Volume 36: Astonishing X-Men: Gifted

Astonishing X-Men: Gifted

Author: Joss Whedon  |  Illustrator: John Cassaday

"Maybe Scott and Logan could fight on the lawn again. The kids love that."

Astonishing X-Men is a continuation of Grant Morrison's New X-Men title, although it makes some big changes, not least in the costume department. Joss Whedon assumes writing duties. He's something of a comic nerd. He probably earned his hundred-metre nerd dash badge in high school. But such folks often write the best comics because they care about the material; it's not just a job, it's a passion.

For me, Joss' clever puns actually work better in written form. When Wolverine delivers a Whedon put-down it makes me grin insanely, but in live action they more often than not seem forced and immature.

The author's greatest strength as a writer, however, is the group dynamic. He strips away all the unnecessary action scenes that can plague a title like this and finds the real heart of the story by focussing almost completely on the character relationships.

Scott leads the team but is struggling to make his authority felt. With Jean gone he's lost in a kind of limbo. He tries not to show it for both personal and professional reasons. He needs the support of his friends but they're busy squabbling amongst themselves.

Furthermore, the discovery of a mutant "cure" puts the team on alert. The story studies the effect it has on the mutant population as a whole, and the tightly knit X-Men team as individuals. Yes, it's the story they took the idea from for the third film, but don't hold that against it; it shits all over the film from a very great height.

There's a purity and focus evident herein that team-based comics often struggle with. It's not bogged down by a convoluted continuity or filled with excessive characters that have no real agenda.

The book collects together Astonishing X-Men (Vol 3) #1–6.

Verdict: