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Jan 15, 2012

Ronyell rated it:

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

6 stars!

Brief History:

Alright, I have actually first heard of the “X-Men” series when I was little and it was through a 90s cartoon series entitled “X-Men: The Animated Series.” From that day on, I was so hooked onto the “X-Men” franchise that I practically watched every incarnation of “X-Men” throughout my life which included the animated series “X-Men: Evolution” and I even watched all three “X-Men” movies. Now the t More...

14 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 02, 2012

J.M. rated it:

I haven't picked up an X-Men comic in a long time, unless you count the WOLVERINE ORIGINS: DEADPOOL graphic novel I reviewed recently; example, I had no idea that Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Emma Frost (the White Queen), were a couple. When did that happen? Nevertheless, in ASTONISHING X-MEN, it works. I love the interplay between Scott and Emma, with her love for Scott sullied by her bitterness of what he once shared with Jean Grey. I also like Kitty Pryde's overt mistrust of the White Queen ow More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 20, 2008

Ben rated it:

As a person newer to the comic universe, nothing frightened and confused me more than the plethora of "X-men" comic books. I had assumed to skip on the whole thing until a friend recommended this series written by the eternally intriguing Joss Whedon. Removed from the twisted continuity and stories of the present X-men comics, this series approached the team in some general present time in the marvel universe and created a simpler context with which to follow a very entertaining story. More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2011

Samantha rated it:

To start with I give a warning: I'm a total sucker for the X-Men series. I love it. I have seen every movie and grew up watching the cartoons. I jump at the chance to read one of these whenever I found one. And just for kicks lets toss in that I have 2 different friends who have cats named Gambit.

But on with the actual review. I really enjoyed this adventure. It went a little beyond the usual by placing Scott in charge while being in a relationship with Emma Frost...which I never w More...

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Aug 10, 2011

Joey rated it:

The first volume of Joss Whedon's comics dream job. I've already called a lot of the books I've posted "damn near perfect" or the best of this or that... and that isn't about to change here. With Astonishing X-Men, we're given an X-Men story that is both new in concept and classical in tone, with every character's voice captured perfectly. It hits all the right notes, to such a degree that it may almost seem like pandering to the old school fans... but there's something more going on h More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 03, 2010

Giovanni rated it:

The number of words in this post is going to be few. I am at a loss to adequately describe what I got to be a part of .The X-Men have been a big part of my collection from the number one issue. They were one of the cornerstones of the collection I had till I had to let it go. That being said this graphic novel is probably one of the best executed graphic novels I have ever seen. It is just that good.
The team of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday just blew me away. The story lines were intense an More...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 01, 2009

Kyle rated it:

I've got to say, I'm really disappointed with this story. The last volume of this four volume comic continues the plot of the first, but the middle two are entirely filler. The story itself isn't too great anyway! It's a standard superhero plot (evil aliens are out to destroy the world and only the X-Men can stop them). I can definitely tell that Astonishing X-Men was written by Joss Whedon, though. You can always tell be the clever dialog. The art is fantastic....for the first issue. While I wa More...

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May 15, 2009

Qt rated it:

Collects issues 1 - 6 of "Astonishing X-Men."

I quite liked this collection! I really liked the writing--the characters' "sound" different from each other (they don't all talk the same way) and as for the storyline, the very beginning is quite dark but the rest of it was interesting and intriguing. Of course, it does leave you wanting to read the next issue, with a lot unresolved :-) I also love the art; everybody's very expressive and the pictures are colorful, ea More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 30, 2010

Justyn rated it:

I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I didn't love it. Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy, Firefly, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible) penned a series of X-Men comics under the umbrella title of "Astonishing X-Men.

I enjoyed the writing although at times found it to be a bit disorienting. This is most likely due to the complicated dialogue that Joss had going which would hop around to different scenes and people with no notice. There were several moments where I had to stop and re-read what had just More...

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Jan 31, 2012

Sesana rated it:

There was no question in my mind that Joss Whedon can write, and quite well at that. But can he write the X-Men? The answer, of course, is that he can, and quite well at that.

This is, I believe, the first X book I've picked up in probably eight years. Nightcrawler is my favorite, and between <spoiler>retconning his origin in the most stupid way possible and killing him off</spoiler> I've been avoiding them as unnecessary stressors. But that means that I missed Whedon's ru More...

4 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 21, 2011

Craig rated it:

so, I was an obsessive fan of the x-men for a good many years in my youth. I read every x-title that Marvel published from around 1985 to around 1996 when I just gave up. The reason I quit reading is a long long story for another time, though I am sure that it matches many others....

