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Astonishing X-Men (2004) (Collected Editions)
Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 7: Monstrous
Not all monsters are easy to spot - some of them live among us, undetected or long forgotten. Some of them live inside us, in the dark corners of our hearts, feeding on our secret fears of loss. But in the Marvel Universe, most of them live on Monster Island. Or, at least, they did. A mysterious exodus is under way; monsters spilling onto nearby shores - with catastrophic results - and it falls upon a small group of X-Men to both save the population from destruction and solve an imposing riddle: What are monsters afraid of? Get ready for a widescreen blockbuster filled with classic monsters, heart-stopping revelations and over-the-top action!
Collecting: Astonishing X-Men 36-37, 39, 41
Collecting: Astonishing X-Men 36-37, 39, 41
120 pages, Hardcover
First published November 23, 2011
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287 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
August 10, 2023
Daniel Way's Astonishing X-Men begins with this rather old-style tale... a visit to Japan, and then Monster Island to face a villain from the X-Men's past. The touching side-story save it though, as one of the team suffers a personal tragedy, and seeks to come to terms with it. 7 out of 12, not-so-astonishing Three Star read.
2018 read
2018 read
June 6, 2019
So, as much as it might seem like I read, I actually read even more that I don’t bother to rate/review! Why not? Well, I’m conscious that a lot of what I post, while all 100% my honest opinions, tends to skew to the negative and I really don’t need to add to that with books that made zero impression on me!
However, I do keep a list of every book I read and, after finishing Astonishing X-Men, Volume 7: Monstrous, I was surprised to find that this was one of those books I’d read but never bothered rating/reviewing (I think I originally read it on MU and this was a liberry book).
Well - not THAT surprised as it is a truly unmemorable book and I can see why I just shrugged when I finished it the first time and moved on! Still, I think I’ll rate/review it this time around so future me doesn’t re-read it a third time!
Daniel Way is one of my favourite comics writers and I think he’s very underrated. However, he’s also not above putting out the occasional utterly forgettable clunker which this book evidently is!
Roxxon wants to drill for oil beneath Monster Island except Mentallo is holding them to ransom by mind-controlling the island’s monsters and interrupting their work. Elsewhere, Armor finds out her mother and brother have died in a car accident so she travels home to Tokyo for the funeral with Wolverine, Cyclops and Emma Frost in tow. Fin Fang Foom disrupts things momentarily, the gang go to Monster Island, etc.
Way’s writing and storytelling is as slick and smooth as it usually is but the story itself is just so unremarkable it’s no wonder I didn’t remember it. I didn’t like Jason Pearson’s art, even with some Sara Pichelli pages thrown in, and Nick Bradshaw’s art looked much worse than his later work on Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men.
No dice - even for Daniel Way/X-Men fans, Monstrous is astonishingly bland reading!
However, I do keep a list of every book I read and, after finishing Astonishing X-Men, Volume 7: Monstrous, I was surprised to find that this was one of those books I’d read but never bothered rating/reviewing (I think I originally read it on MU and this was a liberry book).
Well - not THAT surprised as it is a truly unmemorable book and I can see why I just shrugged when I finished it the first time and moved on! Still, I think I’ll rate/review it this time around so future me doesn’t re-read it a third time!
Daniel Way is one of my favourite comics writers and I think he’s very underrated. However, he’s also not above putting out the occasional utterly forgettable clunker which this book evidently is!
Roxxon wants to drill for oil beneath Monster Island except Mentallo is holding them to ransom by mind-controlling the island’s monsters and interrupting their work. Elsewhere, Armor finds out her mother and brother have died in a car accident so she travels home to Tokyo for the funeral with Wolverine, Cyclops and Emma Frost in tow. Fin Fang Foom disrupts things momentarily, the gang go to Monster Island, etc.
Way’s writing and storytelling is as slick and smooth as it usually is but the story itself is just so unremarkable it’s no wonder I didn’t remember it. I didn’t like Jason Pearson’s art, even with some Sara Pichelli pages thrown in, and Nick Bradshaw’s art looked much worse than his later work on Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men.
No dice - even for Daniel Way/X-Men fans, Monstrous is astonishingly bland reading!
October 4, 2014
2.5 stars
There just wasn't a lot of oomph to this one.
I mean, it had a really good premise, but didn't deliver the goods.
Armor gets a spike in her powers, and then immediately finds out that both her mother and brother have died in a car accident.
Should be able to squeeze some FEELS! out of that one, right?
