World Famous Comics: Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3: Torn
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3: Torn
By: Joss Whedon Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 152 Publication Date: February 14, 2007
Product Description: They're back! The chart-topping super-team of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday return for more Astonshing X-Men! If you thought their past efforts were full of shocks and surprises, hold onto your eyeballs - because you haven't seen anything yet, as things go from peculiar to just plain bizarre! Emma Frost's erratic behavior has the X-Men spinning in a non-stop downward spiral. Will an unlikely union be the final straw? After secretly lying in wait for months, the new Hellfire Club makes its move! Plus: The X-Man destined to destroy the Breakworld stands revealed! Who is it, and what will be their fate? Collects Astonishing X-Men #13-18.
You've seen some of this before, but that's okay Old-school X-Men action as our heroes go up against the Hellfire Club. Though ultimately fairly accessible, this volume is a little more "inside baseball" than the previous two "Astonishing X-Men" collections. That is, it helps to know a little bit about the Hellfire Club, Emma Frost, and the X-Men's history with same.
Highlights include Emma Frost using truly devious psychology to incapacitate Scott (essentially shaming him into shutting down his powers, with horrible side effects) and Wolverine being converted into a turn-of-the-century effeminate dandy (and it's a hoot to see what finally breaks the spell to bring Logan back). But, yes, in the end I must say that the whole thing is a multi-chapter battle with the Hellfire Club, and though there's a twist or two, we've seen multi-chapter battles with the Hellfire Club before.
Still, with his capacity to make fun of the conventions of a particular genre while at the same time reveling in them, Joss Whedon stories are always fun. And John Cassaday's clean, striking visuals continue to be just that. So far these "Astonishing X-Men" collections are three for three.
Best X-Men run ever? Torn, the third volume in Whedon and Cassaday's stellar Astonishing X-Men run, captures the essence of both the X-Men as a brand and the characters themselves.
For those who are familiar with Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men, the Astonishing X-Men series represents the perfect continuation of the X-Men mythos. The cast of AXM is small, allowing Whedon to flesh out the characters in a way that wouldn't be possible with a large ensemble cast. The results of this are truly stellar. Who knew that Cyclops could be the most interesting and complex character in the X-Men? That the intellectual Beast could struggle with a savage side akin to the way that Chris Claremont wrote Wolverine? These are but two examples of how masterfully Whedon has written the X-Men.
If you are familiar with the X-Men, but don't know where to start, the Astonishing series is perfect. Whedon's story arc is completely self-contained and brings you right into the modern era of the team. It is, however, strongly reccomended that anyone considering buying this book read the first two volumes beforehand, as some plot details won't make sense without having read them. For those that have already read volumes one and two, have no fear; this book is just as excellent.
My only criticisms of this series are Whedon's portrayal of Wolverine, and Cassaday's inability to draw it on a monthly basis. While Wolverine stays pretty much to standard form in AXM, he is not explored quite as in-depth as the other characters, which is even understandable considering his exposure over the years compared to the rest of the cast. John Cassaday's stunningly realistic and cinematic art style apparently does not lend itself to brief production, as this series has been constantly delayed since its inception, leaving fans starving for more while waiting for the next issue.
In short, if you haven't read this series yet but are interested in the characters, buy this book along with the first two volumes and enjoy perhaps the best comic book run of the 21st century. If for some reason you have read the first two volumes but are wondering if this is just as good, don't worry. It only gets better.
Better than "Dangerous" But Could Be More Accessible To Newcomers Let me preface this by letting everyone know what kind of review this is going to be. Joss Whedon is my favorite writer. His television series (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly) are what I consider to be some of the best stories ever told. He's captivated me in ways that no other storyteller has. Before Joss started on this series, I've never read any X-Men, so the only back story I had while reading this was the first two volumes of "Astonishing" which were, as this one is, written by Joss.
Now about this book. There are really great things going on here. The comedy is great (Wolverine is hilarious when he... 'reverts'), and there were a few very powerful emotional scenes. Joss is at his best when he's handling Kitty Pryde, who was not only the focal point of this arc... she was also the driving force. If I took anything away from reading this trade paperback, it's that I would do anything to have a Joss scripted "Kitty Pryde" ongoing series.
Now... the not-so-good things: The plot, especially to someone unfamiliar with the complicated X-Men back story and mythology, has a lot of very confusing elements. While it's certainly an improvement over Astonishing X-Men Vol. 2: Dangerous, which had me confused nearly 100% of the time, there were some plot lines that really bugged me out, and the reveal at the end... exposition heavy and ultimately unsatisfying. It added some new depth, but it also sacrificed a bit of the coherency of the story. Joss Whedon's fan base is large enough that I feel 50% of the readers will be Joss-fans unfamiliar with Marvel back story and the other will be X-Men fans. Sometimes, I felt like this was trying to please those who intimately know the Marvel mythology, because a newcomer just wouldn't get some of this stuff. Joss should have made it a bit easier to grasp.
7/10
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Easily some of the best X-Men writing for a long, long time. The characters of Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost are done fabulously, and Whedon has pulled out some of the famous X-Men twists and turns, particularly with the Hellfire Club reappearing. This is enough to make you say 'write this more frequently, goddamnit', as you want to find out what will happen.
Very well done.
Great X-men Stories While not quite as good as the first two volumes, "Astonishing X-men: Torn" continues the excellent Breakworld story line. I checked the first volume out from the local library after a good 15-20 year hiatus from reading x-men comics, and after reading it, I quickly purchased volumes two and three from Amazon, and at a price about $5 cheaper than list, it was a bargain. Good story and dialogue overall, coupled with beautiful artwork. The artwork is not like the hyper-muscular figures characteristic of comics, but it works well nonetheless. The pace, in my opinion, is a bit more sketchy/disjointed than the previous two collections, but still better than many other comic story arcs that I've read recently. I think this writing/art team is only together for one more graphic novel (6 comic issues), and I will be sorry to see them go. I could probably hang on reading if the either artwork or story was engaging, but with the Astonishing X-men, you get both. Highly recommended for X-men fans, just make sure you read the first two volumes, "Gifted" and "Dangerous" prior to this book to bring yourself up to speed on the story thus far.
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