Astonishing X-Men Vol. 4: Unstoppable TPB Review

[tpbreviewer]

Collects Astonishing X-Men #19-24 and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 written by Josh Whedon and drawn by John Cassaday.

The X-Men find themselves on the way to the Breakworld, the alien world about which it has been prophesied that it will be destroyed by Colossus. They've been hijacked by the mysterious agent Brand to thwart the Breakworldian's plan of destroying the Earth to save their own planet. On Breakworld the X-Men get caught up in a civil war between the totalitarian establishment and an underground group of rebels, and they must race against time to save not just one but two worlds. Along the way the reader gets heart pounding action, warm emotions and a story that at it's core is about human nature taken to the extreme. This book draws together all the plot threads that Whedon and Cassaday has been sprinkling throughout their run, and it all ends with a magnificent finale.

Whedon and Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men has been receiving tons of praise, and even a couple of awards, so I may just be piling more on top of that by saying that this is a damn good book. It won't just leave you gasping for more, you'll be, yes, i believe the expression is 'flabbergasted'.

When Whedon writes dialogue, it reads like real super heroes talking. When Cassaday draws characters they don't just pose and flex their muscles, they stand and move like real super heroes. The cast is mostly made up of characters from the X-Men's golden age (think Claremont/Byrne) and they even feel as if they were taken straight out of those stories. Each character has an important role to play in the story, and they all get panel space enough to play their part. Even Cyclops is pretty cool here, and doesn't feel as if he were just put in there to whine and argue with Wolverine.

On top of handling the characters perfectly, Whedon also delivers something which I think is rare in super hero comics: a really good story. Mind you, once in a while a good story pops up, but really good stories are rare. Whedon actually has something interesting to say here, and his story will make you think if you're receptive to such impulses. But that doesn't stop the two creators from packaging the story in a blast of an action packed and thrilling tale, and thus the book, as well as the whole run, serves as a perfect example of how great super hero comics can be. Whedon and Cassaday give here a powerful display of that rare and miraculous skill it is to be able to combine a magnificent story with subtle characterization. This is as good as Millar and Hitch's Ultimates, maybe even up there with classics like the Phoenix Saga.

When the chapters in this book came out as single issues, the book was criticized for it's massive delays. With this book as my exhibit A, I will argue that it was all worth it. And if people are tired of delays between single issues, they should just wait for the trades... I will recommend this book to anyone, just remember that you should read the three books that come before it. But don't worry, they're just as good. If you want to read X-Men, this is the best book you can get. In fact, it's probably the best book that Marvel has put in a long while. The only bad thing about it is that it's also the end of Whedon and Cassaday's run on Astonishing X-Men...

10/10

[The Lucky One]

While you and I differ greatly in our evaluations of the quality of Whedon's last arc (the Dark Phoenix Saga? Really?), it was a well-written review. Nice job.

-D

[jarrod]

Whedon's ego, predictability and degree of dialogue tics/danglers are simply Claremontian. In both cases, Kitty really deserved better.

I guess Astonishing was arguably well executed, but given the luxuries it was afforded, it's should've been drastically better. B-

[Greg Anderson]

Hmm. I felt this arc was a waste of a time reading, I must say. But that's just my opinion. The story just dragged and it didn't help that each issue was extremely decompressed and finished in 2 minutes with the already delay it had. And I felt the final giant size issue wasn't necessary and a bit of a waste once again. And I'm saying this as a Whedon fan.

[Jeff-X]

I think it read great in tpb form, but I could see how waiting for each issue could make it feel like it was dragging on.

Colossus revealing he's been planning to destroy Breakworld since he was a kid was great.

Also, that two page spread of Cyclops took something so almost mundane that we're so overexposed to and made it into a monumental moment.

[tpbreviewer]

Originally Posted by The Lucky One

While you and I differ greatly in our evaluations of the quality of Whedon's last arc (the Dark Phoenix Saga? Really?), it was a well-written review. Nice job.

-D

I don't think it'll ever obtain the same status as a classic as Phoenix Saga, but I do think it rivals it in some aspects, e.g. dialogue and characterization. It might not be as groundbreaking as the Phoenix Saga, but I do think it manages to pay it's respects to the X-Men legacy while moving the universe forward and setting a high bar.