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Underground > Comic Books >

Astonishing X-Men Year Two

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21:05 / 24.02.06

I always read the St. Paul on the road to Damascus moment as Emma realizing it was to her personal benefit to hang out around the X-Men, not any moral leap.

And it could be rationalized that it wasn't her decision in the first place. Her mind has been screwed with, memories and all that. She's not being relied on to be evil, she's being relied on to ultimately act in self-preservation at all times, which she did in Morrison's run.

21:27 / 24.02.06

Where's the retcon, aside from the mutation? How is this throwing away anything Morrison did? We still don't know what's happening.

One could (if one didn't mind appearing pedantic) distinguish between a "hard" retcon, which explicitly contradicts and overwrites previous continuity (a famous example being Byrne's "Man of Steel" rewrite of Superman's origin), and a "soft" retcon, which alters past continuity by adding new information that recontextualizes previously known events without directly contradicting them. The work under discussion would seem to be an example of the latter.

23:07 / 24.02.06

I LOVE the art, but I agree with those who think the main story is pretty duuuuuuu-(think Ju-On/The Grudge)-uuuuuuull. Whether or not Emma is evil again or just plain nuts doesn't matter. Who cares? Both have been done and the thought of either doesn't move me at all. Emma as Dark Phoenix-vestite was "oh shit!"-level effective when GM and FQ did it back in New X-Men, but now it's just kinda... so what?

Is ASTONISHING still worth checking out? Aside from the art? Well, there are some nice moments: Hank "leashing" himself to his lab. Logan as the new Danger Room. Scott doing the bills. Kitty and Peter FINALLY going at it... and Emma watching.

I guess my big problem with Joss is (and has been) that I don't like his overall storyarcs, but I do dig his little moments.

BTW Somebody upthread mentioned seeing Ernst this issue somewhere... are you sure about that? Where? 'Cuz I can't see her if she's there.

Imaginary Mongoose Solutions

23:18 / 24.02.06

Ernst is in the latest New X-Men, I think. She also has a write-up (that leaves her Cassandra-ness open) in the 198 Files.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

14:43 / 25.02.06

Does anyone know how long this story is going to be? Is it another six-parter?

(Mod Hat: I'm also going to move for some changes to the title and summary. We don't need another series of seperate threads per issue surely?)

15:02 / 25.02.06

I doubt that Emma will go bad, at least permanently. My interest is how SHE will react to Cassanrda's nudging. She's the hero in the belly of the beast: I think that's what Whedon is going for here, rather than "Oooo! Emma is eevil again!"

16:39 / 25.02.06

I'd be more annoyed if it turns out that Cassie/Ernst is perpetually going to turn evil again, and again, and...
Her redemption was her point, no? You know there's no real hope in fixing Sabretooth or Magneto suddenly waking up and just walking the straight and narrow being a decent human being... because, as readers, we've seen it happen and go away too often. Cassie was different. We're introduced to her and very quickly she's given a nice arc of redemption to the point where, as Ernst, she's absolutely our gravity-well of sympathy in some scenes. And the future arc of Morrison's? She may be cursed with the evil eyebrows for all time, but she's honestly trying to be a useful human being and do something good. And, still being very, 'I told you so' as she'd have to to live up to her name.
Wolverine, Rogue, these are people who did wrong, sometimes lots of it, but the X-Men helped them turn around, and inevitably they're more interesting for that. Rogue going evil again, or Wolverine going evil... it's inane. Wolverine as a Skrull Horseman ushering in the old Apocalypse for his thirtieth rebirth of the decade inane.

But, maybe it'll go in some other direction and get good. After all, the Danger Room arc really picked up halfway through, didn't it?

Regrettable Juvenilia

22:55 / 28.02.06

A few things:

- This isn't any more of an outrageous retcon than Charles Xavier having a secret twin sister whom he tried to murder in the womb, who was also the next step in evolution and also a legendary Shi'ar monster. It's fairly obvious how Emma's two key moments of interaction with Cassandra could be reinterpreted as having helped or at least preserved her. Then again, when Emma tricked Cassie in Imperial, she might not have been operating under Cassie's control, or even attempting to con her way out of the (clearly not entirely voluntary) deal. There's no sacrilege here.

