Reviewer : Tim Byrne
Writer : Joss Whedon
Artist : John Cassaday
Colorist : Laura Martin
Letterer : Chris Eliopoulos
Editor : Mike Marts
Publisher : Marvel Comics
After an annoying delay, Astonishing X-Men is back. And this issue is where the fight scene is front and centre.
And when I say ‘fight scene’, I should more accurately say ‘systematic disassembly of the X-Men by the Danger Room’.
That’s right, as detailed in issue #9, the Danger Room has taken on sentient form, and has imprisoned pretty much all of the inhabitants of the school within its confines.
Whedon is a man of incredible talent, even within the tropes of superhero fiction. As an example, his momentary diversion into exactly why villains monologue to heroes before battles is spot-on. The sarcastic comments by S.W.O.R.D. agents watching the battle are absolutely priceless. And the involvement of Emma Frost is beautifully within character, as she certainly doesn’t become ‘all-for-one-and-one-for-all’ simply because adversity threatens.
Whedon heightens the mysteries too, with references to the ‘mole’ within the X-Men, and the riddle of what exactly was whispered in Emma’s ear to bring about her action (or lack thereof).
Having said all that, fight scenes are where truly fine artists are let loose, and John Cassaday doesn’t disappoint. While keeping a number of panels on most pages (ie. without unnecessary splash pages), Cassaday manages to keep intact the ‘epic battle’ sense that is required in this issue. Although touches such as the reflections in Colossus’ fist may be seen as slightly overdone, the art is beautifully done. My only minor quibble is the slightly cheap looking ‘impact splash’ effect when Colossus slams into Kitty. We knew what was going on, the art only served to unduly emphasize the effect that was being attempted.
The cliff-hanger, as usual, is a great appetizer, and here’s hoping there are no further delays.