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I hear that the x-comics are pretty good and have been for awhile and that Whedon (who I will love forever for Firefly no matter what else he may screw up) had done a s More...

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Jan 03, 2010

Craig rated it:

Who better to take a crack at X-Men than Buffy creator Joss Whedon? By the end of this graphic novel, I was asking for more, more, more! Whedon infuses the book with his trademark wit, but also manages to top it off with just enough gravitas to tell a good story. Whedon's always been adept at creating great characters and putting them through the emotional wringer with a great story. He doesn't disappoint here - each character is very distinct, and play off each other well. Sure, it's the s More...

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Sep 03, 2010

Catherine rated it:

What a breath of fresh air this was compared to Ultimate X-Men. This is what I was looking for from the franchise. I did a little bit of research prior to reading it as this picks up after New X-Men apparently. There is a decent amount of inference that can be made from exposition in the volume which helped as well. I am sure many moments would have meant more if there had been more momentum as a reader going in but I still thought it told a great story. Whedon places humor in the right spots an More...

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Aug 26, 2011

Claire rated it:

Thus begins my foray into comic books. Quite honestly, I wouldn't have chosen the X-Men as my first series, but I took the meager offerings of my library. I was pleasantly surprised. I could tell I'd sort of jumped in after something huge had gone down (Magneto... in Manhattan?), and I didn't know all the characters that well. But it wasn't hard to take a quick liking to Dr. McCoy (LOLing forever at that one), Kitty Pryde, and Logan in particular. The story was engaging and not too unwelcoming t More...

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Mar 31, 2011

Justin rated it:

Oh, yes. Yes, this is definitely what I’ve been looking for. This is… yeah. This is X-Men like I remember from back in the days when I was running around my backyard pretending to be Iceman.

The X-books were my comic of choice for many years, so I’ve been itching to get back to them ever since I rediscovered the joy of graphic novels. Trouble is, the mutant books are particularly intimidating for newcomers, or for anyone who hasn’t been paying attention for the past decade or two. So More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2010

Concord Newfree rated it:

I grudgingly give this a 5/5 .

I don't get the feeling that Joss wants to make the best possible storyline possible as much as he wants to show us the biggest, busiest, most explosive storyline. Essentially, he wants to show off.

But add one of my favorite artists into the mix (Cassaday), and I throw up my hands like a teacher and say, okay little Jossey, you have earned an 'A' for your efforts here today.

I am probably in the minority here, but I did not More...

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Nov 27, 2011

Janet rated it:

I started reading the X-Men back in high school, in 1981 or so, about the time Kitty Pryde joined the team. I enjoyed the series until after I got to college, and then the various break-ups and shufflings of new teams lost my interest.

It was very interesting to pick up this new, Joss Whedon version of the team and see the old faces, the old conflicts, the old loves.

If you haven't been reading the X-Men over the years, there are some surprises and some definite holes: how More...

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Apr 17, 2009

Richard rated it:

A surprise find at the library this week...Joss Whedon does not fail in writing this new X-Men graphic novel which collects Astonishing X-Men 1-6.

I'll be honest, I've not read X-Men in a looooong time and am missing quite a bit of history...Professor X is gone. The Beast, is well, really turning into a beast. Cyclops still whining, but not as much as he is now the new leader of the reformed X-Men. Emma Frost, The White Queen, is an X-Men (what the...) Shadowcat is all grown up and Wo More...

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Jan 29, 2009

Ryan rated it:

Apparently the X-Men series hit a good stopping point and, when they started again, they had the inimitable Joss Whedon write the sucker. You can tell by the dialogue (and I bet somebody gets happy and then has their best friend die or their puppy run over as is Whedon's way).
Anyway, Xavier off somewhere (or dead, I couldn't tell which) and a former villain, Frost, is heading the school with Cyclops. Cyclops gets Beast, Shadow Cat, and Wolverine together to revive the X-men as h More...

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Aug 17, 2011

Camille rated it:

This is for the whole series. X-Men as a bad telenovela.

Melodrama. Awesome moment. Melodrama. Cheesy one liners. Awesome moment. Cheesy one liners. Witty repartee. Melodrama. Cliffhanger ending. Big reveal. Awesome moment. Cheesy one liners. Cliffhanger ending. Big Reveal. Cheesy one liners. Cliffhanger ending. Big reveal. Witty repartee. Twist. Twist. Twist. Melodrama. Awesome moment. Melodrama. Cheesy one liners. Awesome moment. Cheesy one liners. Witty repartee. Melodrama. Cliff More...

