Strange Tales #4: For Charity or Conquest?

The game is afoot. The truth revealed, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, Nico Minoru, Shuri, and the Hulk face off against Hela. Is Karolina the key to helping Ghost Spider? Can Hela conquer New York? Why does Wanda roll so many natural 20s? All questions awaiting you in Strange Tales #4.

Check out Janelle’s awesome review of Strange Tales #3 to catchup

Creative Team

Writer: Jeremy Whitley
Artists: Bayleigh Underwood and Carola Borelli
Color Artists: Jim Campbell
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: Bayleigh Underwood and Jim Campbell
Published by Marvel Comics

Writing

As a D&D nerd myself and an avid player of the Marvel Multiverse RPG, I’ve really enjoyed this run on Strange Tales. Whitley did an outstanding job wrapping up the story. The last page was a real treat. The story was both whimsical and still enjoyable. Whitley crafted a Strange Tales story that felt right at home with the old Strange Tales titles of the past while still being updated for a new audience. Perhaps one of the best things about this Strange Tales run is how self-contained it is. If you’ve read some of the older Strange Tales this series feels familiar, but even if you’ve never even heard of Strange Tales, you can jump right in and enjoy it.

Whitley also managed to find a way to incorporate some characters into this issue in ways we might not be used to seeing them together. I enjoyed the interplay crafted between Karolina, Nico, and Ghost Spider. It’s a fun reminder that in a world full of superheroes, some are still no more than children trying to save people. I wish we had gotten a few more issues as the ending felt a little rushed, but I’m still happy with the series.

Art

From the cover to the pages, the artwork of Strange Tales #4 is great. The rainbow ghost patterns of Ghost Spider are amazing. It feels like cover art plucked right out of a cover onto a page. The lettering from Joe Caramagna works really well. With battle scenes and some general dialogue, there’s a significant change of pace across the issue but Caramagna meets it head-on with the lettering matching the tone established by Underwood, Borelli, and Campbell.

Underwood and Borelli teamed up to create some great art for this issue. The entire series has been amazing, but the art team really shone here. Campbell makes some great choices with colors in certain panels that tell a story without words.

Final Thoughts

Overall Grade: 9/10

This was such a great series. I’m sad to see it end. Strange Tales has been setup as a great gateway for getting people into comics. It tells a satisfying story that requires little background knowledge of the characters and showcases how unique and interesting characters can be even when they’re working in groups you don’t expect.

Until next time, may your pulls be magical and your multiverse remain stable.

Let me know how you feel about Strange Tales wrapping up, and check out more reviews from Shawn!