Extermination #4

By Ed Brisson, Pepe Larraz, Ario Anindito and Erick Arciniega

The younger versions of the original five X-Men have been a part of readers lives for 5 years. Ed Brisson and Pepe Larraz are tasked with sending them back to their own time in Extermination. So far, the action has been good, and a younger version of Cable has been tasked with setting the timeline right. This issue, we get his side of the story and a catastrophic event that may have destroyed any chance at the X-Men going to back to their own time.

Ed Brisson has been very good on this mini series. All of the issues, including issue 4, have had a very urgent feel to them. Things are getting out of hand quickly, and last issue saw some great X-Men become hounds for Ahab. Brisson doesn’t take his foot off the gas peddle in issue 4, as more friends become enemies. Brisson has also done a great job of making Ahab a serious threat. His mission is to kill at least one of the original 5 at all costs, and his determination alone makes him scary. Brisson also allows us to see young Cable’s side of the story as him and X-Force have a conversation. Readers may or may not like young Cable, but what he says does make sense. The real story this issue though is the ultimate cliffhanger on the last page. Brisson will have fans talking and speculating until the final issue comes out. As a reader myself, there is a ton of anticipation for the next book which is unfortunately delayed. There is a level of excitement around this series, and much of the credit should go to Brisson for his wonderful story telling.

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The pencil layouts are handled by Pepe Larraz while Ario Anindito did the pencils. Erick Arciniega did the colors for the issue. Right off the bat, we get a great panel of a sinister looking Ahab. Larraz and Anindito give plenty of detail in this close up including scars and warts. There is also an awesome two page spread of potential events from young Cable’s history. This includes the X-Men getting murdered by Sentinels and Ahab capturing the mutants. The real prize with the pencils comes on the last two pages. We’re left with a cliffhanger that is drawn perfectly, and will likely be the topic of conversation for the next month or so. The colors by Erick Arciniega are key to the success of the pencils. For the last page, his dark tones and colors leave things ambiguous, which is what the issue needed. Lots of reds and pinks were used too, which is a strong hot color. Whether it’s young Jean suspending everyone with her power or young Scott unleashing a massive optic blast, the reds and pinks make this issue.

Extermination has lived up to the event hype. Ed Brisson has made one of those mini’s that you want to read the next issue ASAP. The art was fantastic too. Larraz, Anindito and Arciniega make this issue an easy read on the eyes. Extermination is the best the X-Men have been since Second Coming.