along the way, however, there are some super engaging moments. Illyana has another moment wrestling with her demonic side for example, which leads to a superbly engaging set of quotes. Likewise, the little-regarded character Explodey Boy has one of the strongest character moments in some time, and as noted earlier, Dr. Strange makes a house call.

These Jonathan Hickman-penned moments are good, but they are mired down by this totally dull crossover and a huge cast of ridiculous or uninvolved characters. Likewise, there's no doubt that Jorge Molina, Lucas Werneck, Adriano di Benedetto, Nolan Woodard, and Rachelle Rosenberg turn in a very good performance on visual storytelling, especially on certain intimate moments. The good elements, however, can't rise above the tedium, sadly. RATING: MEH.

Empyre: X-Men #4