REVIEW: Nathaniel to Kang Pipeline in Kang the Conqueror #4
In Kang the Conqueror #4 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern, and Joe Caramagna, with a main cover by Mike Del Mundo, Nathaniel Richards has traveled to the distant future… and come face to face with his beloved, Ravonna. Only it isn’t his Ravonna…and she has a very big gun!
Nathaniel has Only Himself Left to Conquer
Kang the Conqueror #4. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
When Nathaniel arrives in a distant, post-apocalyptic future (one even replete with mutants), face-to-face with a Ravonna Variant who doesn’t recognize him, you’d think that he’d be unhappy… but instead, he relishes the opportunity!
Speak softly and carry a HUGE gun. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
This is a great opening “twist” that gives you a good idea of how this series could lead directly into Timeless, with Nathaniel resolving to build the life he’s always desired “here at the end of the world.”
Nathaniel & Ravonna: 2; Mutants: 0. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
But he soon discovers that Ravonna has a different perspective on matters than he does. While Nathaniel thinks that Ravonna is his ending, she tells him that their meeting is no ending – it is only one of a series of moments.
And then, Ravonna does something exceptional: she confirms that she is not the object of Nathaniel’s desire, but that she belongs only to herself.
I’m not your time-travel paradox, my guy. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
However, this hardens Nathaniel: “Slaves will become slavers when given a chance to hold a whip,” he says, a hard truth, but one that’s very hard to argue with, when you’ve read history (or are paying attention to the world outside your window, Marvel Blog True Believers).
This issue did a great job of developing the relationship between Nathaniel and Ravonna while allowing Ravonna to stay her own character, with agency and intelligence, rather than just becoming a plot point in Nathaniel’s tale.
Kang conquerors. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
Plus, it is filled with awesome futuristic battles, and a great progression that shows you how Kang pulled together his distinctive look (which we will hopefully see on the big screen soon, in Quantumania).
Timeless Is On Nathaniel’s Side
Did you get a chance to pick up Kang the Conqueror #4, Marvel Blog True Believers? What will happen to Nathaniel – excuse me – Kang the Conqueror in issue five?
Kang is here. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.
Let us know what you think in the comment section!
