Satire drawn by Greg Land is just peak.

The latest installment of Fall of the House of X had all the makings of a thrilling pentultimate issue, but unfortunately it prioritized quantity over quality. The issue felt like a rushed sprint from one set piece to the next, leaving key moments underdeveloped and lacking the emotional resonance they deserved.

One of the big missteps was the handling of Apocalypse's story. To save a dying Krakoa, he begins a new version of the Crucible, which had the potential to be a powerful and poignant moment acting as an homage to the early days of this era. Instead, it was weighed down with too much dialogue and underwhelming art. Similarly, the utterly consequential deal between Xavier & Nimrod was relegated to a data page. A total cop-out & disservice to the severity that one conversation will have on years of storytelling.

As touched upon briefly, the issue fell short in the art department for me. It failed to bring the action panels to life, leaving them feeling static & removed from the intensity of what the script was trying to imply. At worst, we didn't even get to see the full scope of certain scenes which were either handled via the aforementioned data page, or off-page. If this were a movie or tv show, I'd be saying they had to be mindful of budget but I'm not sure why they made the decision to limit the visuals in a comic book.

Overall, Fall of the House of X #4 was a let down for me. With better attention to pacing & a focus on quality over quantity, this could have been an emotionally powerful chapter in the final days of Krakoa. Instead, it feels like Xavier is getting the Daenerys Targaryen treatment. You can understand how they'd become an ultimate villain, but the writing fails to justify their turns & instead speeds to a finale. more

I’m glad that others are enjoying it. It’s just not for me. It’s not what I’m looking for in an X-Men book.

Reads like an outline of a story no one asked to hear, with cool action moments taped on. The characters don't really feel like they have agendas; they're just being dragged along by the plot.

To me this felt very rushed and by-the-numbers. It feels like Duggan is just phoning it in now with how he's closing off his plot points. Also, the X-Men now seem very bloodthirsty. I know they decided that extreme measures were necessary (which I think is out of character), but they just went from "No Killing" to "Kill everything you see even if you don't have to". They don't even show any remorse or difficulty in doing so.

I feel bad for Kieron Gillen. His side of the Fall of X seems to be well written and well thought out. Unfortunately, it has to be paired with this. more

This issue was very disappointing. It starts out well enough with the horror element. The monster is cool and Charlie feels to be in danger. However, when we move to the Hulk part, it falls apart. Since when can Hulk see ghosts? It doesn't feel like a Hulk story when he starts being led around by the dead detective, who tells his story instead of us dealing with the monster. It doesn't even end. It continues into a second issue because they wasted so much time in this one. I hate to see this title go down hill.

My Comic Review Channel - https://youtu.be/CCvAunrX5Bk more

It's Al Ewing. Of course it's good.

Surprised that Straczynski missed the obvious "SHUT the FRONT DOOR" joke.

This was a confusing hodgepodge that was the latest disappointment in the Fall of X. Gerry Duggan's script throws various plot elements at the wall, hoping some will stick, but ultimately leaving us with a disjointed mess. The issue lacks focus, bouncing from scene to scene without a clear narrative flow or explanation. Characters randomly show up from out of nowhere when they have either been MIA completely or are part of other ongoing stories.

One glaring weakness is Duggan's portrayal of the female X-Men. Gone are individual, complex personalities. Instead, they're reduced to one-note stereotypes, trading snarky quips with little to distinguish them from each other. Its as though he's writing these characters for meme-potential and its infuriating. This shallow depiction is a disservice to the rich history of female mutants, especially for an issue released so close to International Women's Day.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect is the X-Men's casual approach to violence. Duggan portrays them resorting to a "kill-first, ask-questions-later" mentality, a stark contrast to the core principles of mutants, even prior to Krakoa's laws. The most egregious panel in the issue sees Magik "relaxing" in room of blood-stained walls left in her trail. This willingness to take lives, even in the face of extreme situations, feels like a betrayal of everything the X-Men have stood for for decades.

Phil Noto's art, while generally stylish, doesn't fare much better. The action sequences lack the dynamism needed to convey the power and energy of mutant combat. The panels often feel static, failing to capture the urgency of the situations at hand.

X-Men #32 is a disappointing issue through & through. I'm not expecting much from this series before Krakoa ends, but I'd at least like to enjoy reading an X-Men comic until then. more

Perfectly cromulant, but What If stories work better as single stories instead of being spread out over multiple issues.

No review of the content of this issue, but I guess this is how Peacemaker is from now on.

This issue was an egregious afront to X-Men fans who have stuck by the Krakoan era in its entirety. After bungling the ball throughout Fall of X, they can’t erase past poor storytelling with an issue full of set pieces meant to tie up various loose ends that have been floundering for months. Nothing in this issue felt earned, rather it felt like Duggan was rushing to get to an end.

Every character that Duggan writes now sounds the same: bravado mixed with snark and a dash of vulgarity. I’m over it. There is no nuance to be found in Duggan’s scripts and it’s a slap in the face to readers.

Worst of all, the art in this issue seemed to mirror Duggan’s mailed in approach. None of the visuals could elevate a weak story even when the gratutous set pieces could have yeast looked good. We were teased by an amazing Pepe Larraz cover and left with a hollow interior.

I wish I could find a redeeming aspect to this issue but I’m struggling. If you’re still enjoying this conclusion arc, I’m very happy for you. At this point I’m just ready to be done with it all and to start fresh. more

This was amazing. Reading it felt like watching a really good suspenseful movie thanks to expert pacing and layouts, and some really creepy images (which are effectively subtle, until they're not). There's a page not far from the end that actually made me gasp. Highly recommended.