Meanwhile, Mentallo gets control of the creatures on Monster Island, and in a very Godzilla'like turn of events, sets one of them loose on Tokyo.
Corny plot, but it's somewhat workable.
Unfortunately, none of the good stuff is really explored as well as it should have been. It's a fairly short volume, so maybe that contributed to it's downfall?
My opinion is that Armor and her family troubles should have been delved into a little more, and the Monster Island thing a little less.
The two stories running simultaneously didn't flow, because they are so different in nature.
A monster stomping on buildings in Tokyo?
That's total camp. Which is fine, as long as the entire story is lighthearted and silly.
But when you add in a child trying to deal with the level of heartbreak that Armor was faced with, it just didn't work.
It's readable, but not special.
There just wasn't a lot of oomph to this one.
I mean, it had a really good premise, but didn't deliver the goods.
Armor gets a spike in her powers, and then immediately finds out that both her mother and brother have died in a car accident.
Should be able to squeeze some FEELS! out of that one, right?
Meanwhile, Mentallo gets control of the creatures on Monster Island, and in a very Godzilla'like turn of events, sets one of them loose on Tokyo.
Corny plot, but it's somewhat workable.
Unfortunately, none of the good stuff is really explored as well as it should have been. It's a fairly short volume, so maybe that contributed to it's downfall?
My opinion is that Armor and her family troubles should have been delved into a little more, and the Monster Island thing a little less.
The two stories running simultaneously didn't flow, because they are so different in nature.
A monster stomping on buildings in Tokyo?
That's total camp. Which is fine, as long as the entire story is lighthearted and silly.
But when you add in a child trying to deal with the level of heartbreak that Armor was faced with, it just didn't work.
It's readable, but not special.
February 15, 2016
Cheap, bargain priced hardcover graphic novels are my weakness; I'm pretty much compelled to buy them to save them from being ignored by philistines. I pretty much spend most of my disposable income this way.
This collected edition of Astonishing X-Men issues would have worked better if Nick Bradshaw penciled all of it. I'm not a big fan of Jason Pearson, though one would admit his art is pretty expressive.
I wished the writer Daniel Way would have focused on the monsters. The side plot of Armor and her loss seemed forced and I didn't really care for it at all.
I may have pegged Bradshaw as an Art Adams clone early on but I do like his detailed pencils. His art resembles Adams' in more ways than one but apparently, both of them like drawing hulking inhuman monsters.
This was a nice quick read, a nice palate cleanser succeeding Warren Ellis' cerebral run on the title.
This collected edition of Astonishing X-Men issues would have worked better if Nick Bradshaw penciled all of it. I'm not a big fan of Jason Pearson, though one would admit his art is pretty expressive.
I wished the writer Daniel Way would have focused on the monsters. The side plot of Armor and her loss seemed forced and I didn't really care for it at all.
I may have pegged Bradshaw as an Art Adams clone early on but I do like his detailed pencils. His art resembles Adams' in more ways than one but apparently, both of them like drawing hulking inhuman monsters.
This was a nice quick read, a nice palate cleanser succeeding Warren Ellis' cerebral run on the title.
October 29, 2015
In the next seven issues of The Astonishing X-Men, two writers (Daniel Way and Cristos Gage) contributed two story arcs and whose issues were published in alternate succession of each other. The first story arc penned by Way is entitled Monstrous and has four installments (issues #36-37, #39, and #41). Meanwhile, Gage has Meanwhile (a rather dull title for an arc that was better handled than the aforementioned former) composed of issues #38, #40, and #42. Now, the reason why I'm combining their reviews in one official post in my X-Men blogger is because there isn't much to stay about them separately. One was an entertaining yet excusably average story while the latter was nothing but a disappointing trite and a colossal waste of my time. So I decided to just unite them here in a single post, just to save myself the pain of discussing and elaborating on specific points in either story that ultimately don't warrant that much of my attention span. On the other hand, for my Goodreads review counterpart, this post will be divided accordingly between the volumes, but I will still shamelessly copypasta this introductory paragraph because fuck it. Some X-Men stories are just plain awful that reviewing it causes me actual headache. I had three or four or those already, and Daniel Way's baffling Monstrous is one of those unfortunate few.
