The Good
The brutality continues as Magneto hunts down the Marauders for their crimes, years ago, against the Morlocks. Magneto sticks more to the shadows here, picking off his prey, one-by-one. The sequences that follow are incredibly intense as Magneto learns new ways to kill off his enemies using metal. Each way is more ingenious than the last.
This issue puts the series into perspective, but you don't realize what Magneto is really doing until the end of the issue. The series was set up as a way for Magneto to end the torture and murder of mutants at the hands of humans, but his plan is a bit more realized here, especially with the last page of the issue.
Writer Cullen Bunn does some great work here with Magneto's narration moving along the story. The way he has this self-righteous character rationalize what he is doing (murder!) works well because it makes Magneto a more compelling character. Here's a guy who has seen the horrors of the holocaust, almost eliminating an entire race, and he sees the murder of mutants on that same level. Now, he has the power to stop it and nothing can hold him back. It's truly awesome stuff.
Another aspect of this book, as well as a few other books, like FANTASTIC FOUR, that makes this book stand out is that it embraces moments from the comic's past. There's two pages here, where Magneto reminisces about the Marauders, leading The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a couple other moments. This is great for newer readers, so they get an understanding that this guy just didn't lose it one day and go on a killing spree. This has been building up over years.
The Bad
Color makes a huge difference on comics, and this issue shows why. Brown's color work on this issue doesn't feel like a good fit. His scenes, showing the Marauders killing off the Morlocks from years ago, looks great, but everything else feels a bit bland. We're not getting that same grit that we got in past issues from the color.
There are a few times the art misses its mark. Javier Fernandez has a distinct style that works on the page, but there are a few times, where faces are a tad distorted and things look a tad awkward.
The Verdict
MAGNETO continues to be an adventure through brutality to those who deserve it. If you're looking for a book that can be described as "wrath," then this is for you. Cullen Bunn is doing an incredible job with this series and this character and I love that he's embracing particular moments from Magneto's past. The biggest problem with the book is that the color isn't up to par and there's a couple small problems with the art, but all-in-all, MAGNETO is one hell of a series.
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