|
Oh brother.However, the witty dialogue and excellent artwork propels this story along very well. Colossus "death" was stage-managed and he was held to provide experimental material (2) for the development of a mutant cure.There is one bad hook - the character Ord from the Breakworld. Quite forgettable (an amalgam of Dr Doom, Burrough's Martians and John Saxon the actor), his "alien" background means more intergalactic space nonsense. There are just too many X-men titles out there. There are a couple of quite great and memorable images from this comic - the "We have to astonish them" panel, "I can smell you" panel, This is worth buying. Perhaps mindful of the recent demise of Marvel Girl (aka The Phoenix), Whedon has given Cyclops guilt feelings in his new love relationship with Emma Frost. Not being an X-men fan, this comic book was a revelation on how a new writer could continue to inject interest into a tired genre.Prof Xavier's sabbatical provides a convenient starting point for a new team of X-men to be formed under the shaky leadership of Cyclops. The Beast and Wolverine continue to lend their heavyweight presence to this team but most attention is paid on developing the character of Kitty Pryde.There are two great hooks in the storyline - (i) the return of Colossus (not from the dead as mistakenly reviewed by others).
The villain, alien Ord from the Breakworld, wasn't the most interesting villain but does the job.John Cassaday's artwork is fantastic. This first collection did not disappoint. Whedon's sense of humor is all over the place, usually with great effect, but the characters are all true to their nature. It's not my favorite line up for the team, but it was still a good mix.
As a long time X fan, I am always excited to check out a new series based on this mutant team. His action scenes are very cinematic and he's able to compliment the comedic moments too with very realistic facial expressions. While I enjoy the style, the cure storyline has been done, so it would have been nice to see something original, but I'll be curious to see where they go with it. Prior to this I read Whedon's Fray, an excellent sci-fi vampire slayer book.
Colossus and Nick Fury both pop up as well.I'm enjoying the interaction between the group. Will definitely continue this series in the future, with hopefully some more appearances from the extended X family. So when it came down to choosing between this and Morrison's New X-Men, I went with this (I'm a little burned out on Morrison after Batman R.I.P). This go round, the team consists of Cyclops and Emma Frost leading the team, with Beast, Wolverine, and Shadow Cat.
This series is very well written and it's very original aside from its characters. We can only take this element so far.I was suggested to read this as sort of a refreshment for a second entry into X-men. They constantly fight with eachother about how they are going to go about gaining acceptance. Cyclops, Emma Frost, Wolvie, and Kitty Pride were great choices for an X-men team. I'm use to the difference in mutant abilities, but this book was about the mere clashing of simple human opinion. I picked this up with little previous X-men history.
Joss Whedon is really "Gifted" and the title speaks more to himself, than to the mutants.I was really shocked because the X-men are not happy in the least. I really wasn't let down. I managed to pick up this volume and hit it off fairly well. I found this very fascinating, although I'm hoping that they can all get along. They feed off eachother like parasites. The story is great, because I had no ability to predict what was going to happen next.
It was truly an experience to see these characters differ so much.
Throughout the series, Whedon crafts an exciting story with many twists and turns. I can't recommend this storyline enough.
Each book is very enjoyable and well worth the purchase. Whedon and Cassaday completed 24 total issues during their run with Astonishing X-Men, which are compiled in Astonishing X-Men volumes 1-4.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Cassaday's art complements the style perfectly, and does a great deal to help with the story.
It's a great introduction to a fantastic run by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.
He makes a very complex and rich storyline that avoids being contrived or difficult to follow.
Great characters, storylines, dialogue, illustrations.everything. LOVE IT. There so addictive, and well worth the price.
|