THE ASTONISHING X-MEN VOLUME 7: MONSTROUS
Here is what you need to know about Monstrous: it's an underwhelming spectacle of C-level narrative (illustrated quite terribly too; I was not a fan of the artwork that came along with this arc) that featured some throwaway villain you never would have remembered unless you googled about him. Heck, I googled about him and I could only recall him in passing and even then I think I have mistaken him for somebody else. The villain's name is called Mentallo who is a telepath and a mercenary, flip-flopping his way through villainy by being a backstabbing bitch, serving for S.H.I.E.L.D one moment, and then HYDRA the next. There are other organizations he belonged in but I don't really give a racoon's feces fuck about his credentials because for Way's story, he was absolutely flavorless. Even a week-old bowl of soggy noodles in the darkest corner of my fridge has more flavor than Mentallo. He even stated it himself--in a brilliant moment of self-awareness and self-deprecation--that everyone thinks he's a fucking joke. SPOILER ALERT: HE TRULY IS . In the most pitifully boring way possible, he's a joke.
He hijacked an oil-drilling operation headed by a man named Roxxon just so he can demand ransom money. The island where this operation was being conducted in is the infamous Kaibutsu Jima or Monster Island. One of the monsters was sent to Japan to wreak havoc but I'm not really sure. The X-Men composed of Emma, Cyclops, Wolverine and Armor (the lovely Hisako who really should have gotten a better character arc for this story) responded to the emergency. They were in Japan in the first place because Hisako's mother and brother were killed in an accident. She has to attend a very awkward funeral ceremony where her father was a total lukewarm bastard who was grieving the fact that he lost the son and got stuck with the daughter instead. This allowed Hisako some room for character development when she took on the monster by herself. With the death of her close relatives, her power surged and allowed her to become a bigger armored mutant equipped to go head to head with a Godzilla-like monster. Good for Hisako, but her character arc was unjustly overshadowed by the stupid main plot concerning Mentallo and his evil plans to get money while mind-controlling monsters to do his bidding. Seriously, HE IS SOOOOO LAME.
The four installments were mediocre, presented with visually unappealing art (the characters look so weird and facially elongated in the most unflattering ways possible), saved only by those tiny moments with Hisako and her father in the second part and the last. But those faint touches of humanity don't make this story arc any less disappointing or silly in the most upsetting manner possible. Hisako whose loss and grief should have felt more meaningful and resonant in the pages, was also inconsistently characterized. Way's attempt at humor by making her say such cliché things that a teenage girl would say does a disservice to her obvious emotional maturity after experiencing so much, starting from the death of her close friend Wing back in Whedon's run. I would much rather have Hisako confronting her father about his biased treatment of her, or her sparring words with Wolverine during fights, rather than read her whine about her weight (that brief exchange about her taking offense when she misconstrued Scott's harmless comment about her heaviness as proportional to him calling her 'fat' was not only deeply sexist but a pointless drivel that served nothing regarding her character). Another grating characteristic is the exaggerated way of speaking pertaining to Logan's Canadian roots. Rogue's Southern way of speech has proven to be endearing at times but Logan's way of talking here in Monstrous was too much and often distracting as I try to understand what he's saying during conflict.
Overall, after finishing, I felt like I should have spent what precious time I had to do more important things than read this.
NOT RECOMMENDED: 5/10
DO READ MY REVIEWS AT:
THE ASTONISHING X-MEN VOLUME 7: MONSTROUS
Here is what you need to know about Monstrous: it's an underwhelming spectacle of C-level narrative (illustrated quite terribly too; I was not a fan of the artwork that came along with this arc) that featured some throwaway villain you never would have remembered unless you googled about him. Heck, I googled about him and I could only recall him in passing and even then I think I have mistaken him for somebody else. The villain's name is called Mentallo who is a telepath and a mercenary, flip-flopping his way through villainy by being a backstabbing bitch, serving for S.H.I.E.L.D one moment, and then HYDRA the next. There are other organizations he belonged in but I don't really give a racoon's feces fuck about his credentials because for Way's story, he was absolutely flavorless. Even a week-old bowl of soggy noodles in the darkest corner of my fridge has more flavor than Mentallo. He even stated it himself--in a brilliant moment of self-awareness and self-deprecation--that everyone thinks he's a fucking joke. SPOILER ALERT: HE TRULY IS . In the most pitifully boring way possible, he's a joke.
