Astonishing X-Men #25
Posted: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
By: Keith Dallas
Warren Ellis
Simone Bianchi, Simone Peruzzi (colours)
Marvel Comics
"Ghost Box"
Steven Bari: 5 Bullets
Erik Norris: 2.5 Bullets
Dave Wallace: 4 Bullets
Steven Bari 5 BulletsA beautiful woman floats down unexpectedly from the sky toward the X-Men, their greetings a mixture of joy and apprehension. What do they call her now? How do you address an old friend who's now the queen of an African kingdom? "Hey, 'Roro!" blurts Wolverine, completely unperturbed by the woman's presence and standing. "Is there coffee? I swear why a healin’ factor can deal with bullets and knives but not four lousy bottles of hemp wine is a mystery of the freakin' ages…" Storm turns to him and smiles: "Yes."
In the tradition of Whedon and Cassaday, new creative team Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi give Astonishing X-Men a very different feel than the other X-books. There is more interaction, more character beats, and more ambiance, which successfully takes the characters away from whatever else they are doing in other titles and lets them play uninhibited.
As the previous arc took place right before Messiah CompleX, "Ghost Box" starts off immediately after the events of Uncanny X-Men #500, where the X-Men are re-formed and headquartered in San Francisco. The original Astonishing crew is here: Cyclops, Emma Frost, Wolverine, Beast, and Armor. Colossus is gone, and in his stead is another Giant Sized X-Man: Storm. After explaining her reason for being in San Francisco (which is too good to spoil), she joins the team again.
That team, however, is not exactly the one she remembers. The X-Men are now consultants to the San Francisco Police Department, and gone are the flashy costumes when responding to alerts: "…We dress in a way they understand, and we jump past all the crap that comes with a costume right now" explains Cyclops-- referring both to the old days and the new apprehension toward government sponsored superheroes.
Essentially, "Ghost Box" is a mystery prompted by death and catalyzed by genetic discovery. Something's going on with mutants, and the X-Men need to follow the clues to get to the bottom of it. Although unintentional, Astonishing X-Men #25 inevitably begins to feel like an issue of X-Factor, given that the team is in street clothes, bantering, and solving mysteries. Nonetheless, the new creative team takes this title in a completely different direction, and makes the experience both unique and refreshing.
The most obvious is Bianchi's layout. This is the first time I've seen his sequential art, and I was utterly amazed. As you see from the preview below, Bianchi opens the comic with three overlapping panels. It may not look like it, but those are three separate panels. Each is over laid on top of the other, which to Bianchi's credit somehow makes the page seem bigger and more erratic. The effect thematically coalesces Armor's concern for a new codename, Wolverine's drunken binge (possibly at the San Diego Zoo), and Beast's early morning private time, which is subsequently followed in the next series of pages. Although at times it may be hard to follow Bianchi's layout, it forces you to look at the page in full first and then follow its pattern appreciatively.
That brings us to the peculiar panel on page two and Ellis' narrative. In panel 2, he is handing the reader a little of piece information, only to then explain the complete significance much later on in the issue. Ultimately, the story seems lopsided as all the exposition happens in one place and all in the final pages.
Yet, Ellis' characterization and story are well thought out and appealing. I particularly liked Beast and Cyclops rapport and their discussion of their respective women. These are two men who have known each other since they were teenagers, and similarly one keeps the other's psychosis in check. "…This is the best it's ever been…," Beast reminds Cyclops.
I echo that sentiment. As a reader of the X-Men for more than ten years, I feel this is the best time it has ever been and Astonishing X-Men is proof. Exceptional writing from Ellis and Bianchi's beautiful art make this comic far above average and an enviable standard of quality.
Erik Norris: 2.5 BulletsBefore even cracking open the cover of Astonishing X-Men #25, I practically had it in my mind that this wouldn't live up to the twenty four issues prior. What Whedon and Cassaday did with the cast of Astonishing was simply, well….spectacular (I couldn't bring myself to be another reviewer using "astonishing" to describe this book). That creative duo made me care about the X-Men again, much like I used to back when the cartoon aired in the 90's. There were so many standout moments that literally had me gasping for breath, cheering, and even cursing the book because of how easy Whedon and company made it seem to create an epic with as much heart as explosions. Who could forget Kitty's reaction to a resurrected Colossus, Cyclops losing his laser sight only to return as the leader he was always meant to be, or even Wolverine acting like an English school girl. The sheer amount of moments this book produced was astronomical.
