Comic Review – “X-Men #4” is a Nearly Perfect Self-Contained Comic for Those Looking for a Spooky Story

The Halloween season isn’t just reserved for scary movies and haunted houses. Comic books can get in on the fun too and Marvel’s latest “X-Men” issue is sure to put readers in the spooky spirit. That’s especially true when you have a cover as hauntingly beautiful as this one.

“X-Men #4” takes a brief detour from all that is going on in the world of the mutants to provide a little bit of a scary story. When the team is visited by a ghoulish villain, their dreams, and the dreams of so many other New Yorkers, quickly turn into nightmares.

With the Sorcerer Supreme being so recently deceased, Nightmare has found this to be a good time to roam the streets of New York, feasting on the sleep of its residents. And, of course, as of just a few months ago, that includes the X-Men.

Unluckily for him, one of those X-Men happens to be a very powerful telepath. Seems like he should have checked his scouting report before that one. Jean Grey is no stranger to nightmares, but this is a slightly different experience. Whose mind is more powerful?

That’s not the only spookiness going on in this issue though. An apparent grave robbery and a seemingly rogue space mission also haunt these pages and leave the readers with far more questions than answers. It appears the nightmares are only beginning for the X-Men.

This is almost a perfect comic for casual reader who just want a simple, spooky story. It’s not overly terrifying but rather stays on the more lighthearted side of horror. It’s just what readers will be looking for to get into the spirit of the Halloween season.

It is also mostly completely self-contained. Aside from some basic knowledge of the characters involved, very little information is needed to enjoy this comic. The story begins and ends with Nightmare’s adventure through New York and Jean’s reaction to his haunt.

The only reason for that “almost” in there, is the last five pages of the issue. After the main story wraps up, it turns to two separate teasers that have seemingly nothing to do with the rest of the comic. This is a problem a lot of the X-books have run into lately, telling too many stories at once and overloading readers with information. Still, at least one of those teases sets up a very interesting premise that a lot of fans are sure to be excited to explore going forward.

One of the other stars of this issue is the art. Beyond that fantastic cover from Pepe Larraz, the haunting imagery from Javier Pina inside will leave a lasting impression. In other words, you might just see some of these panels in your… nightmares.

You can check out “X-Men #4” now. For more on this week’s comics, check out today’s episode of Marvel Time:

Mike Mack
Mack is the Editorial Director for Marvel and ESPN content and he has covered comic cons, theme park events, video game showcases and other fun events. He is a fan of theme parks, sports, movies, Marvel Comics and is a self-proclaimed "nerd."