MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: S.W.O.R.D. #4 Review (‘King in Black’ Tie-In)

When the universe is in trouble, and when Earth is at the forefront of an intergalactic war or invasion, the first line of defense against these alien threats is not S.H.I.E.L.D. … it’s S.W.O.R.D. And while some readers, myself included, may not be too well-versed in the long, deep history of the organization, and all the people part of the group, the ‘King in Black’ crossover event provides an entertaining stepping stone into the ongoing S.W.O.R.D. comic book series.

S.W.O.R.D. #4

STORY BY: Al Ewing

ART BY: Valerio Schiti

COVER BY: Valerio Schitii, Matteo Scalera

KRAKOA, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

The mutants are dying. Their island is dying. Earth itself is dying. All hope for humanity as a species lies in Protocol V. Protocol V isn’t going to work.

Mightier than the Pen…

PROS:

• I appreciate that Marvel is making the mutants and their island of Krakoa a cornerstone for a Spider-Man/Venom event like ‘King in Black.’ It always works when you have interconnected stories that share the spotlight with seemingly unrelated sides of the world. Manifold was a wonder to watch in action, balancing his roles and responsibilities to his organization, and to the mutants, as well.
• Speaking of Manifold… how awesome was his fireball??? Honestly, I was a bit bored with his side-story last issue, and while I found the complexity of his powers fascinating, his character felt a bit bland recently, with a dose of casual, occasional quirkiness. But in this issue, they let him loose and he was able to showcase the full extent of his powers. I will never, ever tell that man that he is a teleporter, for fear of what he will do when he hears that. He is so much more. And he made that evident when he manipulated the power of the sun to use it against the Knull-possessed Nathan.
• It was so wild seeing Knull’s and possessed-Nathan’s attempts to bring Manifold to the dark side fail miserably. Throughout this crossover event, we have seen hero after hero fall for the temptations and lures of Knull. Usually, he takes advantage of their insecurities, their internal conflicts, and deep-seeded issues. This time around, he tried to make Manifold feel bad about not being an Omega-level mutant despite his great power. But that didn’t work on Manifold. Eden Fesi is made out of stronger stuff than that. In fact, it appears he really just can’t move on from being called a mere teleporter. Let’s not trigger Eden ever again, Knull, got it?
• Magneto is assertive as ever, and fits the role of mutant-leader perfectly. It was smart of him in the end to prioritize the mutants with powers that act as weaknesses to symbiotes. This is going to be one long, epic war, and Magneto seems to know what he is doing. He was always the better strategist and war general among the mutant heads.

CONS:

• It is sad to see Nathan so insecure and out of control. I am really hoping Magneto and the other mutants are able to knock some sense into him. He has so much power in his hands (fine, he lost one arm in this issue, maybe not the best phrase to use) but it is about time he is used properly. It was intriguing, though, to see him as an evil symbiote-possessed villain, but maybe next time around he can be the glorious hero… something like what they did with Manifold in this installment.

FINAL GRADE: B+

As the world gets ready to witness Falcon and Winter Solider take over the small screen with their new Marvel Cinematic Universe series, more grounded in the real world, this issue of S.W.O.R.D. provides a much-needed breath of fresh air, as we get a reality-hopping, mutant-starring Krakoan mega-showdown… with fireballs. I highly suggest this book for those readers looking for new characters to follow, and Manifold is just one of the many big cast of characters in this title. Just look at the introductory page for the full line-up and you will see what I mean. It’s going to be one heck of an adventure when Magneto makes all his plans clear for the next chapters. It seems the mutants are not going to take all this mess and chaos standing down.