X-MEN #4 Reviews/Spoilers Thread

[Journey]

The big problem with giving her Synch's memories no one seems to want to address is that it's not the same as having experienced it herself. It would be like watching a slideshow of someone's vacation: Sure, you can see everyone having a good time, but you weren't there. It's second-hand information. I don't care if you're using a telepath to implant them or not, this Laura wasn't there. She's not that person, and just seeing Synch's memories of those events won't make her that person.

I mean this is a pretty common resurrection romance trope people would get over it fairly quickly.

[Journey]

So she dreams about Emma taking her clothes off?

To be fair it was a nightmare...... Can't imagine why.

[Dante Milton]

I think you are misreading the scene. I take that moment as a sign that Jean has been holding off on and knows she's about to undergo a big change. In dreams, everyone represents a facet of our own psyche.

Also, the fact that you skipped over everything else - the ease, strength, and grace with which Duggan wrote Jean declaring her mission, owning her strength and altruism, and defeating Nightmare - leaves me... Anyway.

If you want to try to make the silly dress scene deeper than it was, you are welcome to do so. I "skipped" over the other stuff because it was inconsequential fluff. I already know who Jean is and how powerful she can be, this isn't my first X-Men comic. And actually the Jean scenes fall pretty hard into the "Saint Jean" problem, the character is much more interesting to me when she's allowed to be angry and messy. There is literally no reason for to be "kind" to an actual demon.

[Soulsword323]

This is very obviously filler, but it was a cute issue regardless.

Always love and adore seeing Jean being powerful and confident. She's lived her worst nightmare, and is able to use that to best Nightmare himself. Really appreciate how Duggan is able to balance the kindness/compassion of Jean with her fire.

[Journey]

I think the dress scene was literally just joking shade y'all should take it at face value it was funny.

[jwatson]

This was goooood. *grabs popcorn* The issue also reads as though Jean is an omega level telepath and telekinetic rather than "I am an omega level telepath and a telekinetic." it reads straight up as "I am an omega level telepath and telekinetic."

[Dthirds3]

The big problem with giving her Synch's memories no one seems to want to address is that it's not the same as having experienced it herself. It would be like watching a slideshow of someone's vacation: Sure, you can see everyone having a good time, but you weren't there. It's second-hand information. I don't care if you're using a telepath to implant them or not, this Laura wasn't there. She's not that person, and just seeing Synch's memories of those events won't make her that person.

And thats the big problem. This could be done so much better, a enemy that laura knows beat a most skilled version of her self heading to Krakoa what makes memory your own or makes a persion. So many consept so much to do but we stuck with romance.

[ericng]

This is very obviously filler, but it was a cute issue regardless.

Always love and adore seeing Jean being powerful and confident. She's lived her worst nightmare, and is able to use that to best Nightmare himself. Really appreciate how Duggan is able to balance the kindness/compassion of Jean with her fire.

Sometimes a refreshing filler is better than silly games like what was done during X of Swords. I don't remember having Nightmare in X-Men before as a villain.

Anyway, I am looking forward to Gerry Duggan new stories. It looks refreshing.

[jwatson]

It was acknowledged Jean was the Dark Phoenix and also teen Jean. We saw her in the Hellfire Gala costume and in the green Phoenix costume.

She totally owned Nightmare and said she is an omega telepath AND telekinetic. She let him hi but said she would end him if he showed up again.

I like how she said to atone for what she did as Dark Phoenix she will leave the world and universe in a better place.

Glad someone else caught the wording on that too. Is it a typo like Emma being an omega telepath or is Duggan having jean shatter the glass ceiling. I do have to say most omegas because of their powers have a vastness to it so i like the idea of her being both but i also don't know if it was intentional thought it reads as a fact.

