X-Factor #4 Review

by Ryan.L on September 30, 2020

Writer: Leah Williams
Artist: Carlos Gomez
Publisher: Marvel Comics

A tournament has been set into place as a demon horde from an evil earth comes to destroy Krakoa. Leading the way are Apocalypse’s original Horsemen. The mutants set out to decipher a riddle inlayed in Polaris head which holds the keys to Krakoa’s champions for this tournament.

In this issue the mutants try to decipher the riddle but struggle to get past the psychic traps set out by Saturnyne deep within Polaris mind. As they don’t have enough to deal with, an absolute death for one of the mutants also lays heavy on their hearts. The resurrection protocols also are heavily featured in this issue.

So I struggled at first with this issue. It started pretty slow and dry but then got really exciting. This is another really large issue and there is so much packed into it. We learn so much about the resurrection protocols and even the mutants are presented with flaws in the system they never anticipated. It’s an interesting part of the story seeing that the mutants did take resurrection for granted. Now with this permanent death of one of their own, it changes everything. Will we see more mutants fall to this permanent death? This definitely raises the steaks of this story. There is now actually something to loose.

Polaris is featured very prominently in this issue and I loved that. We are really seeing her on a journey of self-discovery as she is the main key to the mutants figuring out the riddle, and who their champions are for the tournament. The loss of the mutant weighs very heavily on her and lends to a key moment in her discovery of self, and the riddle that Saturnyne locked inside her mind.  

One of my favourite moments of this issue is when Magik strolls in at the end of this issue in somewhat of a battle cry moment to pump up the excitement for the next chapter. Magik really has become one of the best parts of ‘Dawn of X’ and seeing her so confidently stepping up really got me excited.

Overall chapter two brought excitement and sadness to this event. The game has really changed and the mutants need to adjust or risk being wiped out. Our first champion has stepped forward, with speculation of who the others might be. This tournament just may actually be the death of them, or at least a few of them.
 

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside