BISHOP #4 – Past Problems Become Future Problems

Creative Team – Saladin Ahmed, Mario Santoro, Reese Hannigan, Federica Mancin, Federico Blee, VC’s Travis Lanham, David Paratore

Published by Marvel Comics

Catch up with Bishop #3 here!

The Story

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Megan and Shawn!

Shawn – Bishop #4 packs quite a punch. Bishop is still fraught over Shard walking away is at odds with himself and not sure what to do. Saladin Ahmed does a really good job of capturing the way that his past with Shard really weighs on Lucas. The ever-present threat of Mirrormind plays a bit of a backseat to the relationship between Lucas and Shard but still manages to pay off in a pretty spectacular way. I think that Ahmed does his best work on this series when it comes to capturing not only the relationship between Bishop and Shard, but the deep love and admiration they have for each other.

That makes the continued conflict and Bishop’s wrestling with whether or not to tell Shard about the future even more powerful. The story manages to mix heartfelt moments with some serious action panels. The result is an issue that feels complete while driving the story forward. While the twists and turns may sometimes seem obvious, they are still written in a manner than make them enjoyable even if you saw them coming.

Megan – Bishop #4 picks up right where the third issue leaves off, with Bishop doing whatever he can to save Shard. Bishop has already lost Shard once, and he refuses to go through that again. He’s got to make a plan, which proves to be difficult due to who he’s up against. He’s used to running into battle against any villain, but Mirrormind is something different entirely. This villain plays off of illusions and has Bishop tricked at every turn. But he’s not giving up to help his kidnapped sister.

This story continues to be exciting and filled with twists and turns you don’t see coming. Ahmed Saladin portrays the sibling bond between Bishop and Shard excellently, especially with Bishop’s overprotectiveness toward his sister. It’s difficult to explain what I loved so much about this issue without spoiling it, so I’ll just say that I really liked the note we were left on. I have no idea where we go from here, but the last page has me very excited for what’s to come!

The Art

Shawn – The creative team in Bishop #4 really goes above and beyond with the action in this issue. I also love the street scenes as well as the ship scenes; the amazing attention to detail this creative team puts into crafting the background. I really loved Federica Mancin’s work on Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant, and it was nice to see her back in the saddle getting some art in on this issue.

Bishop and Shard have complementary, albeit different, power sets, so it can be a little complex to capture them properly, but this team does a great job. Mirrormind adds an additional wrinkle for the art team, but it handles the big battle between Mirrormind and Bishop perfectly.

Megan – The creative team is absolutely stacked with talent, and it shows clearly in Bishop #4. There’s a good amount of action involved in this issue, and the artists did a great job of bringing it to life and making you feel a part of it when you read the comic. There are also quite a few different powersets on full display in this issue, and I absolutely love how they were illustrated. Using vibrancy and abstract art to show the powersets, you’re left with a few pages that are nothing short of stunning. Speaking of the vibrancy, I love how Federico Blee was able to work with plenty of contrasting colors on each page. This especially paid off when Mirrormind was the main focal point. Together, the artists did a beautiful job from beginning to end!

Final Thoughts

Shawn – 8.5/10. I’ve enjoyed each issue of Bishop so far. This issue was one of the most narratively satisfying in the series so far.

Megan – 9/10. Each issue of Bishop has been a wild ride but this issue nearly gave you whiplash with the twists and turns that you don’t see coming. Phenomenal issue by a phenomenal creative team!

Overall Grade – 8.75 / 10

Let us know in the comments what you thought of Bishop #4!