X-treme X-men #4 - Review & Spoilers

[Malachi]

So we open up with the preview pages. Kitty is dead, her powers taken away while she was phasing through the ground and rocks. Storm takes this death hard and it only feels overdramatic because we readers are so desentized by now. Storm wants revenge and Remy tries talking Ororo down. Storm goes after the two purity goons Sanzu and Soulscream. We get a callback to the recent Gambit mini but more importantly to Ororo's past with Ashake while she kicks their asses.

The fight is interupted by Ogun who has possesed the third comrade of the nemies, the silly named Beasty Brute. Ogun is using Logan as a club and it's actually quite funny. Sanzu is learning that Beasty is not with them but they accept it because at least they are fighting the same enemy.

Rogue gets a nice moment to join the fight and she battles Ogun with Remy's bo. Ogun drops Logan and Remy and Ororo uses this mement to carry him away fromt he fight while Rogue keeps Ogun distracted. Rogue does well against Ogun and Larroca really draws a beatiful fight here. It ends the only way it can end with Ogun finding an opening and delevering a brutal punch that knocks Rogue away. Lockheed now enters teh fight and breaths fire from above on them. Remy manages to save Rogue, Ogun jumps into safetey while Soulscream shields Sanzu with his body.

We now skip to Bishop and Sage who is busy dealing with some Purity protestors. It's a short scene and we get some backhistory from Sage about her harsh childhood walking through warzones. Sage and Bishop then get ready to face off with the violence.

The makeshift sentinel that is handling the power dampening effect isn't doing that great. It confirms that in the current form it cannot do more then damping the powers.

Back in the park and the big fight Rogue checks in on Wolverine who without his healign factor is slowly dying from adamantium poisioning. The sisters who belong to Gambits guild join them and we get a little pep talk from Logan.
Meanwhile Remy is trying to calm down Ororo who is furious and we get some awesome art from Larroca again. We also get a flashback to the fate of Marissa fro the recent Gambit mini. Particularly we get some images of her fate who might not go down well with readers who disliked the horror ending she got.

Remy manages to calm Ororo and Ogun attacks again. Logan joins the fight and we get a nice teamwork fight from them against Ogun.

Ororo realises that while she can't control the weather she can still feel it, like it's been hold captive from her. So she talks with Remy and we get a nice exchange "Never steal from a thief for we are sure to take back all that was stolen-- with Vengeance".

We get a funny panel with Logan sitting on Rogues shoulders and slashing Ogun on his face.

A suprisingly touching scene with Sanzu and Soulscream about how he shielded her from the fire.

... and lastly we get Kitty rising from the rocks!


This is an actionpacked issue with many of Claremonts quirks and tricks with telling a story. Personally I like it and it sure makes for a longer read then other modern comics.

I found many got the chance to shine in this issue. Remy is just wonderful under Claremonts pen. He takes a rather big role here talking down Ororo and it works well, especially well if you remember their friendship who hasn't been used that much these days. not since the oneshot where they fight vampires by Bachallo if I remember correctly.

Rogue gets more panels to stretch and she doesn't waste it, strong with an attitude.

Ororo is the emotional core of this issue and it might read as overdramatic but it really isn't when we take a minute to accept that this seems very much like Kitty is dead. Witch we readers of course don't belive and we know since this mini is set in the past.

Sage and Bishop suffers the short draw of this issue. Their plot needs to make up for it the next issue. I love them togheter and think they are a missed oppertunity by Marvel in that it wasn't touched much after X-treme ended.

Ogun is rather boring. He gets a bit lost in the shuffle here.

Sanzu and Soulscreamer gets a touching scene.

Larroca is on fire here. There is so much to appreciate in the art and layouts. I hope he is having fun with this becasue it feels like he is while reading it.

Overall I would say 7/10 for me.

[Ilargi]

I have a lot of mixed feelings, I really like the way the characters acted and the interactions between them.

