Original Sin #4 (of 8)
Written by: Jason Aaron
Art by: Mike Deodato
After a slow first month, Original Sin #3 really kicked this event into gear. The acceleration of the pacing really improved the quality of the story being told. Unfortunately, issue #4 reverts this series back to its previous slow-pace. Fortunately though, this issue sets up the series’ second half excellently.
Having Bucky Barnes viciously decapitate Nick Fury at the end of issue #3 was a great way of grabbing reader’s attention. The follow-up to this incident was disappointing and obvious to say the least. I was hoping that Marvel would have the guts to make such a bold move in their summer event and was left dissatisfied. Jason Aaron did use this twist to introduce yet another twist on the final page of this issue. I was very intrigued by the cliff-hanger because it could rewrite Marvel history. There are endless possibilities and directions to go in the next issue. Here’s hoping Marvel won’t take the easy way out again!
The story progression here was enjoyable yet a tad aggravating. I was quite content with the joining of all three teams of investigators. One of my main concerns with this event was the lack of focus and slow plot progression due to the many separate squads. This gathering means that we don’t have to jump around from place to place every few pages. The plot will be able to progress as rapidly as Jason Aaron desires without losing track of all the characters in play. What irritated me about this however, was the fact that this final grouping only occurs at the half-way mark of the series. Did we really need 4 out of 8 issues to gather up the book's main unit? The past 3 issues of wandering feel squandered now because they served the sole purpose of uniting the teams. I think it could have been done more efficiently. I hope the next issue elaborates upon secret motivations more because I’m getting a little tired of the furtive nature of this series. The mysteries are intriguing and all but I’m really confused with Nick Fury right now. I can’t pinpoint the reasons behind all the groups he’s gathering and why he’s making them explore various areas so they can all just wind up at the same place. If there is anything I know about Fury, it’s that when involved, nothing is a coincidence and everything happens for a reason. I will be greatly disappointed if this isn’t addressed next issue.
The character work is as great as usual, despite some flaws that will be addressed in a later section. This type of paragraph will most likely be present in every one of my Original Sin reviews because Jason Aaron writes some fine heroes. The unusual pairings get even zanier with the joining of all the teams. The addition of Rocket Racoon to the bunch is fantastic, his exchange with Frank Castle was completely priceless. Another one of my concerns was that Castle was being pushed to the side of the story. Punisher being one my favourite characters left me underwhelmed by his limited presence in the first 3 issues. In this issue he really steps up and has a bunch of great moments. His battle with Hulk made me laugh out loud, something that I scarcely do while reading a comic.
The dialogue represented most characters well but it stumbled a few times. Winter Soldier makes a crack at the Punisher that felt completely irrelevant. The Orb makes a terrible joke that made my eyes roll and Black Panther spoke like an American. These moments took me out of the atmosphere of the comic and had me sighing in irritation.
Hopefully, Original Sin will live up to its potential in its second half. The first half ends decently, setting up the future well and putting the pieces into play for an interesting tale to unfold.
Art by: Mike Deodato
After a slow first month, Original Sin #3 really kicked this event into gear. The acceleration of the pacing really improved the quality of the story being told. Unfortunately, issue #4 reverts this series back to its previous slow-pace. Fortunately though, this issue sets up the series’ second half excellently.
Having Bucky Barnes viciously decapitate Nick Fury at the end of issue #3 was a great way of grabbing reader’s attention. The follow-up to this incident was disappointing and obvious to say the least. I was hoping that Marvel would have the guts to make such a bold move in their summer event and was left dissatisfied. Jason Aaron did use this twist to introduce yet another twist on the final page of this issue. I was very intrigued by the cliff-hanger because it could rewrite Marvel history. There are endless possibilities and directions to go in the next issue. Here’s hoping Marvel won’t take the easy way out again!
The story progression here was enjoyable yet a tad aggravating. I was quite content with the joining of all three teams of investigators. One of my main concerns with this event was the lack of focus and slow plot progression due to the many separate squads. This gathering means that we don’t have to jump around from place to place every few pages. The plot will be able to progress as rapidly as Jason Aaron desires without losing track of all the characters in play. What irritated me about this however, was the fact that this final grouping only occurs at the half-way mark of the series. Did we really need 4 out of 8 issues to gather up the book's main unit? The past 3 issues of wandering feel squandered now because they served the sole purpose of uniting the teams. I think it could have been done more efficiently. I hope the next issue elaborates upon secret motivations more because I’m getting a little tired of the furtive nature of this series. The mysteries are intriguing and all but I’m really confused with Nick Fury right now. I can’t pinpoint the reasons behind all the groups he’s gathering and why he’s making them explore various areas so they can all just wind up at the same place. If there is anything I know about Fury, it’s that when involved, nothing is a coincidence and everything happens for a reason. I will be greatly disappointed if this isn’t addressed next issue.
The character work is as great as usual, despite some flaws that will be addressed in a later section. This type of paragraph will most likely be present in every one of my Original Sin reviews because Jason Aaron writes some fine heroes. The unusual pairings get even zanier with the joining of all the teams. The addition of Rocket Racoon to the bunch is fantastic, his exchange with Frank Castle was completely priceless. Another one of my concerns was that Castle was being pushed to the side of the story. Punisher being one my favourite characters left me underwhelmed by his limited presence in the first 3 issues. In this issue he really steps up and has a bunch of great moments. His battle with Hulk made me laugh out loud, something that I scarcely do while reading a comic.
The dialogue represented most characters well but it stumbled a few times. Winter Soldier makes a crack at the Punisher that felt completely irrelevant. The Orb makes a terrible joke that made my eyes roll and Black Panther spoke like an American. These moments took me out of the atmosphere of the comic and had me sighing in irritation.
Hopefully, Original Sin will live up to its potential in its second half. The first half ends decently, setting up the future well and putting the pieces into play for an interesting tale to unfold.