The moment I heard about it, it was like a dream come true! All of my favorite shows by Joss Whedon had been canceled (Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel) and his comic series Fray ended beautifully. But for a while, there was no more Joss. Since this man is my writing idol, I missed him. So when I heard that he would be writing the story for his very own X-Men series, I was...well, astonished! Whedon's comic series Fray series was only a short story arc. So, the fact that he would take on a franchise so well known and popular seemed daunting. Very few people DO NOT know the X-men . Mr. Whedon was treading on dangerous territory when he signed up to pen the story for the Astonishing X-Men Series. But, when was that ever a problem? Well, it sure was not in this case. The Astonishing X-Men is the first mainstream comic series in awhile that has me interested enough to be surfing the net in the hopes of the latest comics release date, and I am quite a busy girl, so that says quite a bit.
In Joss' X-Men Universe, Scott "Cyclops" Summers is thrust into a nasty situation. With his ex-wife and popular X-men character Jean Grey, dead and Professor Xavier on sabbatical, Cyclops, who shoots damaging beams from his eyes, must assemble some of the X-Men to help him teach a new year of students and defend them against any troubles that might be encountered. He pulls together Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine who has an advanced healing factor and adamantium steel claws, Emma "White Queen" Frost, who has incredible telepathic powers, Hank "Beast" McCoy, who has heightened agility and physical prowess, and Kitty Pride, who has the ability to faze through solid matter, and of course they do not get along.
Despite the group's egotistic bickering, they are faced with two very real threats. The first is an alien named Ord of The Breakworld who hates mutants, particularly the X-Men. The other from within, as a doctor reveals that she has not only isolated the gene that causes mutations, but has found a cure.
Now, the X-Men have to find a way to keep their students from lining up to be cured while also trying to decide for themselves if the serum is a blessing in disguise-or just another way of eliminating them. Despite the differing of opinions on the topic, the group finally comes together when they discover that the test subject is actually one of their own-setting off a story with endless possibilities just waiting to be explored.
The character collection for this X-Men series was sublime. They do not match at all and that was the fun of it! The characters were quippy, just as Whedon always loves them, and his quiet mastery of characters only heightens the enjoyment of the series as a whole. The Astonishing X-Men story uses something supernatural as a metaphor for an unfortunate reality, as is Joss' trademark. Just as the Buffy TV Series compared High School to Hell, The Mutant Cure in this comic forces you to think about how prejudice effects the world. What if there was a cure for Judaism, Atheism, race differences or homosexuality? What kind of scary world would we live in then?
While the story makes a comic brilliant, it's not all it takes. Art is as necessary to a comic book as breathing to a human, and so I would be wrong if I did not comment on John Cassaday's incredible offerings here. The colors in this comic are varied and draw attention, but are just dark enough to clue us in to the nature of the conflict between the characters. A skilled artist in action scenes as well as those of great emotion, Cassady deserves just as much acclaim as Whedon in making this title what it is: A comic masterpiece! I am now a fan of Mr. Cassaday's as well.
Once again, I have discovered an all too rare trend that needs to be addressed and fleshed out: Comics that make you think-It's the wave of the future! With any luck, Joss and his colleagues will usher in this new era! And as long as Joss is at the helm I will be there every step of the way.
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