X-Title Awards 2008 - Favourite X-Men One-Shot.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

And onto the poll for your favourite one shot X-Title of 2008. There were a fair few out there, this year. Plenty of them Wolverine based, as per usual, but far from exclusively.

The nominations came in... but this one gave me a bit of a quandary. Largely because there weren't five clear candidates in this category. Almost all the votes were for on one-shot, and single votes were registered for a small number of others.

For this reason I'm opening up the poll to the six titles (Only six in total) nominated. They are as follows:

X-Factor Special - Layla Miller: Peter David & Valentine de Landro. If only this story could have appeared in the actual X-Factor series, some might say. Focusing on what happened to Layla after the events of Messiah Complex.

X-Factor - The Quick and the Dead: Peter David & Pablo Raimondi. A strong one shot showing us what has become of Quicksilver, depowered, unhinged and in jail. A most enjoyable story.

X-Men Origins - Jean Grey: Sean McKeever & Mike Mayhew. A retelling of Jean Grey's origins, painted in oils and with a slightly modern slant to it.

Wolverine - Killing Made Simple: Chris Yost and Coy Turnbull. I actually don't know much about this one, but I gather it also featured Trance, from New X-Men.

X-Men - Original Sin: Technically a one-shot, from Daniel Way, Mike Carey ad Mike Deodato. This issue kicked off the Original Sin crossover in X-Men Legacy and Wolverine Origins.

Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1: Technically Astonishing X-Men #26, from Joss Whedon and John Cassady, but labelled up and marketed as a One-Shot. This double sized book brought an end to Whedon and Cassady's tenure on Astonishing X-Men.

You may vote for one of the six choices above, and feel free to discuss your choice, below. Voting is open until the end of the month.

Over to you.

[Prodigy55]

X-Factor Layla Miller was amazing! Layla Miller <3

[chickrockguitar]

I haven't read all six books, but what I have read out of those, I vote for X-Factor Special - Layla Miller. Good Story. Loved Ruby.

[Phoenix_Force]

I liked the Layla Miller special, but damned if the Jean Grey one was just so pretty!

Where's Beast's one-shot, PS?

[Petes Pants]

I'll be the second vote for The Quick and the Dead. I love Layla but Pietro touched me.

[worstblogever]

Wolverine - Killing Made Simple: What was great about it? Trance, being shown as cowardly as ever, finally taking a stand, and fighting back against Nanny & Orphan Maker. The art, well, left something to be desired. Wolverine discussing all the ways he could probably be killed? Eh. That was just there, really. A fun one shot, but not the best of the year.

Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1: As it's technically Astonishing X-Men #26, I don't really consider it a one-shot, but more of an annual, and part of the whole last arc of Astonishing. And while Cassaday's art impressed, I have to admit that even though I'm a Whedon mark, I was underwhelmed by Kitty's big send-off. Sure, I get the sacrifice, but the ending to the whole Whedon run of Astonishing seemed sort of anti-climatic, for me, at least.

X-Men - Original Sin: This issue kicked off the Original Sin crossover in X-Men Legacy and Wolverine Origins. And honestly, it was barely even a pitch. Logan and Xavier had words, while Miss Sinister tried putting bad thoughts back in Daken's head. It really wasn't all that.

X-Men Origins - Jean Grey: Mike Mayhew's art was impeccable on this one shot. I read it, and understood exactly why Scott, Warren, Bobby, and Hank all fell all over each other back in Uncanny X-Men #1 trying to woo Ms. Grey. Looking at Jean and Xavier's student/teacher relationship, as well as seeing some interaction between Sara Grey and her "lost" sister Jean... phenomenal. And seeing Jean start to come into her own, as a peaceful, confidant, and heroic figure made me fall in love with the character all over again.


X-Factor - The Quick and the Dead: Peter David & Pablo Raimondi manage to give us a realistic reason of how Quicksilver can be redeemed in but one issue. Or can he? Regardless, the guy's still mentally fragile, and you feel for him while he's harassed by visions of his father Magneto, his sister Wanda, his wife Crystal and daughter Luna, and finally, his arch-nemesis... Layla Miller? Still, brilliant read.


X-Factor Special - Layla Miller: Peter David one-upped his Quicksilver one shot with this baby. From Layla's escape, thanks to a falling space station, to her ability to be at the right place and right time to help find Cyclops and have a moment of weakness, before soldering on to go and help Ruby Summers start a certain rebellion... well... it had us begging for a Summers Rebellion mini with Layla. Surely a sign that it was the best of the year.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I liked the Layla Miller special, but damned if the Jean Grey one was just so pretty!

Where's Beast's one-shot, PS?

Yes, I was a little surprised that nobody actually nominated Beast's one-shot. Ironically it would have been included in the vote if they had. But no nomination - no can do, sadly.

[Madrox84]

I voted for the Layla Miller One-shot.

It was very very good... I miss Layla :frown:

[WishIKnewStuff]

I know me voting for it is gonna seem like a gigantic character push but while both stories about Jean Grey and Quicksilver were awesome and uplifting, Layla Millers one shot seemed less like a one shot and more like the somewhat start to an excellent series.

[Pach!]

I actually liked the Quiksilver one shot much much more than the Layla one..which had RUBY SUMMERS.

however I enjoyed the last issue of astonishing more than both of those.

[Prodigy55]

I demand a Layla Miller mini-series.

That ends with her return to the present.

[Kid Icarus]

I demand a Layla Miller mini-series.

That ends with her return to the present.

Isnt there a Layla update in the next issue of X-factor?

[The Sword Is Drawn]

With all the breaks for crossover events during 2008 it was almost as if the Layla and Quicksilver one-shots were the issues PAD intended to write last year, if he hadn't accommodated Messiah Complex and Secret Invasion.

[Prodigy55]

Isnt there a Layla update in the next issue of X-factor?

I hope so. I miss her.

She should come back and replace Longshot and Darwin.