Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 3: Torn

Torn, the third volume in Whedon and Cassaday's stellar Astonishing X-Men run, captures the essence of both the X-Men as a brand and the characters themselves. For those who are familiar with Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men, the Astonishing X-Men series represents the perfect continuation of the X-Men mythos. The cast of AXM is small, allowing Whedon to flesh out the characters in a way that wouldn't be possible with a large ensemble cast. The results of this are truly stellar. Who knew that Cyclops could be the most interesting and complex character in the X-Men? That the intellectual Beast could struggle with a savage side akin to the way that Chris Claremont wrote Wolverine? These are but two examples of how masterfully Whedon has written the X-Men. If you are familiar with the X-Men, but don't know where to start, the Astonishing series is perfect. Whedon's story arc is completely self-contained and brings you right into the modern era of the team. It is, however, strongly reccomended that anyone considering buying this book read the first two volumes beforehand, as some plot details won't make sense without having read them. For those that have already read volumes one and two, have no fear; this book is just as excellent. My only criticisms of this series are Whedon's portrayal of Wolverine, and Cassaday's inability to draw it on a monthly basis. While Wolverine stays pretty much to standard form in AXM, he is not explored quite as in-depth as the other characters, which is even understandable considering his exposure over the years compared to the rest of the cast. John Cassaday's stunningly realistic and cinematic art style apparently does not lend itself to brief production, as this series has been constantly delayed since its inception, leaving fans starving for more while waiting for the next issue. In short, if you haven't read this series yet but are interested in the characters, buy this book along with the first two volumes and enjoy perhaps the best comic book run of the 21st century. If for some reason you have read the first two volumes but are wondering if this is just as good, don't worry. It only gets better.

Give us more like this. Easily some of the best X-Men writing for a long, long time. The characters of Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost are done fabulously, and Whedon has pulled out some of the famous X-Men twists and turns, particularly with the Hellfire Club reappearing. This is enough to make you say 'write this more frequently, goddamnit', as you want to find out what will happen. Very well done.

Author Joss Whedon brings his best game with this fine six-issue run (#13-18) of "The Astonishing X-Men." It looks like the Hellfire Club are back, with Emma Frost leading the way to the utter defeat and debasement of her erstwhile teammates... With consummate grace, Whedon crafts one of the finest scripted mindwarp sagas in comicbook history, and manages to pop off some classic, "Buffy"-esque one-liners that show the old magic is still there. Best of all, he doesn't get lost in all the cluttered, techno-fetishistic bullpucky that's been weighing the X-books down for the last couple of decades -- this is just good, old, character-driven superhero stuff... Nice to see Kitty Pryde kicking some serious butt, too... Yay. Can't wait for the next collection to come out.

This review is directed primarily at those who no longer read comics or graphic novels as much as they used to. There are no spoilers in this review. Read without fear! First, like other reviewers, I would strongly recommend that you buy vols 1 and 2 before reading this book. This volume collects issues 13-18 of Astonishing X-men, but if you haven't read 1-12 most of what happens in these pages simply won't make sense. That said, I'm not going to cover the content of this book so much as Whedon's general approach to writing the X-Men. Like many others, I enjoyed the Claremont works in the late 1970s but found that by the 1990s the X-Men story line was so convoluted it was difficult to really follow, especially as graduate school was taking more and more of my time. Whedon has limited the number of main characters in Astonishing X-Men to 6 and this allows him to focus on the unique personalities and interactions among the group. As a result, the characters have more depth than ever before. The issue in which the new team faces (individually) their worst fears (found in this volume) is a real triumph in comic writing. Interestingly enough, this approach also removes Wolverine from center stage. By far the two most interesting characters in Astonishing X-Men are Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost, each of whom acts as a perfect foil for the other throughout the series. Indeed, the survival guilt of both Emma and Kitty feel in the wake of the mass destruction at Genosha frames this entire story arc. Cassady's artwork meshes perfectly with Whedon's writing. Beast has a more cat-like appearance here than anywhere else and the transitions between his intellectual and feral self are simply stunning. Even the supporting cast is drawn with sensitivity and truly come alive. Agent Brand of SWORD, Blindfold, and even Lockheed all receive better portraits here than anywhere else. So why should you read this series, especially if you, like me, thought your comic reading days were past? Simple. Whedon and Cassady remain true to the characters we grew up loving, but this is clearly the adult version of X-Men. The old X-Men were extraordinary, and very near unbeatable. They explored a variety of social issues, but always within the constraints of the "comic book format." These new X-Men, despite, or perhaps even because of, their return to traditional comic costumes, are far more human in their hopes, fears, guilt, and love than many of their predecessors. And they are far more interesting. If you want to reaquaint yourself with some long lost friends, this series is definitely for you.

As Torn, the third collected storyarc in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Serenity creator Joss Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men begins, our favorite merry mutants are in some deep trouble. Emma Frost is back with the Hellfire Club, and their conspiracy against the X-Men begins to come full circle, as Emma helps the Club take down the X-Men one by one by having them succumb to their worst fears. Cyclops is rendered powerless, Beast is reduced to his feral nature, Wolverine is turned into a prissy boy (you have to see this to believe it), and Colossus is left a victim of his own rage. Kitty Pryde is the only one left, and it's up to her to stop Emma, Cassandra Nova, and the rest of the Hellfire Club dead in their tracks. This becomes even harder when Ord breaks out of prison with help from Danger, and it is revealed just who the X-Man is that is destined to destroy the Breakworld, and who the mole is that's been spying on the X-Men. Whedon's breakneck pacing and quick witted dialogue is about what we've come to expect from the gifted writer, as he throws twist after twist at the reader so quick you won't believe your eyes. Without revealing too many surprises, it becomes safe to say that things will never be the same again for the team, and Whedon's transformation of Cyclops is by far the most interesting twist ever put on the character. With nods to the classic X-stories of Chris Claremont and Grant Morrison, combined with the still spectacular art by John Cassaday (not to mention that we have another mouth watering cliffhanger to boot), Torn ends up being quite a treat.