Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon & John Cassaday Ultimate Collection Book 2 (Astonishing X-Men (2004-2013))

Okay, if you're reading this review, for the second half of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's  Astonishing X-Men , then you probably already know what this is all about already. I'd just like to add, for anyone who's coming to this for the first time, that although both books in this series form to create one big self-contained epic, the first issue in this volume (issue #13) was actually released almost a year after the last issue of the first book (#12). Quite a few radical changes had happened within the Marvel universe during this period (particularly in the X-Men world), and Whedon does a great job of referencing these changes and staying contemporary, without meandering away from his story. Both of the major changes are quickly referenced in the first chapter of this book. The first, when Wolverine tells his students that "A lot's happened, buncha students gone", refers to the after effects of  House of M  and the  Childhood's End  arc of `New X-Men'. The second reference is when Maria Hill shows up as Director of SHIELD instead of Nick Fury, due to the events of  Secret War . This information is only worth considering if, like me, you like to read your Marvel comics within a greater tapestry of stories, so you can easily forget about these tiny references if you're reading this as a self-contained story!Like the first volume, this book contains two interconnected story arcs which tie into the whole 25 issue run. The first arc, which deals with the fallout from Grant Morrison's  New X-Men , was, in my opinion, the highlight of this run. However, I thought that the following arc, in which the X-Men are sent to space and have to "save the world", kind of lost sight of what made the preceding issues so special. Full of action from beginning to end, and guest stars galore, it's nothing like the grounded well characterised drama that came before. No doubt, it was Whedon's intention from the very start to focus on this completely different aspect of the X-Men at the end, but I think it was a little bit too overblown, what with all the pointless guest stars and everything (and there really wasn't any real point why they were there). That said, it is always quite cool to see a writer of Whedon's calibre depicting some of my favourite superheroes, even if only briefly.Great book, over all, though. A good, satisfying conclusion to one of the best X-Men stories ever. Even the later `Astonishing X-Men' stories, by such otherwise great writers as Warren Ellis, won't come anywhere near the level of this.

I bought this because I had read the previous two arcs and a) wanted to know what was happening with the Hellfire Club and b) wanted to read the bit where Kitty got chucked into space, especially as I had been so moved by Magneto bringing her home. However, I did not hold out much hope that it would be wonderful because, while I had enjoyed the previous two arcs, I had felt that something was missing, perhaps a faint sense that they were rather mechanical. I was wrong. These last two arc are EPIC (yes, so epic that it deserves capitals!). I shall review the two arcs separately:Torn was a marvel of characterisation and plotting. Without wasting an iota of time in build-up, a bizarre and confusing tale unfolds in which Emma's loyalties are deeply unclear and Cassandra Nova wreaks absolute havoc as only this most potent of villains can. All of the X-Men are attacked in the cruellest possible way and in the end Scott comes through as the real man he is. I know a lot of people dislike Scott but for me he is one of the most realistic characters in the comics world. He, like most of us would in reality, knows how important and hard-won each victory is and generally does what is necessary. Anyway, mini-peon to Summers over, I would say this arc is a significant step-up from Dangerous and finishes all the necessary groundwork for Unstoppable.Unstoppable is where everything comes together. In amongst a fantastic, epic plot in space, all the various character developments running though the entire series come to a climax; Scott and Emma, Piotr and Kitty (or Peter and Katya, whatever takes your fancy!) and even Beast finds some sort of an answer to the problems bedevilling him. Meanwhile, the Breakworld is finally revealed and is a lot more interesting and exciting than the rather boring Ord indicated while an interesting theme of the value of mercy runs through the story. Utterly entertaining, utterly brilliant, the story comes to an incredible climax as Kitty makes an terrible sacrifice and literally saves the whole world. Astonishing indeed.

The book arrived in excelent condition.

The remainder of the Astonishing X-Men run with all of Joss Whedon's skill and ability on display.Characters are strong, interesting and multi-layered and I ended up caring about their loves and losses.I wasn't keen on one of the key villains of the piece, it was a clever idea that didn't quite work for me but all round a good tale well told.

Excellent writing and decent art.

Not convinced by this. I guess at least they tried to do something a bit different - no time travelling in it.

Art is amazing!