AvX: Consequences #4 Review

Marvel might as well have called this series X-Men: Consequences. The only ramifications of AvX as far as the Avengers are concerned are that Black Panther's house got trashed and Iron Man is perplexed. But Kieron Gillen continues to deliver an interesting and worthwhile follow-up to his Uncanny X-Men run, wrapping up various loose threads and paving the way for new conflicts in the months ahead.

Gillen focuses far less on Cyclops than he has in the previous two issues, meaning that overall issue #4 is a more disjointed affair. But if the sum isn't more than the whole of the parts, the individual parts are still enjoyable. Some of the best scenes involve Magneto, who makes his first real appearance following his unseen cameo in issue #3. Gillen focuses this issue heavily on the current state of Cyclops' Extinction Team players, answering various questions about Magneto, Namor, and Colossus along the way. While Hope's involvement in the book has been dull and unnecessary so far, Gillen renews his focus on her odd bond with Namor here, making her inclusion more vital and interesting for once. Really, the only material that stands out as unnecessary is that focused on Iron Man. Again, there simply isn't much of a story to tell as far as the Avengers are concerned.

Mark Brooks handles the art this week, making issue #4 the standout of the series as far as the visuals are concerned. Brooks brings an extra sense of refinement and detail to the characters. If Iron Man's role is superfluous, I could still spend hours staring at the sleek lines that make up his armor. Brook's facial work is also top notch, and he really delivers on some key panels involving Namor and Magneto. Uncanny fans definitely shouldn't be passing this book up.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.