Joss Whedon

Marvel Comics has provided THE PULSE with an exclusive five page preview from Astonishing X-Men #5, the fifth part in the six-part Cure story. The issue is in stores September 22 and is written by Joss Whedon with art by John Cassaday and Laura Martin. Now we’ve updated the story with a few quick answers from Editor Mike Marts.

SPOILER WARNING - IF you haven’t read ASTONISHING X-MEN # 4 yet, DO NOT read any further.

In the current Astonishing X-Men six-part opening adventure from Joss Whedon, John Cassaday, and Laura Martin, a research facility has claimed to have a cure for the "mutant disease" while an alien named Ord of the Breakworld, with strange ties to the facility, has decided it wants to destroy the X-Men. When the Dr. Henry McCoy a.k.a. the Beast obtained and examined a sample from the proposed cure, he discovered something startling and horrifying: a mutant is being used as a test subject - a mutant supposed to be very dead. Assuming it’s Jean Grey, a team made up of Beast, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, and Wolverine make their way to the Benetech research facility, determined to find answers and learn exactly what’s going on. In a sub-sub basement, amidst a sea of guards, Kitty is astonished to discover an old friend in the flesh, but he’s not the one she’s expecting. And she’s even more shocked when the supposedly deceased mutant thinks she’s a ghost and that he must have finally made his way to heaven!

As if discovering exactly what’s going on at Benetech isn’t trouble enough for the X-Men, while they’re exploring the facility and attacked by capable guards, their students are attacked at the mansion by Ord of the Breakworld. Ord plans on leaving the X-Men a message - possibly written in the blood of students!

The story ends with the fate of more than one young mutant left up in the air: the X-Men under attack at Benetech, and Kitty stunned by her discovery. Issue five comes out September 22, but you don’t have to wait that long to catch a glimpse at the action. Marvel Comics has provided THE PULSE with five pages from the issue.

We recently caught up with editor Mike Marts to ask him a few quick questions about the issue ...

THE PULSE: What have been some of the biggest challenges to editing this series so far?

MIKE MARTS: Most of the challenges happened early in the game, getting both Joss and John signed up for the project, deciding when to launch, etc. But honestly, since then, the entire process has run surprisingly smooth. Joss and John are both such outstanding professionals in terms of creativity, talent and reliability that this project is really an editor’s dream.

THE PULSE: This story has been filled with a lot of red herrings so far - almost to the point where it’s tough to think "did I just read that?" or "is this really what’s going on?" Why do you think having those plot devices are working so well for this series?

MARTS: Extremely well. Any fan of Joss’s television work knows that he’s a writer who continually keeps you guessing—always delivering with the big payoff and seldom disappointing. Astonishing has been no different.

THE PULSE: Why was it right with this character to not follow the "dead is dead" policy that Joe Quesada has talked about so many times?

MARTS: Stay tuned.

THE PULSE: What’s coming up in the penultimate part of the Gifted storyarc?

MARTS: We learn a little bit more about what’s been going on with the returned character ... and the X-Men get into deeper trouble.

THE PULSE: Why should the Whedon, Cassaday, Martin Astonishing X-Men not be missed?

MARTS: Because they are truly daring to go where the X-Men have never been before.