He hijacked an oil-drilling operation headed by a man named Roxxon just so he can demand ransom money. The island where this operation was being conducted in is the infamous Kaibutsu Jima or Monster Island. One of the monsters was sent to Japan to wreak havoc but I'm not really sure. The X-Men composed of Emma, Cyclops, Wolverine and Armor (the lovely Hisako who really should have gotten a better character arc for this story) responded to the emergency. They were in Japan in the first place because Hisako's mother and brother were killed in an accident. She has to attend a very awkward funeral ceremony where her father was a total lukewarm bastard who was grieving the fact that he lost the son and got stuck with the daughter instead. This allowed Hisako some room for character development when she took on the monster by herself. With the death of her close relatives, her power surged and allowed her to become a bigger armored mutant equipped to go head to head with a Godzilla-like monster. Good for Hisako, but her character arc was unjustly overshadowed by the stupid main plot concerning Mentallo and his evil plans to get money while mind-controlling monsters to do his bidding. Seriously, HE IS SOOOOO LAME.
The four installments were mediocre, presented with visually unappealing art (the characters look so weird and facially elongated in the most unflattering ways possible), saved only by those tiny moments with Hisako and her father in the second part and the last. But those faint touches of humanity don't make this story arc any less disappointing or silly in the most upsetting manner possible. Hisako whose loss and grief should have felt more meaningful and resonant in the pages, was also inconsistently characterized. Way's attempt at humor by making her say such cliché things that a teenage girl would say does a disservice to her obvious emotional maturity after experiencing so much, starting from the death of her close friend Wing back in Whedon's run. I would much rather have Hisako confronting her father about his biased treatment of her, or her sparring words with Wolverine during fights, rather than read her whine about her weight (that brief exchange about her taking offense when she misconstrued Scott's harmless comment about her heaviness as proportional to him calling her 'fat' was not only deeply sexist but a pointless drivel that served nothing regarding her character). Another grating characteristic is the exaggerated way of speaking pertaining to Logan's Canadian roots. Rogue's Southern way of speech has proven to be endearing at times but Logan's way of talking here in Monstrous was too much and often distracting as I try to understand what he's saying during conflict.
Overall, after finishing, I felt like I should have spent what precious time I had to do more important things than read this.
NOT RECOMMENDED: 5/10
DO READ MY REVIEWS AT:
September 30, 2018
I don't think of myself as a racist or a misanthrope or a rotten person of any kind, yet I must admit that I'm strangely cheered and comforted by the sight of gigantic monsters ravaging Japanese cities. (In print or on film only, of course.) In this book, new X-Man Armor faces such a situation, along with veterans Emma Frost, Cyclops, and Wolverine. It's a good, nicely written story with some good lines, though I thought neither artist who illustrated the story was really first rank. Still, a fun and enjoyable book.
This volume also includes the classic Lee-Kirby-Ayers story from Strange Tales in 1961 (pre-hero era!), Fin Fang Foom. No villainous monster ever had a name that was more fun to say than Fin Fang Foom! Fin Fang Foom forever, that's my motto.
This volume also includes the classic Lee-Kirby-Ayers story from Strange Tales in 1961 (pre-hero era!), Fin Fang Foom. No villainous monster ever had a name that was more fun to say than Fin Fang Foom! Fin Fang Foom forever, that's my motto.
March 13, 2015
Monstrous was okay. I think that I liked it more than I normally would have because I read it pretty much immediately after the shit storm that was Xenogenesis. Either way, there were ups and downs to be found in the seventh Astonishing X-Men.
The ups would have to include Armor's MAJOR growth in this volume. She goes through such an incredible loss, and still manages to stand by her friends, exercise her newly heightened power, and feel like the brokenhearted girl that she is. I was never a huge fan of her, but I grew to really dig her during these issues. And Logan being all big brother-y? What a sweetheart of an asshole.
Another up is the villain. Especially since Xenogenesis virtually didn't have one. Mentallo worked okay for me, mainly because the monsters found on Monster Island were pretty badass. The plot worked well around him, I just wish he hadn't been in it for the money. That's a little too cliche for my taste.
And the artwork. WHAT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR AFTER XENGENESIS! I know I keep comparing the two, but it's really hard not to. The artwork in this volume differed from early ones, but it still really worked. The characters didn't look like aliens, the women looked like women, and the colors on Monster Island were sick. A+ on artwork!
But. Where was Beast? He's pretty fucking essential, and we've already exnayed too many characters to lose one that is sooooo pivotal. Also, did Ororo just stay hanging out in the Serengeti? Because she's also mysteriously left out of the equation. I cannot lose Kitty and Colossus AND Beast and Ororo. Not in eight fucking volumes. I need more time to say goodbye...
