Cain Marko stands as his own man in Juggernaut #4, the penultimate issue of his latest solo miniseries. Written by Fabian Nicieza, drawn by Ron Garney, colored by Matt Milla, and lettered by Joe Sabino, Juggernaut #4 finds Cain and his new superhuman ward D-Cel facing down the infamous Armin Zola, known robot and despised Nazi. We open on a facist-slapping already in progressā¦
Justin Partridge: Weāve done it Jugga-Buddies. We have reached just about the finish line. And, I gotta say, it has stayed REALLY solid from the jump! This fourth issue included! But I am getting ahead of myself. Welcome back to Break Stuff, the XFās exploration into Juggernaut from the Fabes.
Iām Justin āWatoombā Partridge. With me as always is Tony āValtorrā Thornley and Zachary āBalthakkā Jenkins on the dials upstairs. [Ed. note: I do the beeps and boops]
Tony Thornley: That nickname is a bit of a leap (heh heh). But what an issue and what a series of events weāve run into. This series had definitely gotten better by the issue. After this, Iām excited to see whatās next!
JP: Theyāre ever so good.
Who He Is And How He Came To Beā¦ Again
JP: So starting with the BIGGEST ticket item for this fourth issue, the full reveal of how Juggernaut got his powers again/his reconnection with Cyttorak. Once again cutting between past action and present action, Fabian Nicieza drops us back into the thick of the action and exposition once again.
Damage Control, D-Cel, and Cain are hot on the trail of whoever was controlling Quicksand last issue, and their search has brought them to the big sky country of North Dakota. But Cainās search for regained power back in the day led him to knock over a O.N.E. Facility, the last housing of the shards of Cyttorak [Ed. note: destroyed during the Rosenberg Era of Uncanny X-Men]. We cut back and forth a few times again, much like the previous issues, as the mission carries out and we finally see Cain and Cyttorakās first meeting after Cainās resurrection.
I have to say, Fabianās reliance on this device has grown a little stale (and definitely would more so if the series was to go on longer), BUT even with the staling, I am still having a lot of fun hanging out with Cain and D-Cel for the most part. What about you, Tony?
TT: I definitely have been, and Iām really glad that you started our discussion with the flashbacks. Because these have been a mixed bag so far. However, if this issueās flashbacks are the last that Fabes uses this narrative device, then I think Iāll be happy. And whyās that?
Because Cain Marko reabsorbs the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak in this issue. Eagle-eyes and photographic memories will recall though, the last week saw the actual physical gem of Cyttorak it was shattered as it was yanked out of Cainās personage. So how did he physically bond with a box of ruby dust?
He jams his face into it and snorts like heās Tony Montana. [Ed. note: or like Snowflame for you obscure DC Comics nerds]
No lie, no exaggeration. Cain Marko snorts his power source in this issue. Itās so ridiculous and silly, but itās amazing. The Juggernaut is literally snorting magic gem dust.
But hey, it works because it magically puts him in front of his patron demon once again. What a confrontation that is too.
JP: Itās some real golden Scumbag s-word and I LOVED IT. I will also say I truly love the decision for Cain to stand up for himself and choose not to be an instrument of destruction.
Not only is it a wonderful expression of the titleās main thesis around Cain, but it fully, explicitly states his face turn and sets him up to be left in a very interesting place the next time he gets drafted onto an X-team or maybe primed to pop up in another characterās title later on. Not only that, but it’s a wonderful bit of growth from what outsiders and casual readers might think is a one-note character. So very often a lot of these ābig manā characters donāt get the kind of attention to characterization that others might and itās nice to see Juggernaut working against that stereotype (even if itās just for five issues).
Not A Mutant: Second Movement
TT: Meanwhile in the present, Cain is dropped on a mountain as Juggernaut, D-Cel and Damage Control hunt down Zola. First of all, I love that Cain just turns himself into a missle here. They make it clear they intend that heās just going to bust through to the subbasement, with his head, and he totally does it.
I love all the deep cuts Nicieza fits into this portion of the story. The base is an old Factor 3 base. Zolaās test subjects are leftovers from various crossovers, particularly War of Realms. Even Zolaās minion- Primus- is a real deep cut. He makes it flow naturally though. It feels like color to the world, not just winking references.
But Zola makes it clear that he didnāt send Quicksand after Cain. He sent her for D-Cel. Because he wants to dissect a mutant.
