Review by Paul Steven Brown

Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

Penciler: Paul Pelletier

Inker: Rick Magyar

Colorist: Wil Quintana

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artist: Brandon Peterson

Assistant Editor: Michael Horwitz

Editor: Bill Rosemann

Published by Marvel Comics

Normally I would include the title of the story at the top of the review, but to do so with War of Kings #4, would give away the shocking ending. If what happens at the end of the issue sticks, then it’s a pretty big deal in the realm of Marvel cosmic politics. Believe the hype folks! War of Kings is forever altering the map of Cosmic Marvel!

Truth be told, I’ve never been a big fan of Marvel’s space opera books. I’d enjoy the occasional jaunt with the Starjammers that would occur every few years in Uncanny X-Men, but that was about it. When it came to superhero space action, I tend to lean towards the Green Lantern books or the Legion of Super-Heroes. WOK has me rethinking this in very big way.

One of the pluses of this issue is that seemingly unrelated tie-ins are starting to connect to the main narrative in a big way. The Negative Zone elements from the issues of Guardians of the Galaxy before WOK #1 hit the stands finally come into play. Also, we finally get see how Darkhawk fits into the scheme of things as well. I should have casted aside doubt and trusted the writers all this time.

Things really heat up when Lilandra, escorted by Gladiator and the Starjammers, sneaks into the assembly hall of the Shi’ar homeworld and claims her right to rule. Chaos erupts and divisions amongst the Shi’ar become evident with bloody consequence over this declaration. Lilandra tries to take advantage of the fact that some of her people may have grown tired of Vulcan’s blood-thirsty expansion, which has greatly gutted their resources and has spread the military extremely thin.

Once again, Paul Pelletier is at the top of his game. His storytelling is excellent and is figures look iconic. While this very modern and slick comic book art, Pelletier continues to pay tribute to those masters that have come before him with updated takes on Jack Kirby’s designs for the Kree and Inhumans, and Dave Cockrums bold and distinct Shi’ar styling.

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have created a truly thrilling and heart-wrenching epic with War of Kings. One can still enjoy this saga without getting bogged down in the various tie-in books. At the same time, there are only a few and as a whole they’ve been very entertaining and deepen the story.

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Excellent!)