Written by: Rob Liefeld
Art by Brent Peeples
Inks by: Adelso Corona
Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters by: Joe Sabino
Editor: Jordan D. White
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: May 29, 2019

Man, remember the 90’s? Parachute pants, Teen Spirit, Crystal Pepsi, Seinfeld? Get your temporal bands ready, because Rob Liefeld is taking back to the days of X-Treme, overly muscled mutants in an X-Tremely precarious situation. Let’s check it out!

Spoiler Alert!

Now- first off,when I read Major X #4 the first time I hadn’t read 1-3. In fact I haven’t read much Marvel at all lately. Turns out it didn’t really matter, and every issue is potentially someone’s first, right? Right!

We start with a recap: Some time travel, lots of X- words, a Summers Off spring, and a altered timeline. Basically an X-Men titles greatest hits! In the X-istence, Mutants and Atlanteans are not getting along. A quorum is called and the X-ential (the creator of this altered future) seemingly refuses to purify the oceans for the Atlanteans, seemingly dooming to X-tinction. In some obvious foreshadowing: This might be bad, M’Koy and Major X note.

Meanwhile, Dreadpool has captured Major X and M’Koy and taken them to the Lighthouse- we learn from captions it’s a mutant chop shop being run by the shadowy “administrator”. He has the X-Ential and we learn the Atlanteans had put a bounty on the heads of Major X and M’Koy. The “Administrator” is after genetic material from the Atlanteans in exchange for the X-ential, but apparently neither sides lawyers looked over the contract too carefully, as they squabble about the wording. Mr Administrator insists they stay until he successfully splices their genes, the Atlanteans want the X-ential and to split.

The Atlanteans bring a small army, and a fight, complete with lame one liners and quilt dialogue from all sides ensues.

Major X and Dreadpool fight… and quip… and fight… and quip… and Dreadpool smashes Cable’s “Temporal Slide Modulator”. You’d think future tech would be robust than a phone screen!

The Atlanteans escape with Dreadpool, but somehow not the X-Ential, their entire purpose for being there. The X-Ential teleports them to Genosha, where Major X, M’Koy and the X-Ential himself are surrounded by Sentinals.

Thoughts, reactions and score:

Dude, this takes me back. Paper thin story, lots of X-Treme action and super muscley (and extra pouchey) heroes fighting bad guys of convenience with zero back story. I did go back and read the first three issues, but you don’t need to. The recap page and context fills you in all you need to know. This sure seems like a mini series, but it doesn’t say it anywhere. I can’t imagine this story lasting many more issues: it’s a paint by numbers X-Men story reminiscent of Age of Apocalypse and House of M, only not nearly as good. It’s not terrible, but maybe because it reminds me of 90’s X-Men, which I loved for some reason.

Final Thoughts:

Just like Olestra chips it seems like food, but shortly after you consume it, it’s out of your system again.

5.8/10