Joss Whedon

Astonishing X-Men #20 - Written by Joss Whedon - Art by John Cassaday

Dan P.’s Review: With this series racing towards the finale of the whole Breakworld storyline, I’ve been expecting to get an issue or two of build-up, which more or less describes the action in this latest issue. The team finally land on the doomed alien planet, but that’s about it. Sure, there’s also a few of the great character moments we’ve come to expect from Whedon, such as the brilliant and hilarious scene in which Emma Frost finds another creative way to use her powers. There’s also some nice interaction between Wolverine and Hisako, further convincing me that Whedon is one of the only current writers capable of portraying Logan as a three-dimensional character and not the shallow caricature he so often becomes in the hands of less talented scribes. Although I suspect that Whedon intended the last page to be a shock or some sort of substantial development, telling us that the Breakworlders really believe Colossus is going to destroy their world didn’t exactly blow me off my feet. I would have enjoyed at least one substantial development, but I was entertained nonetheless.

Rich’s Take: Astonishing X-Men is a reviewer’s worst nightmare. I’m not joking. Month after month Whedon and Cassaday deliver mutant brilliance. The storyline moves at a healthy pace. The dialogue is crisp and though it does feature Whedon’s trademark banter, it works well and fits the characters. There’s honestly not much more to say. Astonishing makes everyone else in the industry work harder. It’ll be a shame to see the book go in a few issues, but this final arc should be a fitting departure.