Looking forward to the next volume!
The ups would have to include Armor's MAJOR growth in this volume. She goes through such an incredible loss, and still manages to stand by her friends, exercise her newly heightened power, and feel like the brokenhearted girl that she is. I was never a huge fan of her, but I grew to really dig her during these issues. And Logan being all big brother-y? What a sweetheart of an asshole.
Another up is the villain. Especially since Xenogenesis virtually didn't have one. Mentallo worked okay for me, mainly because the monsters found on Monster Island were pretty badass. The plot worked well around him, I just wish he hadn't been in it for the money. That's a little too cliche for my taste.
And the artwork. WHAT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR AFTER XENGENESIS! I know I keep comparing the two, but it's really hard not to. The artwork in this volume differed from early ones, but it still really worked. The characters didn't look like aliens, the women looked like women, and the colors on Monster Island were sick. A+ on artwork!
But. Where was Beast? He's pretty fucking essential, and we've already exnayed too many characters to lose one that is sooooo pivotal. Also, did Ororo just stay hanging out in the Serengeti? Because she's also mysteriously left out of the equation. I cannot lose Kitty and Colossus AND Beast and Ororo. Not in eight fucking volumes. I need more time to say goodbye...
Looking forward to the next volume!
April 25, 2013
Maybe I just don't really care at this point -- it had X-Men in it, and Armor. Monsters were punched in the face. I actually thought the art was pretty okay. I kind of hate when a writer interprets the need for thematic development as just having characters repeat heavy-handed lines of dialogue and, yknow, cry a lot. So "X-Men means Family" was extremely, I mean, beyond painful -- just awfully, awfully stupid. Luckily pretty soon after each time someone said it, a monster got punched in the face.
May 24, 2012
After some disastrous volumes, Astonishing X-Men seems to have clawed its way back to "decent". The Monstrous storyline is nothing ground breaking, but has some decent scenes involving the X-Men and the family that they represent, as well as the continued use of Armour as part of the cast. The villains are fairly bland, but the storyline picks up in the second two issues once the action shifts to Monster Island.
Jason Pearson and Nick Bradshaw are very different artists, but both are good for the tone of the book, and have some great fun depicting the monsters of Monster Island.
Whilst I wouldn't recommend this for any particular reason, it's a decent X-Men story that won't offend, and there are far worse things to be nowadays.
Jason Pearson and Nick Bradshaw are very different artists, but both are good for the tone of the book, and have some great fun depicting the monsters of Monster Island.
Whilst I wouldn't recommend this for any particular reason, it's a decent X-Men story that won't offend, and there are far worse things to be nowadays.
December 3, 2023
A diverting little adventure with some monster fights and a small sub-plot for Armor, but not really more than that. A quick read.
December 25, 2011
It was OK. For some reason, this writing grates on me less than the previous author.
They also put a bonus comic in here from 1961, which I know is an easy target, but I can't help making fun of it.
1. The main hero is a White guy on the cover and an Asian man in the inside comic. [Insert joke here.]
2. The gigantic dragon creature that has awoken after thousands of years is wearing gym shorts. I talked to someone this week that wore clothes to bed for fear of being woken up by an intruder, just as the gigantic ancient dragon was.
3. One of the Chinese Communist police yells, "The freedom-loving traitors must be seized and punished!" Is this the place from which the Bush line about "They hate our freedom" comes?
They also put a bonus comic in here from 1961, which I know is an easy target, but I can't help making fun of it.
1. The main hero is a White guy on the cover and an Asian man in the inside comic. [Insert joke here.]
2. The gigantic dragon creature that has awoken after thousands of years is wearing gym shorts. I talked to someone this week that wore clothes to bed for fear of being woken up by an intruder, just as the gigantic ancient dragon was.
3. One of the Chinese Communist police yells, "The freedom-loving traitors must be seized and punished!" Is this the place from which the Bush line about "They hate our freedom" comes?
February 28, 2012
The astonishing team of X-Men put together by Joss Whedon continue to struggle through growing pains without the master writer. Daniel Way steps in for this collection, covering Mentallo's takeover of Monster Island. With the team headed for Japan after Armor's mother and brother perish in a car crash, the rampaging beasts force the crew into a battle royale. Mentallo gets a chance to get back into the Marvel spotlight, and Armor continues to be a great X-Man. Overall, the story feels rushed and overly comical to make up for the senseless tragedy that befalls Hisako's family. The high point is the inclusion of Fin Fang Foom's original story appearance; otherwise, this is a beastly volume to get through.
