Mystique #4 Review: A Top-Notch Spy Thriller in Iconic Marvel Fashion

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Declan Shalvey had a breakout moment at Marvel just ten years ago when he re-imagined the character Moon Knight in spectacular fashion across only six issues with writer Warren Ellis. Since then he has remained a sought after artist, delivering covers and interiors with a distinct visual appeal and an impeccable sense of design. He has also expanded his work as a comics creator, developing creator-owned projects at Image Comics and writing many of his own series. That growth comes full circle in the current five-issue miniseries Mystique as Shalvey delivers a seminal work for another Marvel Comics cult favorite anti-hero as both writer and artist.

Mystique #4 was written and drawn by Declan Shalvey with colors by Matt Hollingsworth, letters by Clayton Cowles and a cover by Declan Shalvey. The penultimate issue of this spy thriller follows Mystique and Nick Fury as Mystique hunts for her wife Destiny and Fury hunts for Mystique. This segment of the story takes place in a single day, but features a wide array of action sequences showcasing Mystique’s newly empowered transformations into many popular mutants. It also serves to set the stage for Mystique and Fury’s final showdown next month, as the multiple threads established across the series so far come together in a shocking cliffhanger.

Constant Twists and Turns Keep Readers on Their Toes

Attention to Detail Reveals a Careful Game of Subterfuge and Rewards Rereads

Mystique #4 is filled with powerful mutants and explosive action sequences, but it’s designed to be read as a spy comic. Readers looking for action and fun won’t be disappointed, but the devil is in the details throughout this issue. From the opening sequence to the miniseries’ final cliffhanger, there are hints about what’s really happening carefully placed throughout the issue. Time stamps placed at the start of each new sequence featuring Fury or Mystique provide readers with a sense of how their intersecting days are going, and establishes the truth buried beneath the lies.

This entire miniseries has been a testament to Shalvey’s focus on the spy genre. As a writer-artist combination, he has shaped both the role of Nick Fury Jr. in Marvel Comics alongside creator-owned series like Old Dog elsewhere. That has led the consummate cartoonist to curate a large toolbox of storytelling concepts and visual cues deployed throughout Mystique. The juxtaposition of big action against seemingly insignificant details plays up the nuance of great spy stories in a medium filled with colorful distractions.

Much of what makes Mystique #4 work so well across multiple readings is how it interacts with earlier issues in the series. The opening action sequence in which Fury is attacked by Maverick sends up an alarm for readers considering past events. Each component of Mystique’s plan clicks neatly into place as it’s clear that each individual installment of this miniseries was crafted with the others in mind. There’s a magic trick-like quality to how Shalvey establishes and subverts expectations, even as he’s showing readers all they need to know before the big reveal arrives. No matter how many major superheroes or villains he draws in Mystique, it’s clear that this comic is a spy thriller first and foremost.

Action and Intrigue Unfold in Stunning Style Across the Issue

Shalvey Makes Mystique an Artistic Showcase Featuring Many Marvel Favorites

Readers not looking to unwind the webs woven by Mystique and Fury won’t be disappointed by an issue also featuring a who’s who of mutant heavy-hitters in action. Past issues have showcased different facets of Mystique’s modus operandi, emphasizing her as an infiltrator or interrogator. Mystique #4 focuses on Mystique on a warpath, using her upgraded powers to mimic characters like Juggernaut and Cable across a series of safe house raids. The result is consistently impactful action sequences, allowing Shalvey to show off what he can do with each member of his own hand-picked roster of X-Men.

Across three distinct action sequences, Mystique utilizes four very different sets of powers – each of them with a clear purpose and effect. These sequences are each distilled into no more than four pages, revealing Shalvey’s economical use of layouts with clear causal connections to drive both the action and pacing forward. Additionally, each sequence provides at least one splash panel for each new character Mystique mimics. These splashes emphasize the noise and violence she is purposefully creating, especially when contrasted with the more neatly distilled sequences featuring Nick Fury at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. It’s a study in contrasts that allows readers to revel in big superhero action that also makes perfect sense in the context of this smart story.

When readers reach the end of Mystique #4, they’ll be in desperate need of two things. First, as many pages of Declan Shalvey artwork as they can lay their hands on after reviewing this gallery of outstanding mutant action sequences. Second, some resolution to the twisted spy game played by Mystique and Fury across the past four issues. Both are set to be delivered next month in the pages of Mystique #5. However these events turn out, one thing is clear: Marvel Comics would be well advised to keep Shalvey turning out more spy stories utilizing their outstanding collection of intrigue-laden characters.

Mystique #4 is now available wherever comics are sold.

“}]] Mystique raids S.H.I.E.L.D. safehouses across Washington, D.C. as Nick Fury struggles to keep up in the penultimate issue of this Marvel spy thriller.  Read More