Marvel Comics releases Hellions #4 on September 16. Writer Zeb Wells, artist Stephen Segovia, colorist David Curiel, and letterer VC’s Ariana Maher bring the mission in Sinister’s old cloning lab to a close and demonstrates that some wounds may be too deep to heal.
Congratulations to the creative team for this issue! They took Madelyne Pryor, a terrifying villain with a horrifying plan for Krakoa, and by the end of the issue, made me feel sorry for her. Madelyne’s character history has been one of tragedy, being constantly hurt, forgotten, and left behind, always being in the shadow of Jean Grey.
Madelyne’s story is made even more tragic in the end when the Quiet Council refuses to grant her resurrection. Scott’s revelation that the council doesn’t want to resurrect a clone of Jean (the implication being that she isn’t a unique person) makes Madelyne’s last words all the more tragic.
Segovia’s art humanizes Madelyne as Maher’s letters convey the tragic sadness of Madelyne’s existence.
When Scott informs Alex of the council’s decision, Alex asks Scott what HE wants, and all he can do is stare.
Segovia and Curiel are able to capture the unease in Cyclops’s face. He was, after all, the one who first abandoned Madelyne for the “real” Jean Grey. This image does a good job conveying the complexity of Scott’s feelings, even his behind the deep red of his glasses.
This issue is, in many ways, a tribute to all the people that Mr. Sinister has hurt: Scott, Alex, Madelyne, Greycrow, and the original Marauders.
All is not lost though. As he watches (and takes pleasure in) Alex and Scott’s painful conversation, Sinister is approached by Nanny, who informs him that a reckoning is coming. That, and Beast’s ominous note about Psylocke from last issue, along with Alex’s disagreement with the Quiet Council’s decision, may indicate that the Hellions are on a collision course with Krakoa’s rules.
What did you think of Hellions #4? Tell us in the comments below!
