Move over Astonishing X-Men...there's a new club in town and their name is..."Hellfire." In this issue, after secretly lying in wait for months, they make their move!
Whedon did no favors for John Cassaday or Laura Martin when writing at his lowest ebb in previous issues. Cassaday's ability to create a tableau of photorealism within the framework of traditional comic book action has always evidenced itself, but this time out Cassaday brings to Astonishing X-Men a gamut of artistic sensory gems. He creates a sense of old school fun in his battle between Peter Rasputin and Sebastian Shaw. He creeps you out when Kitty meets a dangerous cuckoo in the nest. He makes you burst out laughing when we see that Wolverine is indeed the best and what he does. His homage to Byrne at the end of the book makes one smile. He gives the third-tier character's actions incredible weight. Laura Martin's colors vividly deepen the emotions at play--Emma's tear-jerking--and gives depth to the settings--such as the fiery hot Kitty trap. This issue of Astonishing X-Men lives up to its name. Whedon, Cassaday and Martin have a right to be proud of this one. Read Full Review
Whedon gets the X-Men, in a way that very few of his contemporaries do. While the pacing is a bit problematic due to artistic delays, this arc - and the entire Whedon run - are going to read magnificently in trades. Read Full Review
It's clear that the template for Whedon's Astonishing X-Men is writer/co-plotter Chris Claremont and penciller/co-plotter John Byrne's classic run on X-Men from the late 1970s and early 1980s. In fact, this storyline is a something of a re-imagination of X-Men 129-134 " the "Hellfire Club" storyline, with this particular issue remaking the incidents of X-Men #132 ("And Hellfire is their Name!"). Whedon's partner, artist John Cassaday re-envisions this classic story in his own "widescreen" style, but he recaptures the sense of fun, sharp action, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Read Full Review
Astonishing X-Men #15 is a fantastic issue. Between Whedon's great writing and Cassaday's excellent art you have the ingredients for a powerhouse comic book. I would recommend Astonishing X-Men to anyone. You definitely don't have to be a Marvel Zombie or an X-Men addict to enjoy this title. Read Full Review
Fun, violent, silly, creepy, and drenched with foreshadowing. Gorgeously illustrated, 'natch. The first Astonishing issue (in, what, years? that has me actually looking forward to the next one. Read Full Review
I get the feeling the X-Men will recover from this. Well, maybe. Unless Perfection is really bad news. Until then, most of the fun this issue comes from Wolverine playing around with the students, who have some surprising responses of their own. As always, Whedons sympathies clearly lie with the kids more than the corrupted adults. Read Full Review
Trouble is as nice and cool Marvel wants to make this comic book, it fails when a first time reader picks it up. If a second reading is needed to understand all that happens, from someone who has read weird comics all his life, imagine a new reader picking this up after seeing the X-Men film. Can the creators get back to comic book basics instead of the stylish and padded hype? Read Full Review
Weird and embarrassing a bit, but astonishing indeed.
The X-Men continue to be pried apart by the Hellfire club but this issue is not as clear to follow because the heroes are acting so out of character because of their manipulation. Its one of the weaker issues Whedon's written so far. The art still remains awesome though.
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