Astonishing X-Men #17 Review

Astonishing X-Men has been an incredible read. This title never disappoints. Each issue somehow is better than the last one. Whedon has done a very impressive job on this title. I am positive that Astonishing X-Men #17 is going to be another wonderful read. Let’s do this review.

Creative Team
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday

Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: This issue starts with Kitty giving birth to her and Peter’s baby. The rest of the X-Men enter the room to congratulate Peter and Kitty. Professor X stares at the baby with a concerned look.

We cut to Peter and Kitty out at a park with their son who is now two or three years old. Suddenly, the X-Men arrive and Professor X tells Kitty to relinquish her son. Professor X has been analyzing her son’s power since he was born. Kitty tells Peter to hold off the X-Men while she escapes with their son. Peter has armored up and apologizes to Kitty as he takes her out.

We shift to a dark and stormy night and Kitty threatens to kill Peter with an axe handle that she has “phased” through his head unless he tells her where their son is being held captive. Peter says their son is in the basement in a box. We then see Kitty back in the X-Mansion with the Hellfire Club around her. It has all been in Kitty’s mind. Kitty then walks to the basement to open up the box that the Hellfire Club is so interested in.

We cut to The Peak, where S.W.O.R.D. realizes that Danger has teamed up with Ord. Agent Brand talks to the S.W.O.R.D. mole inside of the X-Men and tells him to stay put until Ord arrives at the X-Men’s mansion. We then see the mole. It is none other than Lockheed!

We shift to the White Queen mentioning that the Emma Frost that she imprisoned under the mansion is just an imposter. We then cut to Kitty trying to phase through the box in the basement.

Suddenly, Danger and Ord bust into the mansion. The explosion knocks out Wolverine. A beer can falls on Wolverine’s head and wakes him up. White Queen’s control over Wolverine is broken. The badass Wolverine is back.

We shift to Kitty running out of the basement with what she thinks is her son in her arms. Colossus then arrives in the basement and asks Kitty what she is doing. Kitty says that she has freed their son. However, Kitty is actually holding some slimy cocoon-like thing. Peter then passes out and so does Kitty. Cassandra Nova and the rest of the Hellfire Club enter the basement. Cassandra says that as soon as she is free from the thing that Kitty got out of the box then Cassandra will be back to full power. Cassandra will then melt the entire Hellfire club into nothingness. White Queen offers to be Cassandra’s hew host body. Cassandra agrees. Suddenly, somebody blasts a bunch of bullets into the White Queen. We then see Cyclops standing there with a gun. End of issue.

Comments
The Good: Whedon continues to impress me with his superlative work on Astonishing X-Men. Once again, Whedon serves up a highly entertaining issue. The beginning of the issue was an unexpected curve, but it was a very creative plan by the Hellfire Club to get Kitty to do their bidding. What better motivation for Kitty to do the impossible other than making her believe she was trying to free her son? I thought this was a neat idea.

I loved Whedon’s revelation of who was S.W.O.R.D.’s mole inside the X-Men. Lockheed! I didn’t see that coming. I dig Lockheed’s character and it was fun to see him in this role. Hopefully, we will get to see Lockheed in action in the next issue.

But, the best part of this issue was the ending! Talk about cranking this tension up several notches! We have Cassandra Nova revealing that the Hellfire Club are all her pawns that she will do away with once she returns to full power. We have the strange slimy cocoon that somehow is preventing Cassandra Nova from assuming her full power. Throw in Danger and Ord now at the mansion and ready to mix it up. And just when you thought things couldn’t get any crazier, Whedon blows the reader away by ending this issue with a massive bomb. Cyclops pumping several bullets into the White Queen! Wow! What a stunning and incredible ending! It certainly shocked me and had me already anxious for the next issue.

Astonishing X-Men #17 is a pleasant read that has a nice flow. The story is perfectly paced. Whedon has this uncanny ability to move things along at a quick pace without making the story seem rushed. Whedon is also doing an amazing job of constantly ending every issue with a dramatic ending. It is a rare talent to be able to always end your issues with a powerful hook to get the reader’s full attention and have them yearning for more. What really makes Astonishing X-Men such a fun title is that just when you think that Whedon can’t top himself, he goes ahead and does it with the next issue.

Whedon continues to impress me with his feel for the various characters and his ability to create wonderful chemistry between the various X-Men. Whedon continues to provide tremendous interaction between the characters. Whedon crafts some fantastic dialogue. Whedon has a good sense of humor and it shows in his writing. Whedon’s dialogue is very entertaining and makes this issue an enjoyable read.

As always, Cassaday dishes out more gorgeous artwork. I love his style. Cassaday makes Astonishing X-Men a fantastic book to look at.

The Bad: I have no complaints at all about this issue.

Overall: Astonishing X-Men #17 was a blast to read. Whedon and Cassaday continue to turn out one of Marvel’s most enjoyable comic books currently on the market. This title has a wonderful blend of humor, action, and drama. Great storytelling and fantastic art make this comic book well worth your money.