Astonishing X-Men is what the other X-Men titles should be like. This has been the only X-Men comic worth reading over the past several years. Joss Whedon has been rocking it on this title. Does Astonishing X-Men #14 kick it up yet another notch? I got another mug of Café Bustelo and I’m ready to find out.
Creative Team
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Total Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: The issue starts with Jean Grey with her arms around Cyclops. She is using her powers to hold in his optic blasts so he can see the sunset without his ruby quartz glasses. Cyclops wonders if he lost control of his powers would they still only come from his eyes. We then shift to Scott in his bedroom with Emma as Jean Grey in front of him. Emma tells Scott that he knows he wants to have a Jean who will do whatever he wanted. They kiss and Cyclops sees himself in the mirror and he looks like Wolverine. Emma tells Scott to stop kidding himself. That he has thought about being Logan since Wolverine is the poster child for mutant cool. Scott then violently pushes Emma off of him.
We then shift to Kitty Pryde falling through the ceiling of the TV room in the mansion. The runs back upstairs to Colossus’ room. Kitty tells Peter that she can’t believe she phased and that has never happened before and that it is totally his fault. Colossus says that he would like to think so. They both laugh and the door to their room closes.
We shift back to Emma and Scott. Emma is questioning why Xavier picked Cyclops to be the team leader when Jean was a psychic, Hank was a genius, Warren looked like a god. But, Scott was picked as leader. Emma says Xavier did this because Scott had nothing else. Scott asks what Emma is trying to do. Pull him apart? Emma says she is trying to find who Scott is. Emma says that all great leaders like Captain America, Reed Richards, and Black Bolt all make themselves known. On the other hand, the one time Scott had to defend his title as team leader, he lost it to Storm. That Xavier gave Scott the job as team leader out of pity. To give Scott a boost. Emma then says that Scott has never had control. Not over the team and not over Jean and the fact that she kept dying on him. Emma then asks Scott is he is ready to go to the “bug room.” (Sounds gross. I don’t think I’m ready to go anywhere called the bug room.)
We then cut to a space station orbiting the earth. The mysterious group on the station has precogs who have told them that an X-Man is going to destroy the world. Last time they sent Ord to neutralize the mutants and he failed. They don’t reveal to the reader which X-Man is supposed to be the destroyer of worlds.
We cut back to the “Bug Room.” Emma tells Scott that his greatest setback has been his lack of control over his power. That is the source of all his extraordinary self-doubt. That Scott has never been able to control it and has lived in constant terror of harming someone with it. Emma then shows Scott himself as a little boy. She tells Scott that he has always been in fear of abandon and in fear of his lack of control. Emma then whispers in Scott’s ear that he “can let go now.”
We shift to the kitchen of the X-Mansion. Wolverine is eating his cereal Kitty and Peter enter the kitchen. Wolverine looks at Kitty and then looks at Peter and then goes back to eating his cereal and says “’ Bout time.” (Classic scene!!!)
We then cut to Beast in his lab. Someone enters his lab. It is Cassandra Nova.
We cut back to Cyclops’ room. Emma’s voice says that Scott’s decision not to try and control his power became his own demon. But, now he is past that. All he had to do was to let for of himself. Emma’s voice says that he is now free. During this dialogue we see Scott on his bed with his glasses off, eyes wide open and drooling slightly. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Are you kidding me!! How does Joss Whedon just keep getting better and better with each issue! This is amazing. Astonishing X-Men #14 was a killer issue. I mean, when I was done reading this issue, my jaw was on the floor.
Joss Whedon’s writing is great. There was no action at all in this issue and it was still an amazing issue. This shows that if you have great writing you don’t need any action at all to have a good comic book. Whedon’s dialogue is great. I love how he writes the various characters.
Whedon’s deconstruction of Cyclops was incredibly powerful. How has Emma strip Cyclops down to his very core in order to build him into a new more powerful man was well done. I have always thought that Cyclops was an incredibly boring character. Not any more. In one issue, Whedon has given advanced Cyclops’ character more than has been done over his entire history. I cannot wait to see where Whedon takes this storyline. I am excited to see what this “new” Cyclops is like.
I also loved the sex scene between Kitty and Peter with her phasing through the floor of their room. Plus, Wolverine’s reaction to them the next morning was just hilarious. Well done.
And, we have the official return of Cassandra Nova. The Beast must think that he is having one terrible nightmare.
Of course, John Cassaday’s artwork is phenomenal. Cassaday is just sick. I love his art. You couple Whedon’s great writing with Cassaday’s wonderful art and you have a mega-hit title like Astonishing X-Men.
The Bad: No complaints at all. Astonishing X-Men is a title well worth your hard-earned money.