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Creative Team – Steve Orlando(writer). Jacopo Camagni(artist). Frank William(color artist). VC’s Ariana Maher(letterer). Russell Dauterman(cover artist). Mitsuhiro Arita(variant cover artist).
Published by Marvel Entertainment
Catch up with Scarlet Witch #3!
This review is a joint review by YearofTheCollector and Megan Nichole, both avid comic nerds and comic reviewers for Nerd Initiative!
Volume 4 Recap!
Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, found herself at odds against The Griever at the End of All Things when she invaded Lotkill to secure the death of Wanda on Issue #1. But it did not end there. While Wanda was in the afterlife, she was introduced to the Queen of Nevers, sister to the Griever, an abstract entity who embodies all of possibility. On the previous issue, Wanda was given the possibility to fight her way out of the Land of the Dead. But there was a problem, the ruler of this land and Wanda share history, and without any fond memories.
Scarlet Witch #4 cover by John Higgins. Published by Marvel Entertainment.
It was right there and there were we have the return of Lore, a Necromancer variant of the Scarlet Witch driven to kill all other Scarlet Witches in the multiverse to become the sole nexus being on the multiverse. Long story short, Wanda stopped her. (For more on this encounter read Scarlet Witch no.1-4 from 1994 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Mark McKenna, Kevin Somers, Jim
Novak, and John Higgins)
Lore threw every single nightmare she could concoct at Wanda to persuade her to give up. However, the Scarlet Witch would not be deterred. She managed to fight through all the visions enacted by Lore and with some help from the land of the living she found her way out of the Land of the Dead. The Scarlet Witch was back alive charged with, what I would call Possibility Energy, and she was sulking livid.
YEARofTheCollector – In this issue we get a Scarlet Witch we have seen more and more since Steve Orlando took over the character’s solo series in 2023, an unleashed Witch. Scarlet Witch issue no.4 brings about the conclusion to a grandiose story of cosmic proportions. We have a Griever who ran out of patience, so she’s resorted to invade Lotkill to accelerate the end of everything, to include killing Wanda.
Also, we have the Witch who just fought through hell to come back and defend her Lotkill folk, family, and friends but mostly to defend her place as the Nexus being of the universe. Basically, a plot of two entities; the unstoppable force and the immovable object colliding. Also, do not forget the Queen of Nevers actively interfered to provide Wanda a chance to fight back by lighting a fire under her.
If this sounds like a whole lot, it’s because it is. The Scarlet Witch has the daunting task to fight of a cosmic being whose whole purpose of existing is to be present at the end of everything. How does Wanda fights against that? Well, she doesn’t do it alone.
Wanda learned to seek or ask for help and that’s exactly how it goes down in the end. Without spoiling the how, I’ll say it involves her twin brother Pietro Maximoff aka Quicksilver. Wanda needed Pietro do what could be considered impossible. However, Wanda has a plan and is charged with Possibility Energy, so she finds a way to motivate the Quicksilver like no one else can. She uses a dare! Yes, a dare!
She dared Quicksilver, “the Sarcastic Blur”, to do the impossible. Quicksilver takes off to execute Wanda’s plan, which finds him running so fast, his costume tears off his body and his shoes wore out completely. Pietro is literally running around the world barefoot at superspeed and without sounding worried, he states that if anything were to happen to him (anything fatal), he wishes to have “a truly legendary eulogy. It must be better than Hawkeye’s.” This is just great writing by Orlando, he manages to highlight the rivalry and the character of Pietro in one single swing.
Megan – Yet again, Steve Orlando creates something magnificent that’s wrapped in so much lore, not just from the comics but from mythology itself. Wanda does everything in her power to get back to Lotkill to save her friends and family from the The Griever at the End of All Things. She returns to Lotkill with a vengeance to put an end to the Griever’s destruction.
Much to my surprise, Wanda struggles with the Griever, despite the magical glow up she experienced in Scarlet Witch #3, but what’s a struggle when you have your siblings by your side? Pietro and Polaris prove to be the perfect teammates to assist in taking down this larger than life villain. I’ll never get tired of seeing the siblings work together, and Orlando gave us these fight sequences perfectly showcasing their dynamics.
Something I did find humorous was Pietro’s, AKA Quicksilver, comment “I expect a truly legendary eulogy. It must be better than Hawkeye’s”. When I said this comic run is wrapped in so much lore, I meant it. It even involves Quicksilver referencing his friendly rivalry towards Hawkeye. Speaking of Pietro, I absolutely love that Orlando chose to involve him to assist Wanda in defeating The Griever. To quote the Queen of Nevers, “my sister has never understood no one does it alone”.
Honestly, I haven’t been this blown away with Scarlet Witch content since the House of M event. Steve Orlando has taken Wanda to all new levels that I didn’t think was possible. This has felt like there was so much respect given towards the character and all of her lore. Orlando deserves all the flowers for what he’s done here.
Let’s talk about the art!
YEARofTheCollector – Scarlet Witch no.4 is just filled with amazing splash pages, 2-page spreads and great panel structures that matched the bombastic and exciting story Steve Orlando was going for this ending. The pencils by Jacopo Magni bring the energy on to the fight scenes while allowing the story to flow from panel to panel in every single page. The colors by Frank William gave the issue a cosmic and magical feeling to the story, which is a staple for Steve Orlando’s run on Scarlet Witch Comics. Ariana Maher the letterer manages to accommodate all the reading of the comic book without taking away from
the visual aspect of the experience.
Megan – This was an exceptionally stunning piece of artwork that left me genuinely amazed. Words alone cannot fully capture the sheer beauty and impact of each page in Scarlet Witch #4. From the first to the last panel, every single one is a testament to the vibrant and captivating colors, imaginative illustrations, and meticulous attention to detail that has been poured into this work. The collaborative effort of Jacopo Camagni, Frank William, and Ariana Maher has truly highlighted their extraordinary talent and creativity throughout this run. Their work on this issue has been nothing short of spectacular, and I am absolutely thrilled to dive into Scarlet Witch #5 to experience the next installment of their breathtaking artistry.
Final Thoughts
YEARofTheCollector – I give this issue a 10 out 10! The conclusion of the story, the art, the new powers, the resolution to the battle and development for Wanda, everything clicked on this issue for
me.
10 out of 10
Megan – I loved everything about Scarlet Witch #4. The creative team did a superb job and I can’t wait to see their talent continue with Wanda.