- "You won't even remember you were here until I let you" might be a straight steal from the Praetor Lemnos/Brainiac 5 conversation in Mark Waid's Legion.

- It's interesting that Cassandra isn't the one in charge here. Was she already working with/for this Perfection character prior to her meeting with Emma, or did the two of them get recruited later on?

- A nicely consistent characterisation of Scott Summers here, as just like at the start of Morrison's run, he's distancing himself from his current partner, doesn't want to come to bed, doesn't want to talk about. Repress, repress, repress.

- I love, love, love the Peak, and Agent Brand's scornful dismissal of the Helicarrier as being beneath her/it.

lonely as a cloud...

08:40 / 01.03.06

Seeing as I didn't really get a satisfactory answer to my question the first time around, could anybody who *enjoyed* AXM tell me if I'm missing out on much by not having read all GM's run on NXM? Particularly regarding the Emma/Cassie interaction. I mean, I do intend to pick up the rest of the NXM trades, but should I prioritise them to get more out of AXM?

08:57 / 01.03.06

It'll probably make this new run more enjoyable in a backstory, easter egg kinda way I'd imagine.

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

09:58 / 01.03.06

Or in a "This Is The Single Best Superhero Novel Ever Published" kind of way.

10:01 / 01.03.06

It is kinda good, yeah, but I don't want the poster thinking they have to buy an entire previous run to enjoy one he's just checking out now.

Regrettable Juvenilia

10:12 / 01.03.06

I dunno, I'm wary of applying the word 'novel' to runs on comics anyway, but something as diffuse and variable (changing artists, changing tone) and, let's be frank, full of lorry-sized plot holes as Morrison's X-Men run really doesn't seem to suit the term. But this is off-topic...

17:57 / 01.03.06

>> I love, love, love the Peak

The Peak's design looked very much like something that the Firefly/Serenity design team/concept artists would have come up with. It looked like one of the space stations or spaceships you'd see (albeit rarely) in the TV show.

17:59 / 01.03.06

Also, it kind of looked like Darth Vader's special long sleek Star Destroyer from Empire (called The Excelsior I believe) with two rings arond it.

19:57 / 01.03.06

-rot

Perhaps you mean the Executor-class Star Dreadnought / Super Star Destroyer?

end rot -

I'm fairly enjoying AXM. Not my favorite comic, but it isn't too shabby.

20:10 / 01.03.06

ah,yes, the Executor, that's what I was thinking of. The threadrot isn't too bad, we're talking about a ship's design that's in the comic, after all.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

16:28 / 05.03.06

The real problem here for me is that Whedon wrote six good issues and six really bad issues, so I can't tell whether he's just going to crap over what little remains in continuity of Grant's run or whether he's going to be clever with it. This might be intended to be Emma going crazy, most of the new Hellfire Club could be figments of her imagination, Perfection's white gloves would suggest it's Emma under there, but the meeting with Cassie Nova several years ago would seem to discount that. However, to suggest that the entire first year of Grant's run was just part of a larger scheme that Cassie was contributing to, that's worse than the whole Xorn's twin brother thing.

I did like Logan's training session and the rationale behind it.

the credible hulk

16:41 / 05.03.06

Well, having read a couple of recent interviews with Whedon, he seems to hold Grant's run in very high esteem. So hopefully he's treating it with a certain respect while he draws from it.

16:38 / 13.03.06

So did some intrepid comics fan come up with a translation for what looks to be Chinese or Mandarian or something (the exchange between the kid, Hisako? and Logan)?

Also, how did Kitty's father/parents die? Was it in the midst of a superhero extravaganza?

I think Hank is maybe working on a cure for himself (not to make him not a mutant anymore, but to de-Lionize himself)...there must be some real plot seed Whedon is planting here other than "Hank is a workaholic."