Another marvel that the original twenty four issues accomplished was they made the X-Men accessible to everyone. Whether you know which issues Jean Grey died in (all of them), or your knowledge stops at the X-films, Astonishing X-Men was the book for you. Never bogged down by the weight of the franchise's own insane continuity but still upholding it to deliver characters acting perfectly in-line with forty five years of history.
But isn't this review about Astonishing X-Men #25, the start of the new creative team of Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi? Why yes. Yes it is, so I should probably stop ogling a thing of the past, right? Well it's good to know my thoughts on the last creative team before I approach the new because frankly, it has a lot to do with how I perceived the new direction of the book. I have a bit of a bias.
Right off the bat readers will notice the change in the Astonishing X-Men's setting. With the happenings of "Messiah CompleX" the X-Men have moved from upstate New York to San Francisco, leaving the mansion behind for trolleys and hippies. Even Cyclops, easily the most frustrated with the struggles of Homo Superior, is happy for once. The X-Men are also now working side by side with the San Francisco Police Department to investigate crimes of the "odd" kind. It's all a very different direction from what readers have come to expect from an X-book, but that isn't a negative; it's actually refreshing and helps establish this book's place among the pantheon of X-Men titles currently available.
However, for the strong setup and tone established by Astonishing X-Men #25, there are quite a number of faults that distract me from loving this book. Firstly, let's discuss the art. Simone Bianchi is a hell of an artist. I don't want to take away anything from his craft, but what works for his fantastic cover art doesn't work for his interiors. Bianchi is at his best when his art is simply black and white as his shadow work is simply breathtaking. But for some reason, once colors are applied to his penciling, his artwork takes two steps backwards in visual appeal. And while his panel layouts are unique and dynamic, while still being easy to follow from one to the other, his characters look rather stiff, awkward, and down right ugly. Take his depiction of Emma Frost and Storm, for example. Both individuals are supposed to be the epitome of beauty in the X-verse. Their very presence should have men dropping what they're doing as their pants rise, six to midnight, in the crotch region. However, Bianchi's depictions, sans one panel of Storm, look terrible. I have heard a lot of people say they resemble hookers, but that's an insult to a decent amount of hookers, so let's just say they look ugly. To bring this back around to my introduction in some fashion, Simone Bianchi is no John Cassaday. Bianchi can draw, no doubt about it, but he isn't the best sequential storyteller Marvel could have stuck on this high caliber title.
Then there's the writing. Personally, I'm not a Warren Ellis fan. I love Planetary for its concepts, but he always makes Americans sound like asses which distracts me from his scripts. Truthfully, when I read an X-Men book I don't want his personal politics factoring into my escapism. Also, I have a problem with how Ellis writes Emma Frost. Joss Whedon made her a pretentious bitch, but a pretentious bitch who seemed almost loveable because of her specific use of sarcasms and humor when the situation arose. In Astonishing #25, Emma sounds like a whinny thirteen year old. It was cute in the bedroom scene with Scott, but once they reached X-Base Alpha (or whatever it ends up being called) I was pretty much tired of her talking. If she acts like this all the time, I can't fathom why Scott would want to listen to it all day no matter how hot--or ugly if Simone Bianchi is drawing--she might be.
Six paragraphs and only one was spent complimenting this issue. That might seem rather harsh, but when you, as a reader, approach this book, take into account that this specific reviewer holds up the original run of Astonishing X-Men as one of the Holy Grails of comicdom. If you can overlook that, or like Warren Ellis as a writer, then you will probably find a lot to like here. Let alone that Astonishing gets to play with one of the best casts for an X-book. To wrap up, I would love nothing more than to be enthralled by as many X-Men books as possible, but Astonishing just doesn't do it for me at the moment. Left off with a sub par cliffhanger coupled with the fact that the amazing duo of Brubaker and Fraction step aboard Uncanny X-Men next month with issue #500, I might just leave Astonishing behind while memories are still fond.
Dave Wallace: 4 BulletsI've been looking forward to this issue for quite some time. Grant Morrison and Joss Whedon are the only two writers to have ever made me really care about an X-Men title, both managing to pull off the difficult task of stripping down the wealth of X-Men continuity to a manageable level and making the characters accessible and interesting to read about, without ever losing the essence of the X-Men formula. Warren Ellis follows in their footsteps here, presenting his own distinctive take on the flagship X-team, albeit one that also acknowledges the new status quo of the X-books (notably their recent move to San Francisco) and makes a few changes in the team roster in order to incorporate Storm (who replaces the absent Kitty Pryde).