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September 14, 2012
Not bad, still not as good as the first four in the series, but I really liked the Monster Island idea. And the monsters themselves were really cool. The art was only so-so for me in this volume - the facial expressions were a little hard for me to get past.
May 23, 2016
Enjoyed this immensely, I only wish it had been longer. This took a little jaunt away from any main plot to focus on a separate mission along with a stop at Armor's unfortunate family situation. Enjoyed both. :)
November 8, 2021
Book 7, featuring two stories.
When Armor returns to Japan due to a family tragedy, Cyclops, Wolverine and Emma Frost decide to accompany and support her. Their presence proves fortuitous when Tokyo is attacked by a huge monster.
The second story features the first-ever appearance of the gigantic dragon Fin Fang Foom.
The main plot of this book is a perfectly serviceable but unremarkable story of the X-Men fighting monsters who are under the psychic control of the villain Mentallo. It has to be said that the giant dragon attacking Tokyo was just a little too on-the-nose for my tastes too.
That said, seeing Scott take the 'let's kill it' stand whilst Logan takes the 'let it live' stance is a nice early hint towards the schism to come.
However, there is a really interesting and engaging subplot going on too. In the few stories I've read featuring her, Armor is proving to be one of the best new X-Men to have joined the team. Here her torn sense of obligation between her grieving family and the new family the X-Men represent is the emotional core of the book. It's sadly not explored as much as I would've liked, but I was really engaged in seeing her tap into her loss to perform feats with her powers far beyond anything she's done before.
The second story, from 1961 (before there even was a Marvel Universe) is a nice bit of comics history but is bogged down by both the storytelling tropes of its time and by some pretty awkward representations of Chinese people.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
When Armor returns to Japan due to a family tragedy, Cyclops, Wolverine and Emma Frost decide to accompany and support her. Their presence proves fortuitous when Tokyo is attacked by a huge monster.
The second story features the first-ever appearance of the gigantic dragon Fin Fang Foom.
The main plot of this book is a perfectly serviceable but unremarkable story of the X-Men fighting monsters who are under the psychic control of the villain Mentallo. It has to be said that the giant dragon attacking Tokyo was just a little too on-the-nose for my tastes too.
That said, seeing Scott take the 'let's kill it' stand whilst Logan takes the 'let it live' stance is a nice early hint towards the schism to come.
However, there is a really interesting and engaging subplot going on too. In the few stories I've read featuring her, Armor is proving to be one of the best new X-Men to have joined the team. Here her torn sense of obligation between her grieving family and the new family the X-Men represent is the emotional core of the book. It's sadly not explored as much as I would've liked, but I was really engaged in seeing her tap into her loss to perform feats with her powers far beyond anything she's done before.
The second story, from 1961 (before there even was a Marvel Universe) is a nice bit of comics history but is bogged down by both the storytelling tropes of its time and by some pretty awkward representations of Chinese people.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
April 27, 2023
This volume felt very much like "old school" X Men. Adventurous and fun, this was a throw back to the X-Men stories that weren't wrapped around a huge event or momentous happening in the Marvel Universe.
Which is interesting because I tend to associated Daniel Way with more gritty and serious type stories. But here, he gives us action, family dynamics, and humor - all mixed in with that X-Men goodness of course. There's two stories happening at once. One half of the team, Cyclops, Emma, Wolverine, go to Japan because Armor's brother has passed away. While there, she leaves the side of her father to help the team battle monsters in monster island. This seemed kind of cold to me, and something that would normally be viewed as kind of selfish. But in the world of the X-Men, it was a testament to her commitment to the team, and she actually saved the day by doing so.
The other half of the team, Colossus, Storm, Kitty Pride, etc... go to a space station to deal with a Brood outbreak. This is the origin of how the good little Brood, Broo - joins the team. If you've been reading X-Men for a while, you know how the Brood stories go, and this one is pretty much par for the course.
I enjoyed this volume, and thought it was fun. I would recommend it to fans of the X-Men, but don't expect anything ground breaking.
Which is interesting because I tend to associated Daniel Way with more gritty and serious type stories. But here, he gives us action, family dynamics, and humor - all mixed in with that X-Men goodness of course. There's two stories happening at once. One half of the team, Cyclops, Emma, Wolverine, go to Japan because Armor's brother has passed away. While there, she leaves the side of her father to help the team battle monsters in monster island. This seemed kind of cold to me, and something that would normally be viewed as kind of selfish. But in the world of the X-Men, it was a testament to her commitment to the team, and she actually saved the day by doing so.
