Will, the combined might of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four be enough to stop Doom and save Franklin Richards in X-Men/Fantastic Four #4, by writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Terry Dodson, inkers Rachel Dodson and Ranson Getty, colorist Laura Martin, and letterer Joe Caramagna. This is an outstanding comic. It's a shame all of the art doesn't match the caliber of writing.

While Doom's giant Sentinels and mutants in Doom armor attack the X-Men, the Thing, and Human Torch. He partitions himself and Franklin behind a shield that Kate Pryde can get through. Doom turns her powers against her, reversing his intangibility and making her heavy enough to fall through the floor. Cyclops calls Invisible Woman for help, asking her to let Emma take control of her powers to peel armor off the trapped mutants so Nightcrawler can teleport them to safety. Sue agrees, and the two teams working together turn the tide. Kate is able to take control of her powers back and save Franklin. Doom tells them all to leave, and the Fantastic Four agree to let Franklin go to Krakoa. In his studies there, he realizes that his powers drain less. On one of his visits home, Xavier and Magneto accompany him. Valeria talks to Doom and tells him she found his power siphons on the suit he gave Franklin. Doom tells her that he's preparing for war and believes that mutants aren't the next phase of just a catalyst for humanity's continued evolution. Xavier and Magneto confront Reed about a machine he made to cloak the mutant gene. Xavier erases everything about the device, including what he'd need to make another one from scratch, from his mind as Magneto destroys it and tells him the only reason he isn't making him forget Xavier did this to him is as a warning.

Chip Zdarsky is one of Marvel's best writers, and this comic is just another example of why. He fits so much into this issue, and it all works and feels like it has room to breathe. That's a pretty steep hill to climb sometimes, especially since this book isn't longer than any other comic coming out. Zdarksy is writing all killer no filler for this one, and it shows.

Of course, it's a little predictable and seems like it's all neat and clean… until the end sequence with Reed, Magneto, and Xavier. Xavier has always been a bit shady and has had no qualms about using his powers on people to make them forget things, but he usually makes them forget he did it. This time, though, he doesn't at all because this is an object lesson for Reed. He wants Reed to remember what happens when he does something that could harm mutants. He takes the one thing that Reed loves the most in the world- not his family but knowledge. It perfectly illustrates exactly who Xavier is now and how he works.

And now, the art. Throughout this miniseries, Terry Dodson's art has been very hit, or miss and most of the art in this issue is a miss. Maybe it's because his wife Rachel isn't inking the whole thing, but so much of the book's art is just no good. There's really no other way to describe it. His figure work will get sloppy and indistinct, his perspective and proportion will sometimes be way off, and the backgrounds are barely there or just swathes of background color. This miniseries has had some stellar writing, but the art has been subpar throughout.

X-Men/Fantastic Four #4 is a great comic with less than great art. Zdarsky crams so much story into this issue without it seeming crowded, and his ending perfectly captures who Xavier is nowadays. It would be nice if the art was as good as Zdarksy's script, but it's just not, and there's nothing that can really be done about that. However, even less than agreeable art cant take much away from this book. It's that good.


Grade: A