17:56 / 13.03.06

According to Whedon's previous arc, Kitty's dad was in Genosha when the Sentinels stomped it. Why he would've been there, since IIRC he was a virulent mutant-hater, I don't know -- it's all been off-panel.

17:58 / 13.03.06

Hisako Ishiki: It's a shame that they admitted a murderous gorilla as a teacher isn't it ...

Wolverine: Don't you think it's shameful to your ancestors that your always complaining

Someone came up with this translation on one of the comic boards.

Imaginary Mongoose Solutions

18:10 / 13.03.06

The Kitty's dad in Genosha thing was a holdover from Ben Raab's Excalibur, I think. Kitty kept getting reports of her dad working with mutants down there. I think I recall a Raab interview that said the intention was that it was actually Pete Wisdom using the alias "Cameron Pryde" as a way to get Kitty's attention. Or maybe that was in X-Force?

Anyway, it was just assumed he died with the rest of well.. everyone else in Genosha and Clarement even ran with it. Until now. Bum-bum-bum.

Regrettable Juvenilia

18:45 / 13.03.06

there must be some real plot seed Whedon is planting here other than "Hank is a workaholic."

I think that's the exact plot seed: Whedon has said that this arc will be very "internal" and character-orientated.

18:48 / 13.03.06

I think Hank is maybe working on a cure for himself (not to make him not a mutant anymore, but to de-Lionize himself)...there must be some real plot seed Whedon is planting here other than "Hank is a workaholic."

I just assumed that he's working on the cure to human agression that he figured out during Grant's run. He's free to do so now that Sublime is out of the picture and Scott and Emma are running the school. I might be wrong, however, my awareness of all things X-men has been sporadic since the end of the Here Comes Tomorrow arc.

18:49 / 13.03.06

Hank's been a workaholic the last 10 years or so hasn't he? First he locked himself in his lab trying to cure the Legacy virus, then he locked himself in his lab trying to figure out the human extiction thing, and in this current arc he's locked himself in his lab again. Prof X needs to fire his ass so that the fun loving Beast can return and join the Avengers.

18:52 / 13.03.06

Psst! That's why Grant said Beast was bi(multi?)polar. He's jovial or manic or depressed or angry.

19:49 / 13.03.06

thanks for the translation, Jack!

Twig the Wonder Kid

13:04 / 19.04.06

Quick question: does this issue make any acknowledgement of the events of House of M, Decimation etc?

13:38 / 19.04.06

I don't believe so, if memory serves...I'd read that for the most part, Whedon will not deal with all the big Marvel crossovers (House of M, Civil War, etc.) They might get like a line or two mention but not much more than that. Whedon's run will be pretty much self-contained. (although apparently Bendis mentioned in an interview that Whedon contributed a few plot points to Civil War's plot) And I don't think issue 13 refers to House of M at all.

16:58 / 20.04.06

Comics Continuum says it has a four-page preview of #14, but the preview is actually not present at all. hmmm....

13:38 / 21.04.06

There is a preview on IGN. No dialogue though.

11:20 / 25.04.06

I think Hank is maybe working on a cure for himself (not to make him not a mutant anymore, but to de-Lionize himself)...there must be some real plot seed Whedon is planting here other than "Hank is a workaholic."

Maybe that's why he was sporting his old apehead while attending Storm's lovely wedding. Is that Kitty Pryde as Storm's maid of honor over there? Also, it seems Scott and Emma's invites got lost in the mail...wouldn't have figured Storm as the petulant type.

13:34 / 25.04.06

Why has Black Goliath been so prevalent in the promos lately?

And do we need to call him Black Goliath? How about just Goliath.

And, to stay on topic, notice Xavier is still in the wheelchair. That just smashed my hopes for ape Beast to come back.

Regrettable Juvenilia

15:17 / 25.04.06

Xavier is not in that (very bad, shame on Frank Cho) picture.

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