rawrimadragon's A+X #4 - Planet of the Beasts!; The New Deal?! review

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    It Took Four Issues... But This Is Finally A+X Done Right!

    THE OVERVIEW:

    A+X, to be honest, I wanted to love this title when it first came out. I like reading short, fun, and easily digestible stories and a book teaming up one Avenger with one X-Man seemed like it was too good to be true. In fact, I predicted that this book would be at the top of my Marvel NOW! lineup for however it long it lasted. Three issues ago and every single one since then, this has definitely not been the case. This goes without saying but I was sorely disappointed. But now? I can say without a doubt, this week's issue is the definitive A+X book and by far the most successful one yet.

    In this issue we get two wonderful, short and sweet stories. The first showcases Beast and Spider-Man in an apocalyptic future and the second depicts Captain America and Quentin Quire teaming up for a mission that is all in the mind. Does it sound fun yet? Well trust me, it is a lot better than it sounds.

    THE GOOD:

    It was so refreshing finishing this issue and realizing that both stories were equally great. The problem for this series up until now was the fact that one story was good and the other just failed in comparison. This is the danger in having two stories in one book. It's really like a double-edged sword because while it gives more bang for the buck, if one story is poor its flaws are even more apparent in comparison to the other story. In this book, we are finally getting what we paid for: two quality stories for the price of one. I really feel that the $3.99 price point is justified here for the first time since both stories fired on all cylinders.

    Regarding the first story in particular, the Beast and Spider-Man teamup, I absolutely loved the art! If you love the look of older comics, to the point where you can see the individual dots that make up the panel, then you will love art in here as well. Kaare Andrews just absolutely nails the action scenes, faces, and body gestures of these two characters. Accompanied with Lee Loughridge's colors these panels have so much depth and detail. What's amazing is how Andrews is able to draw these beautiful panels while at the same time orchestrating this nice, little story that is quite entertaining as well as educational. That's right, he's pulling double duty on this book as he is both the writer and penciler. His dialogue was, for the most part, pretty solid. We get both Beast and Spider-Man's intellectual minds in action here and if you read this story you'll get a nice little refresher of some physics lessons you may have forgotten by now. Alongside, the intellectual talk, there are some witty one-liners here and there as well to balance it all out and make you laugh.

    Moving on to the second story, I was nervous seeing such a potentially dysfunctional teamup but wow, Jason Latour put my doubts to bed. Cap and Quire just work together so brilliantly here that I have very little complaints overall. Latour absolutely nails Quire's arrogance while at the same time showcasing how smart he is. Cap's stern and serious attitude is successfully portrayed here as well and in addition to that we even get his softer side in this book. The dialogue in this issue is just so in-character and believable that it flows so smoothly and seemingly effortlessly. David Lopez's pencils also hold their own on this book. There's a great panel where Quentin tries to break into Cap's mind and all we see is a giant version of Cap's trusty shield blocking his thoughts. So cool.

    THE BAD:

    Like I said earlier in the review, in the first story, the dialogue was "for the most part" solid. What I was referring to was the fact that Spider-Man's dialogue came across a little forced to the point where it was on the brink of seeming out of character. I understand Spider-Man is witty and enjoys saying snappy comebacks when he fights but here it just isn't done that well. I found it a little awkward when he was looking for any female, hairless, cat-ladies in the crowd. Weird, I know (you'll get it when you read the issue). That whole scene just didn't seem like something Peter Parker would want to do.

    In the second story, there was really only one thing that bothered me and that was when Quentin quoted Rorschach from Watchmen. It was the same gripe I had in the second issue of this series where Iron Man makes a Superman reference. It kind of pulls me out of the experience, out of the Marvel Universe, you know? It makes me ask myself crazy questions like, "Are the two universes connected?" "Are DC superheroes fake or real in the Marvel Universe?" You know, questions that just make you rack your brain in a way that isn't necessary.

    THE VERDICT:

    This is the best issue of the series yet, hands down. This book has set the bar for the rest of the issues to follow. If you haven't been onboard the A+X train I suggest picking this up if you are at all interested. Don't go back and read the other issues, this is all you need. This is a perfect, compact, continuity-free, fun ride that will allow you to just read a comic book and have an entertaining time. And really, isn't that what comic books are supposed to be there for?

    4.5/5 stars. What A+X should have always been. This could have easily been the first issue and everyone would be talking about it by now. This is by far, the most solid issue yet despite a couple of minor gripes that were a little too jarring to ignore.

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