The “Fall of X” is approaching, and the key players are getting ready to make it all happen. So what about the four clones of Nathaniel Essex? While Mr. Sinister himself is currently imprisoned beneath Krakoa, there are more versions of him about putting their machinations to work. That brings us to “Before the Fall – Sinister Four,” where Kieron Gillen and Paco Medina catch us up on the plots, history, and intentions of the Essex clones, so let’s see what’s in store.
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Paco Medina
Colored by Edgar Delgado & Protobunker’s Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
Lettered by VC’s Clayton CowlesFALL OF X IS COMING!
As the nineteenth century drew to a close, the dying Nathaniel Essex unleashed four clones of himself into the world. They’ve been haunting it ever since, while lurking in the shadows. We know what Sinister has been up to. What about the others? In this issue, we delve into their past…and discover their latest atrocity. When they start to…date?
While recent issues of “X-Men” comics have been building towards the “Fall of X” and giving us looks at the various villains that will be responsible for it, “Sinister Four” gives us a close look at two major players: Doctor Stasis and Mother Righteous, who have both been built up in different “X-Men” series before being brought into the same story post-“Sins of Sinister.”
The issue follows the two of them on a dinner date, of all things, but it makes sense – Mother Righteous is in part a clone of the original Nathaniel Essex’s wife, Rebecca. As such, there’s emotional stakes for the characters, and using Doctor Stasis as the point-of-view character gives us a look at his internal monologue and thoughts as the night goes on.
All this helps humanize the villains by building on their lives and personalities outside of their dastardly schemes. We see them as they carry on small talk, see how they fit into key points of Marvel’s history, and banter. All the while, it builds on their personalities, drives, and goals.
“Sinister Four” also delves into the backstory the Essex clones. A flashback shows us where Doctor Stasis fits into Mr. Sinister’s history, both through his fake memories and the actual truth behind all of them. This answers several questions about the various clones, while still fitting within the comic timeline nicely and without disrupting continuity. In fact, there’s a moment a little past halfway through that is a great character moment for them, adding a level of sympathy to the villains while still keeping them squarely as antagonists. There’s a difficult balance to strike there, but Kieron Gillen handles it expertly.
Plus, there’s a decent amount of foreshadowing included, all nicely redacted to keep us wondering what’s going to happen. That’s not counting the foreshadowing for events contained within the issue itself, which pays off nicely while connecting to other “X-Men” ongoing storylines.
But then, the quality of the story shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been following “Immortal X-Men,” or has read anything by Kieron Gillen before. We’ve come to expect excellent storytelling, character work, and dialogue from him, and “Sinister Four” is no exception.
So how is it visually? As the majority of the story is dialogue-based, Paco Medina’s artwork needs to be strong enough to carry readers through each scene, and fortunately, he succeeds at that without question.
To begin with, Medina’s artwork captures the characters in excellent detail, providing them with fantastic outfits and designs filled with personality. Throughout the issue, their expressions convey every emotion nicely, whether matching their dialogue or within the quiet moments. There’s a perfect balance of detail and cleanliness, which captures all the key aspects of each scene and character without making things cluttered, as well as some great set pieces and backgrounds that make the world feel alive.
The visuals also help control the pacing and atmosphere, switching between longer panels and short squares to match the flow of the conversation. Medina also switches between angles to add impact or dramatic effect to key moments, carrying us as readers along with the story.
Continued belowAll the while, Edgar Delgado and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo provide the colors, matching Medina’s artwork nicely. The color work relies primarily on shades of blue and red (as befitting the characters), but keeps each scene feeling natural while bringing out the brightness of the setting and characters. The shading also helps enhance the artwork, making the characters feel more alive as they pop off the page.
And while the majority of the issue is conversation, flashback, and dinner, we do get a nice action scene near the end. This gives Gillen a moment to showcase the characters’ strengths and skills in battle, which creates a nice parallel between Mr. Sinister and Dr. Stasis. While Sinister is known for creating weapons out of cloned mutant parts, such as a shotgun using Cyclops’ eyes, Stasis instead uses tech weapons derived from that of other heroes, such as weaponized Pym particles, or a “Sinister Six Shooter” based on several of Spider-Man’s foes.
The action scene also lets Medina show off his ability to draw a fight scene, with a great flow from moment to moment across the pages, and some impressive impacts. Of course, the colors add plenty to it as well, with green lightning and bright explosions making everything feel all the more intense.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the creative team at work, but “X-Men: Before the Fall – Sinister Four” is a great comic. It’s a villain-focused issue that adds depth to the characters and their place in Marvel’s history, while building towards the “Fall of X” nicely. For those following the current X-Men-adjacent events, you’ll want to read this.
Final Verdict: 8.9 – An excellent issue in terms of character, story, and art. “Sinister Four” builds on what we know of multiple antagonists, making them more fleshed out and interesting as it builds towards “Fall of X.”
