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Rating: - Groundbreaking? Nah...It's Just Like EVERY Other X Title Out There
Now, don't get me wrong, Joss Whedon is a talented and imaginative writer. I love both Buffy and Firefly. I think he can write great, witty dialogue and create very intelligent and living characters. That being said he was completely out of his depth with Astonishing X Men.

This first volume, "Gifted" covers a geneticist finding a "cure" for mutants and the ramifications of that announcement on our beloved outcasts.

Here's the Good:

1.) John Cassaday's art is awesome. His lines are clean, his style fluid and best of all...his characters are REALISTIC. No 25 inch biceps here...the women have individual bust sizes unlike say Marc Silvestri's women who all have gigantic mammaries. Love his art.

2.) The Dialogue. Joss can write great banter, you gotta give the guy that and he certainly delivers in his volume.


Here's the Bad:

1.) Do we really need the ridiculous skintight uniforms? Grant Morrison did away with them and I could not be happier. But now comes Whedon and for no good reason...brings them back. I think the entire reasoning for wearing skintight, yellow colored, circus clothing is given by Cyclops as "We're superheroes. Superheroes wear costumes". I kid you not.

2.) Ord from the Breakworld? An alien dragon as a pet? Maybe it's because I have just finished reading Mark Millar's AMAZING run on Ultimate X Men but seeing aliens and such on what is supposed to be a somewhat realistic take was irritating. I mean, c'mon...

3.) (SPOILER ALERT)

Colossus' return. I don't have to say anything else. Why, why would Whedon, right out of the gate, commit the most irritating sin a comic writer can do? This is the reason why I stopped reading mainstream Marvel and DC comics. Stupid comic book deaths. This is why no one takes super hero comics seriously: when people die it's a temporary condition.

Colossus died a hero's death. Now ALL of that emotional impact is washed away with his ridiculous ressurrection. And I could overlook this galling and immature cliche if at least Whedon had come up with an imaginative reason. But the Gods of Kobol are not that kind. The reason behind Colossus's ressurrection? A "clone" died in his place. Seriously. It makes me wanna tear my hair out.

Thank GOD for the Ultimate Marvel Universe. It makes the regular Marvel Universe look like garbage with their ubiquitous aliens, constant ressurrections, never-dying villains and heroes and countless alternate universes and retcons.

In conclusion, if you, like me, are tired of comic book cliches, tired of characters dying and returning to life the next month, tired of not feeling any true suspense or fear for your favorite heroes because you know that any major changes will be unmade within a couple of years, then stay AWAY from Astonishing X Men. It is overhyped and falsely dubbed as imaginative and fresh when it's actually business as usual.

But if you like reading such stuff by all means go for it.

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