Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Astonishing X-Men #25
Marvel Comics
Ellis & Bianci

The start of the new arc in Astonishing plays a lot of setup. Having not read any of the previous issues of Astonishing, but reading the other X-Men titles I wasn’t sure what to expect. It would seem I didn’t need to read any of the previous issues to understand this one. There is a mutant I am not familiar with, but for the most part the roster is standard. I enjoyed the art a lot and liked the premise, but this issue was a little slow with a ramp up and had a lot of banter, both good and bad.

The issue starts with the mutants sort of establishing themselves. Wolverine is passed out drunk, Beast is singing to himself and the new mutant, Armor, is in search of a new name. There is a lot of good banter between Cyclops and Emma, much of it sexual. When the team finally comes together, Storm arrives to join the roster. She too, has some more sex humor. This is becoming overkill quickly.

On the other hand, Storm has good banter with Wolverine. So with all this banter I guess some it is bound to stick while others aren’t. In any case, the reader is shown a lot of the interactions between the team members.

The band of mutants embarks on their task. They now live in San Francisco and they are consulting with the police department. This idea seem like it could be an interesting one. They are put on a case of a dead body that appears to be a mutant. From here, the hunt begins for information. That’s pretty much how the issue ends. Wolverine, Emma, Beast, Armor, Storm and Cyclops are going to check on some of their leads abroad.

The issue is pretty straightforward. The enjoyment comes from checking out how the team interacts. However, the problem is the players involved. Why would they tail along a total novice mutant? Whatever, Wolverine’s purpose was in this issue it was lost as he was the butt of most jokes. It just feels like the roster is overkill for the task at hand.

I loved the artwork. I loved the overlaying multiple panels per page. I found the images to be a little dark, but not so much that I was confused. On the other hand, many panels have zero background. I tend to like to see a page or panel filled, but I guess you don’t run the risk of having delays when you don’t have a fully drawn page.

I do like the plot setup. I think having the mutants staying low key from the government and working with the police department to be a very interesting twist. I also like the science behind explaining the seemingly dead mutant that was found. This story has the potential for some legs if it plays out well.

So for an issue that does a lot of table setting, I think this issue satisfies, but doesn’t wow. I am still on the fence about continuing with this arc. I was hoping to come away with a bigger impression then the one I got. Not a bad issue, but going to knock your socks off either.

3.5 out of 5 geek goggles


Astonishing X-Men #25