King In Black #4

King in Black has been, without a doubt, the best Marvel event since Civil War. I absolutely mean that. It’s extraordinary. What had the potential to just be Absolute Carnage 2 has instead proved to stand alone, bringing in all corners of the Marvel Universe from the A-listers to some serious deep cuts. Deep cuts that have turned out to be very deliberately chosen. All brought together for one epic showdown of Light vs. Dark, Good vs. Evil, Hero vs. Villain, codified in the closing pages of this issue as it answers a long-standing question and sets up for what promises to be one epic final showdown. It’s like Marvel’s version of Blackest Night and it rocks.





This event has been the first to have all hands-on deck for the main story in years and that trend continues in this issue. Think the X-Men are just on the cover for show? Think again! Just as last issue featured Thor finally taking a shot at the King in Black, a classic mutant gets their chance to hit him head on and do some serious damage ahead of the final battle. In fact, I would say every hero whose been included in the main series thus far gets the chance to show off in this one, even as Cates weaves together every plotline from not just this, but every story he’s written since he started on Doctor Strange. Illustrated by his unstoppable partner in crime Ryan Stegman, who is firing on all cylinders and reminds us all why he’s one of the best, this is how superhero stories are done. My only real criticism is that it's only five issues long. I wouldn't have minded at all if it went to the traditional eight. It has earned it.