Joss Whedon

Mind games are the least of Danger’s problems...

Written by: Joss Whedon
Penciled/Inked by: John Cassaday
Colors by: Laura Martin
Letters by: Chris Eliopoulos
Assistant Editor: Cory Sedlmeier & Stephanie Moore
Editor: Mike Marts
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Published by: Marvel Comics

Reading this issue makes me feel like a 12-year-old again after seeing a blockbuster movie like Terminator 2 or Aliens for the first time. Your adrenaline is up, and you feel like punching the air and yelling something ridiculous like "kick a$$!!"

It’s no secret I’m not a huge fan of the villain "Danger" and indeed many of the elements of this arc so far. That said, in Whedon’s penultimate issue before he and artist John Cassaday take a bit of a break, they pull out all the stops and make Xavier into the biggest bad-a$$ I’ve seen in a comic book in a long time.

Though he’s been portrayed as tough-as-nails in the past, there is something much more viceral about Xavier in this issue. Despite the fact that he’s crippled and he’s powers seem more existential than tangible, he beats the living crap out of a machine that single-handedly smacked down the whole team last issue.

You get a bit of a giddy thrill seeing Xavier driving a big rig, smashing through walls, and then just sitting propped against a wall with a hatchet in one hand and Danger’s head in the other. As he drags himself back towards his chair, she utters one simple word, "bastard," that not only made me laugh but sets the mood for the rest of the issue.

The X-Men arrive after being conveniently healed by the Institutes stock of healers (comically used at that), only to have Xavier chuck Danger’s head over his shoulder into Peter’s waiting arms. Admittedly, I would have liked to have seen more of a moment between the two men who have had a lot of friction in their past (Peter’s defection for Magneto’s team at one point) but Whedon doesn’t stop things there to allow for more to happen.

It’s fantastic stuff. It is cinematic in its approach, which obviously speaks to Whedon’s background, and yet it plays off of everything so well that despite the long wait between issues, you feel that the payoff was worth it. That said, I don’t want to wait another two months for the final part.

The complaints about this issue are minor for th e most part, with my biggest gripe being the overly sensational impaling of Shadowcat and Colossus last issue to them having nothing more than a scratch here after some quick healing. I’m pretty sure that should have killed them instantly, but for the sake of exciting storytelling it is more fun to keep them around.

No one believed they were dead anyway, but the whole team looked as though they should be dead by the end. Whedon at least uses healers in a fun way to show that the team was beat up, and the resulting moment between Shadowcat and Colossus was handled so beautifully in a way that had not yet happened in the series, that I’m willing to ignore this impaling of Whedon’s.

The art here by Cassaday isn’t as strong as it has been in issues past and leaves a little bit to be desired. His splash pages are done well, particularly with the arrival of another threat at the end of the issue as well as his Shadowcat/Colossus scene, but other panels seem a bit more rushed than I would have liked.

I’m glad Whedon and Cassaday are staying on for another year, because I’m enjoying this book in ways I hadn’t enjoyed X-Men in years. There is a playful nature to it despite the serious undertones which results in fabulous entertainment. For those looking for a serious side to the team and a good solid 12 issues of storytelling, this is the series for you.

I can’t wait to see what happens next, how it ties into House of M, and why the last page teases that next issue, "Xavier’s a jerk!"