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Mar 27, 2011

Umang rated it:

Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly/Serenity, Avengers) and John Cassady should work on some more comic book series together. Mostly, Whedon needs to come back to the Marvelverse. "Astonishing X-Men Vol 1" is about a small group of X-Men, who have to deal with yet another threat against mutant-kind.

What makes this story great is that Whedon avoids bringing in a large posse of mutants for the sake of having them in the storyline, and sticks to what he does best, cha More...

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Jul 21, 2011

Maria rated it:

This was great! I'm starting to get the hang of comic books - it's quite a different experience trying to get so much information from pictures when you are used to novels. The art is bright and intense, and I'm getting the feel for how to manuever around the pages.

This one was recommended to me based on the author (Joss Whedon is someone I already know I like) and the fact that I have some background knowledge of the characters. I admit, I was a bit shocked to see Cyclops with Emma F More...

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Aug 10, 2011

Justin rated it:

It wasn't until reading this book that I realized how good Joss Whedon is at writing ensemble stories. Each character here has a unique voice and personality, sometimes those personalities clash within the team, but when it comes time for them to get something done there is a real understanding why they choose to stay together as a team both because of and despite their feelings for one another.

Also featured in the story is the character Kitty Pride. Joss has gone on record that Kitt More...

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Jun 09, 2010

Jeffrey rated it:

I am not a huge superhero fan. I like them but have never followed them seriously. I watch the movies and read a collected comic occasionally. X-men are cool, but I just haven't gotten addicted.

Then, I discovered that Joss Whedon was writing some of the books. I knew I was in. Whedon's X-men really get that "If someone tries to kill you, you try to kill them right back."

Whedon just does great story telling, and this book is no exception. The characters are rich an More...

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May 04, 2011

Chris rated it:

Written by Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and the winner of the 2006 Will Eisner Award for "Best Continuing Series", I can see what the hype was about.

I admit that I read the first issue and just thought "meh..."

But then I read the 2nd issue and thought "Okay, this is picking up nicely..."

And by the end of the 3rd issue I was hooked. Reminded me of what I liked about X-Men when I read it in the Chris Claremont years More...

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Nov 04, 2011

Martin rated it:

Well four stars mean "I really liked it," and I did. Lots of fun things happening, plenty of excitement, introduction of cool characters. Possibility of Wolverine and Cyclops fighting for beers. What's not to like?

There were some great spreads in it that punctuated the story well and I like the art throughout.

More than anything else, it was fun to read. I know that to say comics books need to be funny is both passé and untrue, but the humor in this one really made t More...

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Jul 20, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

I really enjoyed it. My first (decent) graphic novel in about 12 years. I admit, I was lured in by the promise of Joss Whedon's authorship... but it did not disappoint! The dialogue is wonderfully snarky, the drawing is great too. I really enjoyed the depictions of Peter Rasputin in his super mutant form (whatever he is called). Interesting the way Kitty Pryde was drawn as well... she disappears but the symbolism when she is disappearing into and through him was evocative. Underscores the appeal More...

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Aug 28, 2010

Becky rated it:

This is one of my first experiences in the comic book world. It was a little overwhelming at first, lots of back story to learn and superheros to understand. With the help of a handy cheat sheet, I was able to understand what was happening. This book was written by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and his knack for witty dialogue and character development was definitely present in this book. I'm excited to read the rest of the series to see where the characters go and underst More...

1 comment like

Jul 02, 2009

Jostalady rated it:

I like Joss Whedon. Did you see Serenity based on Firefly? How about Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog? Well, I had heard great things about Astonishing X-Men, I had very high expectations and it is indeed really good. I just feel like I missed a big chunk of information I needed to get before I started this one. I have a lot of trust that the plots line up, I mean come on...this is Joss Whedon! I am going to have to read more of the other series and hope to fill in the gaps. Anyone know what order More...

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Jan 31, 2010

Lloyd rated it:

Joss Whedon does pretty nicely in this volume on continuing where Grant Morrison's "New X-Men" left off. I had just learned recently that that was the intent of this series and I must say, in this first volume, that intent comes through.

Whedon dispenses with the "yay team" mentality and gets down to what these characters would be like if they were real people, living with each other day in and day out, a concept he pulls off admirably. Teeming with smart subject More...

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