JP: The OTHER big moment of this fourth issue is, once again, we are seeing pushback from D-Cel about her mutantdom.
You see, Zola is after mutants again because, of course he is, that rotten, mechanoid Nazi bastard. AND heās got his screenwide eyes set on D-Cel. But once again, when faced with the moniker and a series of tests that could definitely PROVE she is a mutant, she reacts badly and smashes up the joint alongside Cain.
TT: To be fair, Zola makes it very clear that definitively proving sheās a mutant will require dissection. But Iām not sure how much of that is true and how much is Zola just wanting to slice and dice a Homo superior test subject. However, yes, Zola is certain that D-Cel is a mutant.
JP: It is a VERY interesting turn and one that keeps adding more and more texture to what the landscape of the 616 looks and operates like now, post-Krakoa. Better still, itās adding another neat layer onto D-Cel! Whom I’ve been told is NOT a Millennial, but instead a Generation Z kid which doesnāt jibe with Niciezaās dialogue at all now. But my woolgathering aside, it is a neat feint for the character and one that puts a rare shroud of mystery around the character and I am anxious to try and parse through.
What did you think of this stuff, Tony?
TT: I continue to really not like D-Cel at allā¦ but I mean that in a good way. Sheās meant to be unsympathetic and annoying, and I like that it comes across quite a bit. Itās a good little wink at how a boomer would react to Gen Z influencer culture without being cute about it.
However, this mutant plot thread with her? This is very interesting. I really hope the flashbacks next issue (if there are any) are all about D-Cel rather than Cain. I want to know more about her, especially about why sheās so resistant to being considered a mutant.
But holy cow, does Garney and Milla ever cut loose on the art here?! Wow.
Where Do We Go From Here?
JP: Though for all the good stuff this comic has provided thus far, I canāt help but wonder where we really go for a finale issue.
This series really hasnāt been the heaviest plot-wise, and could arguably be called a āhangout comicā wherein Cain and D-Cel just kind of move from story to story, hoisting it slightly with their dynamic. But I canāt really think of what exactly we are gonna get next time. I know it is sort of lame to speculate in a recap/review of the issue CURRENTLY out, but itās been a weird year and I gotta get my kicks where I can, yāall.
That said, I am very much enjoying that the āsuper-private-prison systemā plot from the opening is getting brought back up here. That kinda crunchy, lore-esque detail about the 616 is something I always like to see explored and it has a fun āripped from the headlinesā vibe that I will always appreciate in superhero comics (when done well).
I dunno, Tony, what does Juggernaut #5 look like for you? Or what do you HOPE it looks like, rather?
TT: So it threw me this issue that this was just a brawl in a lab. I thought last issue said that Zola OWNED the private prison. Which is a thorny issue on its own, but you consider a Nazi owned a private prison? Thatās some messed up stuff that really could have been interesting. Now Iām wondering what the hook is for this prison.
However, weāre an issue from the conclusion, and Iām starting to wonder what the point of this story is. Was it reforming Juggernaut into more of a pure anti-hero? Is it introducing D-Cel? Is it exploring this new post-Krakoa world from the perspective of someone intrinsically linked to the island but will forever be an outsider?
X-Traneous Thoughts
- Still no Black Tom. Majorly bummed.
- Not really feeling the Garney Zola redesign. First big art misstep in this series.
- Black Tom probably doesnāt even know Cain is ALIVE right now. That sounds like a story, Iām just saying.
- While Cain jumping out of the chopper is cool, it doesnāt measure up to the other opening spreads of the series so far.
- Also it wouldnāt have been HARD to just give Black Tom a cameo, Fabes. Like itās one panel, cāmon.
- Not enough emphasis on the fact that Arnim Zola is A FREAKING NAZI in the issue.
- Juggernaut/D-Cel Team-Up Name Pitch: Slow Juggs.
- Actually, never mind I hate that.
- Oh yeah, and in case you didnāt notice- Black Tom Sightings: Still 0
Justin Partridge has loved comics all his life. He hasn't quite gotten them to love him back just yet. But that hasn't stopped him from trying as he has been writing about them now for a little over a decade. With bylines at Newsarama, Shelfdust, PanelXPanel, and more, Justin has been doing the work and putting in the time! Comics have yet to return his calls. Usually he can be found on Twitter screaming about Doctor Who.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. Heās also very humble.