But I don't like the story and the dialogues seem dense and unnatural.
And I think Larroca's faces are too realistic for a comic book.

Ps: It's funny that a Rogue with no powers can hold Logan ( adamantium skeleton included) on her shoulders.

Also, can Claremont stop torturing Marizza?

[jwatson]

WHOOOOOOOOO. 10/10. Maybe cause i am on a Storm high but i really enjoyed this issue and it was a great gap filler for Storm and now i am looking even more forward to the mini in May because the way my brain works and opening the vaults this feels the most linear storm history has felt in a long time and cohesive and i am loving it. Yes she has both magic and mutation. Wheni is without her mutation the weather still seems to react or come to her aid. It is like someone went through everything a naysayer or in some cases a hater was like "i don't get." and were like "okay how do we check, check, check." i mean i wish other characters were getting this but i finally feel like my bread is being buttered, toasted, and it's soy free. And anytime i get to see this team together is a treat so yeah so far a great comic book Wednesday.

Some of my fave panels.

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if it's not xavier Gambit is the ONLY character that can be a believable surrogate Dad to a young Storm.
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Oh but the point i lost in my ramble, this issue made me feel like it was Xavier coming to Storm that day that made her human, made her more care about things such as balance etc. It's a very interesting pocket because when she loses her power or starts to explore it after a loss it is usually darker it usually more raw maybe less need for communion and she could rough shot over things as she once referenced as rogue storm but she is going on feeling and raw power and it is reacting to her wishes and bending to her needs but her mutant power allowed her to see beyond that, the life in power, to use that to change or enhance things rather than an eye for an eye as she put it here or the raging storm behind that matched how she felt. It's funny most think her mutant power is her limit despite it being omega but it's why Storm will never go dark phoenix. Be afraid of a powerless storm because she is never powerless she is power, it just changes form. But i'm prob overthinking which is good. lol.

[Agent Grayson]

I didn't enjoy this issue that much. It didn't really move the plot along at all and none of the characterisations felt quite right to me, which is odd, considering it's Claremont. A couple of examples were Wolverine being strangely adversarial with Rogue when the two have always been close ("Only 'Ro and Kitty get to call me that") and Storm needing to be reminded of the X-Men's basic standards. Even with her believing Kitty to be dead, I didn't quite buy how it was written. However, it was nice to see Gambit get the spotlight.

Also, what's with the insistence of Storm being called 'Ro in this mini? Even the recap page is pushing it.

[staptik777]

Also, what's with the insistence of Storm being called 'Ro in this mini? Even the recap page is pushing it.

agree, Gambit should call her Stormy

[Malachi]

I have a lot of mixed feelings, I really like the way the characters acted and the interactions between them.

But I don't like the story and the dialogues seem dense and unnatural.
And I think Larroca's faces are too realistic for a comic book.

Ps: It's funny that a Rogue with no powers can hold Logan ( adamantium skeleton included) on her shoulders.

Also, can Claremont stop torturing Marizza?

Haha yes Rogue shouldn't be able to do that. Or at least from my estimation of what he would weigh.

The dialogue is what it is. Sometimes to much and sometimes repeative. Overall I could live with it because I felt that the motivations and behavior worked.

I didn't enjoy this issue that much. It didn't really move the plot along at all and none of the characterisations felt quite right to me, which is odd, considering it's Claremont. A couple of examples were Wolverine being strangely adversarial with Rogue when the two have always been close ("Only 'Ro and Kitty get to call me that") and Storm needing to be reminded of the X-Men's basic standards. Even with her believing Kitty to be dead, I didn't quite buy how it was written. However, it was nice to see Gambit get the spotlight.

Also, what's with the insistence of Storm being called 'Ro in this mini? Even the recap page is pushing it.

Yes I myself refrained from using' Ro in the recap. It was used to much for my taste.

Logan is overall very grouchy in this mini. I don't remember if he was that way back in the era that this happened in. I guess I can overlook things like that because it's Logan and he has been written like that before. But definitely I can see your point and change my mind.