[Devaishwarya]

After three action-packed issues I quite liked this quiet and "restful" character-focused issue which seems apropos considering the night-time setting in which the story is framed and its villain.
We get Jean's reason for being an X-Man. And she was the star of this story.
Scott, for all his easy-going and contented demeanor, is still tormented by his seeming inadequacies.
We finally get Laura's perspective and feelings concerning what transpired during her "lost" memories of the time she spent in the Vault with Ev (And I'm glad because it was beginning to look a little one-sided)
Interesting ending with Feilong...can't wait to see what he's truly up to.
Even with the slower pace, Duggan manages to push the main plots forward so that it doesn't feel at all stagnant.
And the art was gorgeous.
All in all...a really good, insightful issue but my one minor detraction...I wanted Nightmare to be more menacing and dangerous as I expected more from him. So...9/10 and 4.5 stars

[JB]

I really enjoyed this issue and it reminded me of the Claremont days when he would focus on just a couple of characters in some issues (Storm and Forge come to mind). Jean was great in this and the art was gorgeous.

For me personally, I can understand why Laura is feeling angst about a gap in her memory. But these were nightmares so I didn't take it as she's literally pining to learn about the Vault and Everett in waking life. Nightmares are extreme and exaggerate what's going on in the mind. Just like I don't think Jean is thinking about Dark Phoenix all day long and Scott isn't thinking about parachuting with Alex everyday.

I'm very intrigued with Feilong. It's like he's turning himself into a Prime Sentinel or something.

Did I mention the art was gorgeous?

[RamaBird]

Wait Sunfire was in this? Lmao. Issue felt so short.

And the whole Sync/Laura vault story would be so much better if it didn't involve romance. They should've had Laura find some other love/family in the vault, and that's what she lost and is afraid of remembering. Adding the romance in so quick makes it very forced and automatically turns people against the pairing.

Duggan doesn't seem to be a fan of hers and probably only added her cause they couldn't have Logan.

Then again these are the same people who thought Colossus stalking Kitty was supposed to be romantic.

Was this just filler or is Nightmare going to return later on with more power? I like Jean getting a new enemy.

Also liked her past as Dark Phoenix acknowledge.

[jwatson]

Wait Sunfire was in this? Lmao. Issue felt so short.

And the whole Sync/Laura vault story would be so much better if it didn't involve romance. They should've had Laura find some other love/family in the vault, and that's what she lost and is afraid of remembering. Adding the romance in so quick makes it very forced and automatically turns people against the pairing.

Duggan doesn't seem to be a fan of hers and probably only added her cause they couldn't have Logan.

Then again these are the same people who thought Colossus stalking Kitty was supposed to be romantic.

Was this just filler or is Nightmare going to return later on with more power? I like Jean getting a new enemy.

Also liked her past as Dark Phoenix acknowledge.

If Duggan doesn't like her he could just switch her out with Honey Badger ( i refuse to accept Scout. lol) It's not too late. That kills the romance and Jean/Gabby have had some great interactions and Gabby is fun.

[Tycon]

And the whole Sync/Laura vault story would be so much better if it didn't involve romance. They should've had Laura find some other love/family in the vault, and that's what she lost and is afraid of remembering. Adding the romance in so quick makes it very forced and automatically turns people against the pairing.

Explain how it’s “forced”? Of all of her romances, this makes far more sense than her shacking up with her bully or some rich kid who’s the time-displaced version of the man she was paranoid about being on X-Force. They spent hundreds of years together in enemy territory, surviving only because they had each other. Also,,, Synch’s hot.

[CoCoBandz]

Wait Sunfire was in this? Lmao. Issue felt so short.

And the whole Sync/Laura vault story would be so much better if it didn't involve romance. They should've had Laura find some other love/family in the vault, and that's what she lost and is afraid of remembering. Adding the romance in so quick makes it very forced and automatically turns people against the pairing.

Duggan doesn't seem to be a fan of hers and probably only added her cause they couldn't have Logan.

Then again these are the same people who thought Colossus stalking Kitty was supposed to be romantic.

Was this just filler or is Nightmare going to return later on with more power? I like Jean getting a new enemy.

Also liked her past as Dark Phoenix acknowledge.

If Logan had ended up in this book I'd have malded to insanity.

Anybody over him...literally anybody.