World Famous Comics: Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 4: Unstoppable
Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 4: Unstoppable
By: Joss Whedon Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 200 Publication Date: July 16, 2008
Product Description: Strap yourselves in, folks! It's Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's final arc on Astonishing X-Men! After the shocking and brain-smashing events of recent issues, the X-Men are off to protect the Earth from its destruction at the hands of the Breakworld. And when it's all over, nothing will ever be the same! No, really, we mean it! Whedon and Cassaday prove they are more than Astonishing: They are unstoppable! Collects Astonishing X-Men #19-24 and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1.
Great ending to a great story! I loved this book. John Cassaday's art is wonderful, and Joss Whedon's story comes to an exciting and satisfying ending. The characters are very well developed, and the writing is poignant, exciting, and often funny. The plot itself is rich and engaging without being in any way overly convoluted or confusing. There's a good plot twist that I honestly didn't see coming, but that really helped the story come together wonderfully. The art is very detailed and enjoyable, and helps tell the story in a very real way.
If you've read the previous volumes in this storyline, don't miss this conclusion. If you haven't, then buy Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted and enjoy!
Should Comic Books Do This? I have never been as emotional over a comic book as I was at the end of the fourth and final installment of Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X Men. The end of Whedon and Cassaday's run is something that every good X Head should read. The fights are amazing and the character dynamics are as flawless as the first 3 installments. Don't miss this one, you'll regret it.
An incredibly impressive ending to a great X-Men saga Warning! This review contains SPOILERS! Do NOT read if you want to remain spoiler free! Again, I refer to details of the plot that you should avoid by not reading if you don't want to know what happens in the story.
I have to confess that I underestimated Joss Whedon. I don't often do that. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is my all time favorite TV series (along with BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) and I've loved ANGEL and FIREFLY along with other projects like DR. HORRIBLE. I have also loved Whedon's work in comics like FRAY, THE RUNAWAYS, SERENITY, and BUFFY Season 8 (not so big on ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL). I have been reading his X-Men cycle as they have come out in collected editions, and put off reading UNSTOPPABLE until it was paired with TORN in the second of the two hardback volumes collecting the entire Whedon/Cassaday run. I had enjoyed GIFTED, DANGEROUS, and TORN, but I had not been absolutely blown away by them. I mean, they were good, as good as Grant Morrison's ULTIMATE issues, but I wasn't amazed by them, as I often was on BUFFY and FIREFLY. The final volume in the story, however, was just shocking.
When I finished UNSTOPPABLE, I was simply stunned. One can debate whether Kitty Pryde was capable of doing what she is depicted as doing, but if one suspends one's disbelief (and why wouldn't we?), her big moment has to go down as one of the most shocking moments in all of comics. In fact, has any of the X-Men had a moment so grand? Joss Whedon is famous for depicting empowered women, but Kitty's moment of sacrifice in saving earth when the united Avengers had failed to do so was striking even for him. Is Kitty Pryde gone for good? Well, in the world of comics, never say never. She certainly seems to be gone, probably dead, or at the very least not herself. If so, I'll miss her enormously. I loved her because of all the X-Men she was the one whose powers were most subtle. She could use are abilities to endanger others, such as threatening to materialize an axe handle in someone's skull, but it wasn't like she was going to knock down walls. Given Whedon's use of women on TV like Buffy, Willow, Fred, Cordelia, and River, it was hardly surprising that he decided to make Kitty Pryde a member of his version of the X-Men. But I had no idea that he would utilize her so brilliantly.
The final installment also did a great job of pulling together all the threads of the previous three volumes. At the end of Whedon's run, the issues all did tell a single great story. And there were several significant developments that will affect future versions of the X-Men. The relationship between Scott and Emma has been further defined. Colossus is back. And there is a new member of the X-Men, the Xavier student Hisako having been promoted to main team status by Wolverine with the new name Armor.
The past few years I've often regretted that Joss Whedon was using his considerable talent in writing comics rather than in producing TV shows. Well, I am glad that he is doing DOLLHOUSE this winter and would take that over a new comic assignment, but I definitely do not feel that his time spent writing comics has been a waste of time. His work on THE ASTONISHING X-MEN (not to mention BUFFY Season 8) has been outstanding. Clearly at this point he has established that he is not a one-hit wonder. I just hope that the next fifteen years of his professional career are as fruitful as the past fifteen.
Although clearly the greatest attraction for me was Joss Whedon's involvement on this project, any reviewer failing to acknowledge the outstanding work that John Cassaday did. Well before his teaming up with Whedon on THE ASTONISHING X-MEN I was a huge fan of Cassaday from his work on CAPTAIN AMERICA and PLANETARY. He is one of the few artists working in comics whose name on a project will get me to buy it. When you get a writer as good as Whedon with an artist as gifted as Cassaday, you truly do get a result that almost instantly classifies the project as an instant classic.
Just a quick word of clarification for those who haven't read any of this and are unclear where to start. The Whedon/Cassaday ASTONISHING X-MEN series is comprised of four volumes, with the titles GIFTED, DANGEROUS, TORN, and UNSTOPPABLE. I recommend getting them in the two hardback editions. Volume One of the hardback collects GIFTED and DANGEROUS while Volume Two collects TORN and UNSTOPPABLE. But whether you get all four paperback volumes or the two hardback volumes, this is a set that anyone either loving comics or the work of Joss Whedon will want to own.
This is great stuff, but the end suffers I both LOVE this book and at the same time, I really don't. Yes, I know, quite schizophrenic, but then again, so is the writing.
I will say some wonderful, wonderful things in this review, because this book deserves it, but before I say anything else, here this: Lower your expectations as regards to a decent ending. Lower them completely. And now enjoy.
The artist won 3 eisner awards for best artist in a row, so it figures that the artwork is absolutely stunning. But to read this book you HAVE to have read the others, so you already know what you're getting into as regards to art. The art is definitely not the problem here, as it never was.
The writing is also very solid for the most part. Cyclops has been around since the very beginning of the X-Men and yet, it is in this very book that he gets his best moment of the character's entire history. This is where you see how it is he who is commanding the x-men, and why he definitely has outdone his teacher. If anyone is a Cyclops fan, this is a must buy. And if anyone thinks that he is a worthless character, you will see that this is not so much the case now.
There are some great moments here. Cyclops' time to shine is my very favourite, but there are some great scenes from all the characters. And the humour is top notch. I adore the camaraderie between Wolverine and the new recruit Hisako (called Armour, actually the part where she discusses her code name is one of the best humorous parts).
But then there's the end. Sure, it's just one issue, but it's the very last one culminating one of the greatest runs of all time in comics. And it fails to impress. Firstly, not all threads are tied, we still have no clue what came of Cassandra Nova's consciousness, for example. And then it Whedon's inclusion of every single Marvel U hero for the finale. It would be cool, if they actually did something. But it turns out to be quite a useless plot device. If you are a Kitty Pride fan, then you already have this book, because this is Kitty's book, and thus it is her ending. But the fact that the ending relies on just one character when the book is about a team, amplifies my feeling of having been let down. Sure, people dig it, and it's way better to be reading it in trade than as a monthly title where you have two wait 2-3-4 months for the story's continuation.
If you read the earliest ones, then pick this up. If you like Joss, then pick it up. If you like Cassaday..ok you get this message. Just don't look surprised when the end leaves you feeling slightly left down.
Great ending! What an awesome close to the series! I really liked the story arc. Throughout the series, I've appreciated the fact that someone who's fairly unfamiliar with the numerous X-Men plots can pick this up and go and still be invested in the characters. There's a great use of humor throughout the books, without detracting from the way that it ends.
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