Writer: Peter David
Art: Germán Peralta, Jesus Aburtov, VC’s Ariana Maher, Carlos Pacheco, and Rafael Fonteriz
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 22nd, 2022
In the distant future, a sinister and overly cynical HULK calls himself the MAESTRO and has managed to outlast the heroes of yesteryear. After taking down every obstacle in his path from Hercules to the Pantheon, this new King has a brand new challenge in store. However, does he have what it takes to stop the First Mutant as well as his old adversary Abomination? And, can he stop Namor, a man fueled for revenge after the MAESTRO killed his family? Let’s smash into MAESTRO: WORLD WAR M #4 by Peter David and find out!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Maestro: World War M #4 Review.
THE DISPATCH
After what felt like months of a hiatus, MAESTRO: WORLD WAR M #4 is back. However, it doesn’t really have the explosive action or the plot twists you’d expect. If you remember correctly, it was basically MAESTRO vs Doom, Namor, and the Abomination with a little help from a 300 ft tall ocean beast. So, readers could only assume $&@$ was about to hit the fan. Yet, quite the opposite transpires.
Some of the characters have a change of agenda out of nowhere and ultimately the fight with the ocean beast amounts to nothing. Now, why am I so frustrated? Well, this is it folks. This is the penultimate issue of MAESTRO: WORLD WAR M with only one more to go. But, it’s only one more to go… EVER! It’s to my understanding that the MAESTRO is done or at least taking a backseat for a long time. Meaning, we only had two issues to go and we get little momentum, characters altering their course, and even the MAESTRO reasonably seems to have a change of heart. Really?
David has somehow made MAESTRO seem like the hero again when he’s been the villain up to this point. Plus, when FUTURE IMPERFECT begins, MAESTRO is downright vile. So, if MAESTRO: WORLD WAR M #4 is to take place pretty soon before FUTURE IMPERFECT, things just don’t seem to jive. A and B just don’t seem to connect together. So, unless one issue can connect these dots showcasing something huge that shifts MAESTRO forever OR we get another MAESTRO series from David, I’m not seeing how this series connects to the entire narrative of the MAESTRO.
ART
Germán Peralta has been money with the MAESTRO. However, MAESTRO: WORLD WAR M #4 just didn’t hit the mark this week. Granted, he didn’t do anything wrong with what he actually illustrated. However, it’s what was missed and not drawn that was a bit disheartening. Small panels handcuffed the ocean beast limiting how authentic Peralta could have made his size and stature.
Sure, action and movement was prevalent throughout as backgrounds dropped out and panels focused on character flying across the page. However, the menacing nature of both Giganto and the MAESTRO just weren’t there this week. Now, I understand that it’s a challenge to draw a 300 ft tall beast vs the HULK, who is also big in his own right. However, I feel large panels and frames focused on specific parts of the beasts body may have caused more dynamic action amongst the characters involved.
FINAL THOUGHTS
MAESTRO: WORLD WAR M #4 fell a bit short compared to how wild, powerful and and fun the past issues of all the MAESTRO series have been. Character turns for MAESTRO and Abomination just don’t fit with where it looked like the story was going almost as if it was an about face on the direction David had planned. The beastly showdown was lacking and Germán Peralta didn’t flaunt the aspects of the issue that would come across as the most explosive.
MAESTRO: WORLD WAR M #4 was supposed to be the epic showdown between MAESTRO and Giganto. Instead, we see very little of that as well as a depressed Abomination wanting to throw it all away. The key word for the issue would simply be “more”. It just needed more especially with only one more installment left in the entire MAESTRO saga. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!