All of the usual Ellis tics are present and correct: there's the faux-scientific futuristic sci-fi (I loved the explanation of exactly how the X-gene works), the unique authorial voice, and the inspired touches of fantastical imagination that make his work so enjoyable to read. I loved the concept of Chaparanga Beach (which I won't spoil here), and I was also impressed to see how the writer managed to slyly extend the possibilities of an X-Universe that has recently found itself limited by Wanda's "No More Mutants" decree.
Ellis also captures the essence of his characters effortlessly, which will be a relief for those who were worried that Whedon's focus on characterisation would be lost with the new creative team. The choicest dialogue is saved for the eloquent Beast ("Abigail asked if I could get the weekend off so that she can tamper extensively with me"), but Ellis' take on Armor is equally satisfying, and I look forward to seeing her develop as a core member of the team. Ellis' construction of the issue also helps to make the characters relatable and accessible, grounding the team in reality as they gather for an early morning cup of coffee and a chat before setting off to investigate an unusual murder that will serve as the catalyst for the plot of this opening arc.
I was also interested by the scenes that detail the X-Men's current approach to their costumes. Both Morrison and Whedon made a point of establishing at an early stage why their teams were dressed as they were - with Morrison eschewing the traditional costumes, and Whedon embracing them. Here Ellis has the best of both worlds, demonstrating a realistic approach to the characters with their decision not to sport their garish duds whilst investigating a murder with the San Francisco police department, but also coming up with a decent rationale for the team to suit up later on in the book.
Talking of costumes, I have to give Bianchi credit for his subtle redesign of many of the team's outfits, the most notable of which is that of Storm. The touches of African design that are added to her costume make perfect sense given the character's lineage, and the regal nature of her accessories fits her perfectly, particularly given her new status. Other team members receive less obvious overhauls that don't alter their costumes too much - although having said that, I've already heard people complain about the red-and-yellow X-symbol that has been applied to the front of Storm and Emma Frost's costumes (presumably they're just disappointed that we won't be seeing as much cleavage as we did before). For my money, it works well as a subtle nod to the previous, gaudier costumes that also allows Bianchi some freedom to experiment with more realistic textures and textiles on the rest of the outfits (ably supported by Simone Peruzzi's delicately shaded colours).
Aside from the new costume designs, I was most struck by Bianchi's unusual layouts. He uses different geometric shapes for many of his panels, constructing his pages out of semicircles and irregular quadrilaterals as well as the usual squares and rectangles. Some of his pages also see the characters bleed outside of the panel boundaries into the negative space of the gutters, with a silhouette that continues their outline outside of the panel borders (sometimes directly into another panel). It gives the pages a unique look that helps to establish a fresh start for the creative team, and although these layouts can occasionally be distracting, it's always nice to see someone try something a little different.
My one complaint with Bianchi's previous work has been that, as with other highly detailed artists, his figures can sometimes look a little static and posed, lacking the dynamism that's often required by superhero comics. Whilst it's possible that that will still be a weakness (we don't get much action here, and what little there is is mostly based around moving vehicles rather than people, which don't change their appearance in motion as much a human being does), the art serves this first chapter well, dominated as it is by talking-heads sequences and scene-setting vistas (such as the lovely opening shots of the Golden Gate bridge at sunrise).
Lately, whenever a new creative team takes over a title for a high-profile run, I've been finding that my reactions often fall into the same pattern. It's been a while since I've been really wowed by an opening issue, because it's becoming the norm for creators to use their first issues to set the scene for the rest of their run, rather than getting to the meat of their story straight away. Whilst this might result in a better structure for the stories once they're complete, it does make it hard to evaluate issues like this one in their own right. With no context bar that of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's previous run on the title, this feels like a fairly slow opener that exists to (re)introduce the book's cast and set several plot threads in motion. Looking forwards, however, I get the sense that this issue is setting a solid foundation for Ellis and Bianchi's run on the book, and I'm already looking forward to seeing where the story goes. There's more here to absorb than many opening issues of high-profile runs provide, and the tasters of the story that we do get to enjoy definitely have me hooked for the time being. And in the current climate, that's about as good as it gets.
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