Wanda Maximoff rescued the Cloak of Levitation and the Eye of Agamotto. In doing so, she claimed the title of Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme. Frustrated by her claim, the Vishanti empowered her friend and mentor Agatha Harkness as their choice for Sorcerer Supreme and invoke her Uroath. As the battle continues and Wanda escapes from Limbo, she comes face to face with the darkness of the Uroath and what it means for her friend.
This review is brought to you by Megan and Shawn!
Creative Team
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Bernard Chang
Color Artist: Erick Arciniega
Color Artist: Ruth Redmond
Color Artist: Rod Fernandes
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover Artist: LEIRIX
Writing
Megan: Sorcerer Supreme has shown so many different sides of Wanda, many highlighting why she is suited well for the title of Sorcerer Supreme. However, Sorcerer Supreme #4 shows a side of Wanda that cements why she’s the best person for the title in all regards. Agatha is still attempting to go toe to toe with Wanda for the title, and Wanda isn’t about to let her win. Wanda knows she’s deserving of the title as the Eye of Agamotto called out to her, despite what the Vishanti think.
Instead of destroying Agatha, as so many would choose to do, Wanda decides to go deeper to see exactly why Agatha is intent on taking the title. What do the Vishanti have over her? In a true example of friendship and empathy, Wanda gets to the bottom of the mystery to save Agatha from feeling the wrath of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Shawn: What a really great story we got in this issue. I loved that I got a combination of serious conversations about the value of friendship, epic battles, and even some meme-worthy moments. Steve Orlando continues to show readers why he just “gets” Wanda Maximoff.
Every bit of this issue feels purposeful and poignant. This issue deals with perhaps the most significant challenge that Wanda has faced in her time as Sorceress Supreme and Orlando’s words make you feel the true weight of the title. I really loved the way he conveyed Wanda’s stubbornness not as a point of ego as we often see with Stephen Strange, but as a point of tenacity.
Art
Megan: The artwork of Sorcerer Supreme #4 is downright beautiful. Bernard Chang seems to outdo himself, yet again, with the gorgeous drawings that perfectly capture the magic of the story. Erick Arciniega, Ruth Redmond and Rod Fernandes match Chang’s mystic art with colors that cover all places of the spectrum. What I really loved was the clashing of Wanda’s magic drenched in tones of red versus her nemesis’ shades of green. It was a beautiful way to show how these two characters clash.
Joe Sabino excellently captures the emotions of the various characters through the dialogue. Whether it’s Wanda’s calmness or Agatha’s rage, you can feel the emotions portrayed perfectly.
Shawn: While Orlando’s writing continues to be great, this is the first issue of the series where I feel like the art was not only amazing but outshone the writing. Bernard Chang and the combination of color artists in Erick Arciniega, Ruth Redmond, and Rod Fernandes really stood out in this issue.
The decision by the art team in the first page to use a nontraditional outline for the panels was so brilliant and it just worked spectacularly. As this issue covered a lot of ground and a lot of settings, it was a real challenge for the art team but they handled it perfectly. The colors and hues perfectly align with each setting and situation Wanda finds herself in.
Final Thoughts
Megan: 8/10. The artwork of Sorcerer Supreme #4 was the driving force here. The artists really captured the mystic energy of the story and brought it to life.
Shawn: 10/10. If you gave me this issue with not a single word bubble on it, I would give this issue a 10/10 for the art alone. The team of Chang, Arciniega, Redmond, Fernandes, and Sabino blew me away with art that was crisp, colorful, easy to follow, and flowed beautifully to enrich and grow the story.
Overall Grade – 9/10
How are you enjoying the Sorcerer Supreme? Let us know in the comments!
6 responses to “Sorcerer Supreme #4 – The Dark Truth of The Uroath”
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Cool. It’s okay to not like something. I’m not really sure what your aim is here. You visited our joint review to rant about how you hated something we enjoyed. Our review isn’t changing just because some random person on the internet doesn’t agree with it. It’s fine to dislike something but I’m not sure ranting in the comments of a review written by two people likely better versed in the mystical side of Marvel than you is the best expenditure of time. If you want to rage farm you to not gonna be in the comments of a Nerd Initiative article. There’s plenty of places you can do that but NI isn’t one.
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I suggest that you look at issues of Dr. Strange, and Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #43 specifically, to see how the Vishanti have been interpreted in the past. They’re not humanoids with vague magical powers; they’re noncorporeal deities who inhabit their own dimensions and respond to invocations from sorcerers. Their misinterpretation by Orlando isn’t a minor mistake; it’s the basis for the storyline. If Oshtur is immaterial, there’s nothing for Wanda to attack. The story is disastrously bad.
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I hear you. That is how they have been portrayed in the past, but the Vishanti being susceptible to damage is not a new concept. Doctor Voodoo fought Agamotto. Marvel has been leaning heavily for the last 10 years at least into the idea that the Vishanti can corporealize even if their true form is abstract. It’s okay if you don’t like the story, but what Orlando is doing is not a new idea or concept. If she’s “fleshy” enough to have descendants on earth (Storm) then she is fleshy enough to engage in battle. Thanks for reading the review!
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Yes, Bendis had Doctor Voodoo kill Agamotto in New Avengers #6. The plot was junk. As you may have noticed, Agamotto came back.
Their characterization as abstract entities in issues of Dr. Strange and elsewhere (Marvel Premiere #5, for example) isn’t something to dismiss. It emphasizes that they’re deities, something Wanda isn’t. What possible reason is there for them to become material, except for Orlando needing something for Wanda to attack, with, naturally, a deus ex machina?
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Every single elder god in Marvel has a corporeal form to an extent and are succesptible to magic forces, hence why Chton is still imprisoned in a pocket dimension. Conceptual beings fught all the time in marvel, so no, you are incorrect. Respectfully!
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The Vishanti aren’t elder gods like Chthon and Gargantos (Shuma-Gorath). They’re deities who generate their own magical energy. Orlando is a hack writing a power fantasy for Scarlet Witch fans.
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