What Makes A Family? — Reviewing ‘Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver’ #4

Religion, magic, and science share a very strange relationship in the Marvel Universe. Especially on the more mortal of planes. This is something the Scarlet Witch is intimately familiar with.

Thanks to the Wizard, those concepts have clashed as he does the bidding of an ‘angel’ to try and destroy the Maximoff Twins. A plan that comes to an end in Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #4 from Steve Orlando, Lorenzo Tammetta, Frank William, and Ariana Maher.

It’s not often that I end up skimming through a comic on the first read, sighing as my head just goes “Nope!” with each new panel. Don’t worry, I gave it a full second read before this review. Not that it helped much.

Honestly, I don’t know what the point of these four issues were other than to semi-introduce a new threat (yet we learned nothing about them) and pit the twins against each other before reconciliation and give Pietro/Magneto a moment or reckoning. All could have been done in one regular, maybe extended, sized issue.

Instead, we got four issues of the heroes being run ragged, and then they just made up and smashed the Wizard and his army with ease. Orlando tried to go big with all these mythical or mystical style ideas, and it just doesn’t work. Not a bit of it made me intrigued or want to see more, instead I was glad that the Wizard was beaten and shipped away. Meant things were just about over.

Through and through, the book remained one that was gorgeous to look upon. Tammetta has a way of hitting those superhero style solid vibes sprinkled in whimsy that such books need. Letting the action scenes feel epic and breezy, even as the characters barrel their way through them to a speedy end. Bringing a lighter feeling to the overall presumed heaviness of the story.

Just as the colors do, giving things a vibrant glow, really reminding us this is a comic book in the best ways possible. Tons of blues, reds, pinks, and other colors splashed before us to extreme levels. Mixed in next to those that are more natural and darker, keeping some semblance of grounding in the world.

Characters have a lot, sometimes too much, to say. It at least flows and works well because Maher is such a lettering master. Giving everything that spark it needs to hit and bringing the emotional power in for a hard landing. Dipping into colors and stylistic flourishes that allow the words to have even more power.

Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver #4 is now available from Marvel Comics.