astonishing x-men, vol. 4: unstoppable

astonishing x-men, vol. 4: unstoppable
issues #18-24 + giant sized x-men #1
joss whedon & john cassaday
graphics/superheroes
marvel comics
published 2008

After the shocking and brain-smashing events of Torn, the X-Men are off to protect the Earth from destruction at the hands of the Breakworld.  And when it's all over, nothing will ever be the same!

Oh, I'm bummed.  That really bummed me out.  But it was freaking good and I can see how people really get into this X-Men stuff.  I doubt I'll continue reading this series since this is where Joss's hand leaves the table, but maybe.  Maybe I need to know what happens to the cat chick.

And see!  There's another thing that bugs me about X-Men!  They have too many names!  I can't keep them straight.

astonishing x-men, vol. 3: torn

astonishing x-men, vol. 3: torn
issues #13-18
joss whedon & john cassaday
graphics/superheroes
marvel comics
published 2007

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?

It's strange to read a book, not understand half of what is going on and still kind of enjoy it.  I have, however pinpointed what it is that keeps me from loving Astonishing X-Men (and X-Men in general).  The fucking psychics.  For me, superheroes/villains as psychics is such a cop out.  Especially the ones that can control other minds.  Thank god Whedon does dialogue well otherwise this would be terrible.

The humor has finally shown up, but there's just so much more that is over my head or I find completely frustrating.  Danger is one of them.  Blech.

I still enjoyed it, it still had me reading, but I'm not in love with the X-Men.  I read another reviewer say something like 'I'm finding lots of things to like about this book, but nothing I love.'  That about sums it up for me too.

astonishing x-men, vol. 2: dangerous

astonishing x-men, vol. 2: dangerous
issues #7-12
joss whedon & john cassaday
graphics/superheroes
marvel comics
published 2007

A tragic death at the Xavier Institute reveals a powerful enemy living among the X-Men that they could never have suspected - and no, it's not Magneto.

Things heat up in a way none of the X-Men ever dreamed, but will teamwork save the day when they can't even depend on themselves?

Creepy, creepy!  Danger reminded me of a female Predator.

But we find out things maybe we didn't know before.  Again though, because I don't know X-Men history, or really Marvel history, I had no idea what Genosha was.  But the tension building up into the non-fight was good and I laughed at the last page that looked like it came straight out of a Buffy flashback.

astonishing x-men, vol. 1: gifted

astonishing x-men, vol. 1: gifted
joss whedon & john cassaday
graphics/superheroes
marvel comics
published 2004

Cyclops and Emma Frost re-form the X-Men with the express purpose of "astonishing" the world.  But when breaking news regarding the mutant gene unexpectedly hits the airwaves, will it derail their new plans before they even get started?  As demand for the "mutant cure" reaches near-riot levels, the X-Men go head-to-head with the enigmatic Ord, with an unexpected ally - and some unexpected adversaries - tipping the scales.

Hello back of book description.  Say "unexpected" one more time.

When I was younger I watched the X-Men cartoon and I saw the first movie when it came out back in 2000, but that was it for my foray into the X-Men world.  As readers of this blog know I'm not really a fan of Marvel comics.  I don't know why, but I just can't get into them.  I think Spiderman was the only Marvel character I really ever liked and then the movie ruined it for me.

It bugs me now when people say they're fans of Joss Whedon because 'Avengers was so awesome', but then I wonder if they get irritated when I say I'm a fan of Avengers because 'Joss Whedon is so awesome.'  But even then I'm not really a fan of Avengers.  I haven't read any of their books or anything.

Anyway, I'm getting off topic.  My friend pointed out to me that Joss wrote the first 24 issues collected in four volumes and that she thought they were really good.  When I went to the library later in the week they had all four volumes sitting right there.  It was a sign so I picked them up and now I'm finally cracking them open.

Of course, the writing is good.  That's a given.  The story is interesting and the art is great.  It still didn't grab me, I wasn't immersed like I get into the DC books I read or even Joss's other comics (Fray, Serenity, Angel, Buffy) but I thought it was good and will continue to read.  But there were things that bugged me.

Not being a knowledgeable fan of X-Men and it's characters apart from the basics like Cyclops, Wolverine & Beast I was lost a lot.  I had no idea who some of these people were and they had backstory.  It was a big deal for Emma Frost to be there, but I didn't really know why until I looked it up later.  I'm not saying they should go into a whole history of the characters just for me and other dummies who don't know what they're reading, but a little explanation would have worked.

And 'astonishing'?  We want to astonish them?  It sounds lame.  Who says that?  Well, Cyclops apparently.  He shouldn't.  And why doesn't Emma wear a matching outfit?  Why is she the only one in slut gear?  Is it because her powers don't work when she's fully clothed?

Joss's humor is mostly absent (except for a brief comment on Emma's outfit in the beginning) and that's a bummer, but I'm interested enough to keep reading.

fray

fray
joss whedon/karl moline/andy owens
graphic novel/supernatural
dark horse comics
published 2003

Hundreds of years in the future, Manhattan has become a deadly slum, run by mutant crime lords and disinterested cops.  Stuck in the middle is a young girl who thought she had no future until she learns she has a great destiny.  In a world so poisoned that it doesn't notice the monsters on its streets, how can a street kid like Fray unite a fallen city against a demonic plot to consume mankind?

ohmygodjosswhedonneverceasestoamazemeheisthebestwriterintheworlduniverse

I picked this up just because it was written by Joss Whedon.  My standard m.o.  Got a couple of pages into it and realized this was the most amazing thing ever!  He followed up the Slayer story a hundred years after Buffy!  With flying cars!  And crime bosses who live in fishtanks!  Brilliant!

Melaka Fray is what I imagine Faith could have been.  She's daring, reckless, grumpy and good.  But it's not your standard slayer story.  She doesn't have the memories, the dreams of all the slayers before her.  She doesn't have the drive because she doesn't have her history.  She's just a girl who can fight pretty good.  But there's a reason and it was surprising, but it made perfect sense.

Of course, I wish this was a series.  At the same time, I'm glad it's not.  It was a good complete story with a bit of mystery at the end that leaves you alone with your own imagination to fill in the blanks. 

Loved it.