The other half of the team, Colossus, Storm, Kitty Pride, etc... go to a space station to deal with a Brood outbreak. This is the origin of how the good little Brood, Broo - joins the team. If you've been reading X-Men for a while, you know how the Brood stories go, and this one is pretty much par for the course.
I enjoyed this volume, and thought it was fun. I would recommend it to fans of the X-Men, but don't expect anything ground breaking.
May 30, 2017
This feels like Godzilla, but it's thankfully only a few scenes. A basically unknown character is the bad guy, so this story doesn't add anything tangible to the X-Men universe other than an upgrade for Armor and a few references to Japanese culture.
Mentallo has taken control of giant creatures living on an island, then attacks Tokyo with one of them, while Armor is attending the funeral of her mother and brother.
Mentallo has taken control of giant creatures living on an island, then attacks Tokyo with one of them, while Armor is attending the funeral of her mother and brother.
November 3, 2019
Some decent character interactions and dialogue tragically bogged down with bad art and a boring story.
Cyke, Emma, Wolverine and Armor are a blast to watch, when they’re shooting the shit and interacting. Besides that, this is a dumb story about monsters on monster island.
Wolverine is drawn so bad I could hardly look at him. It’s horrendous.
I understand that you may be doing a big X-Men deep read and have no choice but to read this, but I really wouldn’t seek it out. It’s not terrible... it’s just bland and forgettable.
Cyke, Emma, Wolverine and Armor are a blast to watch, when they’re shooting the shit and interacting. Besides that, this is a dumb story about monsters on monster island.
Wolverine is drawn so bad I could hardly look at him. It’s horrendous.
I understand that you may be doing a big X-Men deep read and have no choice but to read this, but I really wouldn’t seek it out. It’s not terrible... it’s just bland and forgettable.
June 18, 2018
Continuing the great x-read of 2017/2018 (and I am behind on reviewing these, so I will be throwing some short reviews out there to get myself caught back up...)
This one was just average. Nothing awful, but it seemed more like a b-tier anime story than an X-Men tale. Not a lot happened and there was very little character growth despite the possibility for some with Armor... Not a terrible rainy day read, but easily passed.
This one was just average. Nothing awful, but it seemed more like a b-tier anime story than an X-Men tale. Not a lot happened and there was very little character growth despite the possibility for some with Armor... Not a terrible rainy day read, but easily passed.
February 19, 2022
This was pretty "lite" stuff compared to the rest of the series. I liked some of the art a lot, but plot wise there wasn't much to it. Kinda crazy that Armor can get all giant now, it's gonna make her much more of an asset.
The old comic at the end was fun, but the whole "Totalitarian Regime of Red China" and "Communist Tyranny" and "Freedom-loving traitors" was laid on a bit thick, but I get it for the time it was written.
The old comic at the end was fun, but the whole "Totalitarian Regime of Red China" and "Communist Tyranny" and "Freedom-loving traitors" was laid on a bit thick, but I get it for the time it was written.
February 27, 2017
Okay adventure story. Art was pretty bad. Characters weren't handled all that well. Again the use of Armor was somewhat interesting, somewhat inconsistent. The Fing Fang Foom backup story should have been awful with it's garish colors and old-style writing, but it was okay, readable. There just wasn't anything in the book really worth of note. 2.5 of 5.
April 25, 2022
This wasn't really bad, but it felt like filler. Hisako's mom and brother are killed in a car accident, which is a terrible moment and obviously will have repercussions on her character, but the main stor involves Mentallo invading Monster Island and while it was fun, didn't feel at all worthwhile. I think combining the serious deaths with an almost silly story just didn't gel.
August 28, 2017
Complete filler.
And rather bland at that.
And rather bland at that.
August 29, 2017
There's nothing particularly deep here, but these are fun, enjoyable superhero comics. For the X-Men, that's not always the case, so I consider these a win.
April 23, 2019
X-Men (Cyclops, Armor, Wolverine and Emma Frost) takes on an island full of weird and crazy beasts. What could go wrong?
May 5, 2023
3/5 - Graphic Novels
2/5 - X-Men
2/5 - Visual Art
2/5 - Characters
2/5 - Story
2.2/5 - Rating
2/5 - X-Men
2/5 - Visual Art
2/5 - Characters
2/5 - Story
2.2/5 - Rating
December 28, 2024
It was good to get to know more about Armor but the storyline itself was just okay.