[Sisterhood Of Mutants]

Ps: It's funny that a Rogue with no powers can hold Logan ( adamantium skeleton included) on her shoulders.

Also, can Claremont stop torturing Marizza?

Seconding both of these. “Haha” and “yikes”, respectively.

none of the characterisations felt quite right to me, which is odd, considering it's Claremont. A couple of examples were Wolverine being strangely adversarial with Rogue when the two have always been close ("Only 'Ro and Kitty get to call me that") and Storm needing to be reminded of the X-Men's basic standards. Even with her believing Kitty to be dead, I didn't quite buy how it was written. However, it was nice to see Gambit get the spotlight.

I love Remy front and center, allowed to be competent.

But, yeah, some of the characterization read as off. Maybe it’s just because we’re so mired in reading modern characterizations, or Claremont’s nailing his own continuity and I just need to reread X-Treme - but the Wolverine thing was weird to me, too.

(It gave me flashbacks to when the Fox movies first came out and Kitty fanboys were throwing tantrums that Wolverine and Rogue “were never close in the comics” - despite the fact that… not only are they close in the comics, the movie retelling still got the broad strokes - she was a teenager he sacrificed himself for on their first mission together lol. And considering Claremont wrote that very book…)

Also, what's with the insistence of Storm being called 'Ro in this mini? Even the recap page is pushing it.

Even though ‘Ro isn’t a new nickname for her - the constant pushing was totally giving “Remember, it’s KATE Pryde, actually…” lmao.

agree, Gambit should call her Stormy

I love them so much. Heartbroken that Kelly Thompson is pretty much leaving Marvel. Her R&G mini that second panel is from was such a joy.

[Nopozyzy]

I enjoyed this a lot. Larroca was great. Minor quibble, I get that the Marissa thing is fresh for the reader but it seemed random for them to bring up. Gambit has lost people since then. His GF, his brother, his wife. He got vengeance before. Storm herself talked him down from pummeling a helpless Sabertooth for killing the woman he conned.

[Ilargi]

Claremont only reads what he writes, so I doubt he knows any of Remy's losses

[jwatson]

On second read i enjoyed this even more. i enjoyed that remy got to be competent. I liked that we are reminded Sage is a character with a full history and won't just run to the bottle over something like x-force. It's nice to see bishop get to be a detective. This for me feels like a continuation of X-treme so i guess i can go with the flow but i'm enjoying it.

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Though i do admit some of the lines were a bit like okay, we get it this is little sis and sis.

[Uncanny X-Man]

Very good fourth issue, with Claremont sometimes veering towards excess melodrama, however I can't help but appreciate how he drills down into the characters' heads and really shows what drives them and what triggers certain reactions. No other writer does these sort of deep dives these days and Chris is still the best there is.

Larroca's art is on fire here, I find it even better than the first 3 issues, he's clearly re-energized by his collaboration with Claremont and by working on the X-Men and it shows on every single page. I would love to get this Larroca back on a regular X-book after X-Treme concludes.

[remydat]

I didn't enjoy this issue that much. It didn't really move the plot along at all and none of the characterisations felt quite right to me, which is odd, considering it's Claremont. A couple of examples were Wolverine being strangely adversarial with Rogue when the two have always been close ("Only 'Ro and Kitty get to call me that") and Storm needing to be reminded of the X-Men's basic standards. Even with her believing Kitty to be dead, I didn't quite buy how it was written. However, it was nice to see Gambit get the spotlight.

Also, what's with the insistence of Storm being called 'Ro in this mini? Even the recap page is pushing it.

I think Storm is out of sorts from losing her powers. Remember last time that happened under Claremont's pen she was de-aged and Gambit acted as a mentor of sorts. So I suspect this was Claremont giving a nod to that and having Gambit back in the mentor role reminding Storm that she is more than just her powers and that stands for something greater than just revenge. After all that is why Gambit chose to stay instead of go off with Marissa ie because Storm needed him more.