February 23, 2017
In these crazy times (in any crazy times, really), one of the best things you can remember is this: The X-Men are a metaphor for absolute humanity. This story deals with what makes someone/thing "worthy." Great little story. Read it in 25 minutes. Recommend for X-Men fans.
April 20, 2016
"These are not simple minded creatures alone. They are monsters."
Mentallo - a psionic masterminded villain has been hired by Roxxon Industries to oversee the oil refinery project on Monster Island. But they remain oblivious to his actual intentions. As his intentions unfold, its ramifications are felt as far as Tokyo.
Hisako - the X-Man known as Armor has just learned about the death of her brother and mother and the entire team visit Japan to be with her in her difficult phase of life. Hisako is bid by her father to honor the family by holding her own at the congregation organized at the wake of her beloved family members' death. The feeling of guilt of not being there to save them and taking their place in death continues to linger and pull her down. However, when a monster shows up in Tokyo, she decides to join the X-Men to fight it out then bear the pain of standing with a family she felt disconnected to.
"Someone needs to go up and tell her that she is not the only one who wished to be the replacement to the death of someone close."
Having narrowed down the cause for the disturbance to Monster Island and Mentallo, the X-Men go ahead to take him down. This leads to events where each of them is tested beyond the point of extreme endurance. Hisako knocks herself into a temporary coma, Scott bruises himself bad and Emma can't move out of her diamond form.
"As I sat by myself wondering what to say to you all if this moment ever came about, the words kept on changing but the 'gist' remained the same. 'I AM NOT A JOKE!'"
The battle ensues and it ends with Mentallo being crushed by something that he had sought all along. Poetic justice if I may say.
The artwork is more akin to the ones that are shown on Cartoon Network channels and I have started to like it, actually.
Mentallo - a psionic masterminded villain has been hired by Roxxon Industries to oversee the oil refinery project on Monster Island. But they remain oblivious to his actual intentions. As his intentions unfold, its ramifications are felt as far as Tokyo.
Hisako - the X-Man known as Armor has just learned about the death of her brother and mother and the entire team visit Japan to be with her in her difficult phase of life. Hisako is bid by her father to honor the family by holding her own at the congregation organized at the wake of her beloved family members' death. The feeling of guilt of not being there to save them and taking their place in death continues to linger and pull her down. However, when a monster shows up in Tokyo, she decides to join the X-Men to fight it out then bear the pain of standing with a family she felt disconnected to.
"Someone needs to go up and tell her that she is not the only one who wished to be the replacement to the death of someone close."
Having narrowed down the cause for the disturbance to Monster Island and Mentallo, the X-Men go ahead to take him down. This leads to events where each of them is tested beyond the point of extreme endurance. Hisako knocks herself into a temporary coma, Scott bruises himself bad and Emma can't move out of her diamond form.
"As I sat by myself wondering what to say to you all if this moment ever came about, the words kept on changing but the 'gist' remained the same. 'I AM NOT A JOKE!'"
The battle ensues and it ends with Mentallo being crushed by something that he had sought all along. Poetic justice if I may say.
The artwork is more akin to the ones that are shown on Cartoon Network channels and I have started to like it, actually.
May 2, 2019
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Average rating for the entire series (minus Volume 12): 3.1/5
Check out my reviews for the rest of the series:
Volume 1: Gifted | Volume 2: Dangerous | Volume 3: Torn (no review) | Volume 4: Unstoppable (no review) | Volume 5: Ghost Box (no review) | Volume 6: Exogenic (no review) | Volume 7: Monstrous (no review) | Volume 8: Children of the Brood (no review) | Volume 9: Exalted (no review) | Volume 10: Northstar | Volume 11: Weaponized (no review) | Volume 12: Unmasked (TBR)
Average rating for the entire series (minus Volume 12): 3.1/5
Check out my reviews for the rest of the series:
Volume 1: Gifted | Volume 2: Dangerous | Volume 3: Torn (no review) | Volume 4: Unstoppable (no review) | Volume 5: Ghost Box (no review) | Volume 6: Exogenic (no review) | Volume 7: Monstrous (no review) | Volume 8: Children of the Brood (no review) | Volume 9: Exalted (no review) | Volume 10: Northstar | Volume 11: Weaponized (no review) | Volume 12: Unmasked (TBR)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews