What do you think?
Rate this book
Astonishing X-Men (2004) (Collected Editions) #3-4
Astonishing X-Men: Ultimate Collection, Volume 2
The chart-topping super-team of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday concludes their blockbuster run!
Things go from peculiar to just plain bizarre for the X-Men, as Emma Frost's erratic behavior sends the team into a non-stop downward spiral, and the new Hellfire Club makes its move! Plus: the X-Man destined to destroy the Breakworld stands revealed! Who is it? And will the X-Men be able to protect Earth from certain destruction at the hands of the Breakworld? When it's all over, nothing will ever be the same! No, really, we mean it!
COLLECTING: Astonishing X-Men (2004) 13-24, Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men (2008) 1
Things go from peculiar to just plain bizarre for the X-Men, as Emma Frost's erratic behavior sends the team into a non-stop downward spiral, and the new Hellfire Club makes its move! Plus: the X-Man destined to destroy the Breakworld stands revealed! Who is it? And will the X-Men be able to protect Earth from certain destruction at the hands of the Breakworld? When it's all over, nothing will ever be the same! No, really, we mean it!
COLLECTING: Astonishing X-Men (2004) 13-24, Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men (2008) 1
320 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2008
28 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
Joss Whedon
483 books4,336 followersJoss Whedon (born Joseph Hill Whedon) is an American screenwriter, executive producer, film and television director, comic book writer, occasional composer, and actor, and the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures.
He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)', 'Angel (1999–2004)', 'Firefly (2002)' and its film follow-up 'Serenity (2005)', and 'Dollhouse (2009–2010)', as well as the web-series' 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)'. Whedon co-wrote and produced the horror film 'The Cabin in the Woods (2012)', and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's 'The Avengers (2012)', the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Many of Whedon's projects have cult status and his work is notable for portraying strong female characters and a belief in equality.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon
He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)', 'Angel (1999–2004)', 'Firefly (2002)' and its film follow-up 'Serenity (2005)', and 'Dollhouse (2009–2010)', as well as the web-series' 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)'. Whedon co-wrote and produced the horror film 'The Cabin in the Woods (2012)', and wrote and directed the film adaptation of Marvel's 'The Avengers (2012)', the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Many of Whedon's projects have cult status and his work is notable for portraying strong female characters and a belief in equality.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
June 15, 2018
A very good conclusion to Whedons run. Amazing story telling with awesome artwork. I really loved his portrayal of Scott in this one.
March 10, 2012
It took a few years, but I finally have my second volume of the Astonishing X-Men hardcover, completing Joss Whedon’s and John Cassaday’s twenty-five issue run in the title.
This hardcover collection, like the one that precedes it, contains two story arcs, with the last culminating in an oversized “giant-sized” issue. The first story, “Torn”, features the return of a new incarnation of a classic X-Men nemesis, the Hellfire Club, or is it? With psychics, one can never be too sure how much your perception of reality is twisted in the presence of one. Kitty Pryde gets her Wolverine moment here. With the mansion seemingly invaded and losing control over her phasing powers, she falls miles underground but manages to compose herself enough to stop in an underground scream. Wading in hip deep water, she turns around makes her statement to her foes declaring, “My turn.”
Kitty mounts her counter-attack, only to find the rest of her team out of commission. Cyclops and Colossus are comatose; with the Beast chasing deer with his mind devolved to that of his moniker, a beast. Wolverine, though his mind was regressed to that of pre-teen James Howlett, a wimpy, sissy boy, is a more adorable personality than the tough guy persona he usually projects. Emma Frost appears to have finally showed her colors and betrayed the team.
In “Unstoppable,” the X-Men, just moments removed from the aftermath of their harrowing encounter in the previous arc, are whisked away by teleporter and appear on the bridge of a spacecraft. Agent Brand and S.W.O.R.D. need superheroes and have enlisted the X-Men to help stop the rising danger of imminent destruction to two worlds.
There is a feeling of déjà vu, reading this collection. I have read this before. This is Whedon channeling the Dark Phoenix Saga, without Jean Grey or the Phoenix. Like the original story, the team is tested body and soul by the Hellfire Club and abducted from the scene of their last battle to find another one in an alien world and be judged by an alien race. It also ends with the sacrifice of one the X-Men’s number.
Whedon end his run on the title with an oversized issue, allowing Cassaday extra pages to draw as much Marvel’s New York’s finest superheroes as he can possibly fit in the panels. He does not disappoint, he draws a beautiful two-page spread of Spider-Man in mid-swing over the Manhattan skyline, enough to draw your breath away.
Whedon’s and Cassaday’s run of twenty-five issues of Astonishing X-Men is a modern classic of X-Men storytelling. Well written and well drawn, Whedon moves away from the socio-political commentary, reality television shows and mutant gang warfare. He just writes comics the way they are supposed to be and that is to astonish.
This hardcover collection, like the one that precedes it, contains two story arcs, with the last culminating in an oversized “giant-sized” issue. The first story, “Torn”, features the return of a new incarnation of a classic X-Men nemesis, the Hellfire Club, or is it? With psychics, one can never be too sure how much your perception of reality is twisted in the presence of one. Kitty Pryde gets her Wolverine moment here. With the mansion seemingly invaded and losing control over her phasing powers, she falls miles underground but manages to compose herself enough to stop in an underground scream. Wading in hip deep water, she turns around makes her statement to her foes declaring, “My turn.”
Kitty mounts her counter-attack, only to find the rest of her team out of commission. Cyclops and Colossus are comatose; with the Beast chasing deer with his mind devolved to that of his moniker, a beast. Wolverine, though his mind was regressed to that of pre-teen James Howlett, a wimpy, sissy boy, is a more adorable personality than the tough guy persona he usually projects. Emma Frost appears to have finally showed her colors and betrayed the team.
In “Unstoppable,” the X-Men, just moments removed from the aftermath of their harrowing encounter in the previous arc, are whisked away by teleporter and appear on the bridge of a spacecraft. Agent Brand and S.W.O.R.D. need superheroes and have enlisted the X-Men to help stop the rising danger of imminent destruction to two worlds.
There is a feeling of déjà vu, reading this collection. I have read this before. This is Whedon channeling the Dark Phoenix Saga, without Jean Grey or the Phoenix. Like the original story, the team is tested body and soul by the Hellfire Club and abducted from the scene of their last battle to find another one in an alien world and be judged by an alien race. It also ends with the sacrifice of one the X-Men’s number.
Whedon end his run on the title with an oversized issue, allowing Cassaday extra pages to draw as much Marvel’s New York’s finest superheroes as he can possibly fit in the panels. He does not disappoint, he draws a beautiful two-page spread of Spider-Man in mid-swing over the Manhattan skyline, enough to draw your breath away.
Whedon’s and Cassaday’s run of twenty-five issues of Astonishing X-Men is a modern classic of X-Men storytelling. Well written and well drawn, Whedon moves away from the socio-political commentary, reality television shows and mutant gang warfare. He just writes comics the way they are supposed to be and that is to astonish.
June 9, 2017
The saga continues. I still hate Emma Frost. But I've always been fond of Cyclops, and this had a rather poignant story arc for him, as well as for Kitty Pryde and Colossus. Also . . . Go, Beast! Rawr!
August 7, 2020
Bem vamos lá, expectativas. Pensa um cara saindo da fase X-bendis, mais questões sociais dos mutantes, tendo uma revolução do ciclope todas essa veia e vindo para uma fase mais cinematográfica, maiorrr sobre devastação do planeta Terra, com os mais casca grossas. Mas não que não teve pq eu amei muito a kittie nessa fase inteira, minha personagem favorita mas creio que minha intenção de acompanhar tudo oque tenho antes de x-Hickman fez com que eu acelerasse e n por ter oque eu queria que é mutantes lidando com humanos não aceitarem um convívio mútuo e saudável era mais um conflito que estava realmente sentindo assistindo star wars, literalmente. Enfim essa fase é maravilhosa, mas para ser apreciada de forma lenta pq os desenhos são maravilhosos e bem pensado e sei que há muitas referências, o autor é realmente uma pessoa que sabe de roteiro e de um bom plot twist por isso num futuro vou me comprometer a reler essa fase.
July 11, 2022
Resumido em uma palavra: CANSATIVO. O roteirista ignora todos os acontecimentos do início, a cura do gene X Men, para embarcar numa viagem espacial a lá Star Wars em busca da salvação de um planeta. Extremamente confusa a profecia de salvar/destruir o planeta através do Colossus e deixou a mim pouco entretido no enredo. Se os volumes anteriores estavam mantendo o nível mediano, esse não se importou e decaiu mais. Até tentativa de juntar diversos personagens da Marvel teve para elevar o nível, mas somente mostrou o desespero.
April 27, 2020
Lo único malo que tiene este tomo es que se acaba. Y con él, la etapa de Joss Whedon y John Cassaday al frente de la Patrulla X. Y es tremendo, porque no quieres que suceda, porque quieres seguir en ese mundo, en esas viñetas, en esos personajes tratados con mimo, con respecto, con intimísimo pero con épica, donde según pasas las páginas se te encoge el corazón, se te disparan las pulsaciones o se te desgarra el alma en mil pedazos.
August 11, 2019
Pretty much equal in quality to the first two arcs. Torn is a bit weird, and works better on a reread. Unstoppable is probably my favourite arc, and does an admirable job of tying all the threads together. Whedon does an especially good job of exploring Cyclops and Emma, and personally I think no one has ever written their relationship as well as he does. The ending is bittersweet in a way that really works, and thoughtfully leaves in the ways to undo it. My only real complaint is that cyclops gets his visor back with no real explanation. I would have preferred he remain able to control his abilities for awhile longer.
March 17, 2020
Segunda parte de una de las grandes sagas del universo mutante.
Todo lo establecido en números finales llegan a su conclusión final, en parte abierto pero también cerrado, pues deja atrás varios interrogantes y abre un nuevo abanico que, por desgracia, no supieron aprovechar los guionistas posteriores de la serie.
Whedon consigue, con Ashtonishing X-Men, recuperar el brillo de antaño al tiempo que nos brinda algunos de los mejores momentos de la serie y una resolución de conflictos personales muy profundo.
Todo lo establecido en números finales llegan a su conclusión final, en parte abierto pero también cerrado, pues deja atrás varios interrogantes y abre un nuevo abanico que, por desgracia, no supieron aprovechar los guionistas posteriores de la serie.
Whedon consigue, con Ashtonishing X-Men, recuperar el brillo de antaño al tiempo que nos brinda algunos de los mejores momentos de la serie y una resolución de conflictos personales muy profundo.
November 4, 2014
In sharp contrast to my "avengers forever" review, this was a fantastic series! The storyline was always compelling, the characters well developed and some excellent twists and revisiting of the X-Men's history. A great adventure that I couldn't put down. The difference in my reading experience between this and the avengers collection was like night and day. A great book.
I also loved seeing the emails between Joss Whedon and his publishers when the project was still in development.
I also loved seeing the emails between Joss Whedon and his publishers when the project was still in development.
January 23, 2022
This Astonishing X-Men run is really great. Joss Whedon’s writing that continues from collection 1 and builds on it is great. I also really like the team assembled; I’ve liked the dynamic between Emma and Scott more so than if it were Scott and Jean.
April 22, 2021
*4.5 stars*
I have so many thoughts about this book so I’m gonna try to sum it all up: This was an awesome read and an awesome story. It is a shame this run ended a bit early, but in a way it’s kind of perfect because it sort of is remembered by its short time. I have to say, both Vol 1 and Vol 2 are killer, but Vol 2 just takes it home and really ups the ante. It is so eventfully good, so entertaining, it truly is a page turner. Joss crafts an entertaining read by introducing and keeping many players and plots purposefully, but sometimes a little to a fault that it’s a bit hard to keep track of certain details.
But what Joss gets right is again, maintaining each X-Man’s POV, their thread, and their arcs. Every single character has some purpose and he utilizes it. Sometimes unpredictably. MOST everyone’s arcs are tied up nicely by the end — it’s really satisfying in that way. It also gives both these books rereadable value because you pick up on what was set up and how. These subtle seeds being planted where you’re like “Huh, I can see this being teased as coming into play later but I don’t know HOW.”
And speaking of subversion and twists — there are so many good ones in this book. To name out a few, Kitty sacrificing herself, Cyclops getting his powers back when you didn’t know he got them back (and cutting to a full multi-panel spread of him blasting Kruun!), Cyclops using Emma to trick out Kruun and you as the reader! Aghanne being the “prophecy maker”, and Emma’s Hellfire Club being extensions of herself! All of them made for really cool, surprising moments, and some of the best cuts I’ve read in comics. I will say, the takeaway from Emma’s “Hellfire manifestation” was conveyed, but the other part to it, the one I’m not sure about — how she maybe was subconsciously (apart from Cassandra) also using them to strengthen the X-Men and each one of them on their own? At least, that’s what I got from when Cyclops says to Kitty that “Cassandra wanted you to open the box, but Emma wanted you to do what you’re doing now” (which was Kitty pointing the gun at Emma, wanting to kill her) — so was Emma wanting Kitty to kill her because of her guilt? Anyway, that part could’ve been a lot cleaner. Also, I don’t think Cassandra Nova’s plot was ever really wrapped up? I also didn’t quite get what Emma was trying to do by having the rest of the Avengers and co “see” their version of saving the bullet from hitting NY.
Other than that, everyone’s dialogue and voices were super spot on. Whedon and Cassaday’s work in both these books live up to the hype and I’m glad I picked these up and was my first foray into X-Men comics. Cassaday again knocks it out of the park — when I opened the first page to the Giant Size issue and saw a full spread of Spidey, I couldn’t help but to smirk. The cover had Spidey and the Avengers in it, so I knew something was coming, again, just didn’t know how. The last few issues were so epic, the whole thing felt like I was watching a film or finishing a season of TV. I was thinking about it the next morning..
Lastly, there are some cringey “Whedonisms”..some dialogue is corny and dated, but other than that, this is definitely one of the best comics I’ve read and see myself rereading this somewhere down the road.
I have so many thoughts about this book so I’m gonna try to sum it all up: This was an awesome read and an awesome story. It is a shame this run ended a bit early, but in a way it’s kind of perfect because it sort of is remembered by its short time. I have to say, both Vol 1 and Vol 2 are killer, but Vol 2 just takes it home and really ups the ante. It is so eventfully good, so entertaining, it truly is a page turner. Joss crafts an entertaining read by introducing and keeping many players and plots purposefully, but sometimes a little to a fault that it’s a bit hard to keep track of certain details.
But what Joss gets right is again, maintaining each X-Man’s POV, their thread, and their arcs. Every single character has some purpose and he utilizes it. Sometimes unpredictably. MOST everyone’s arcs are tied up nicely by the end — it’s really satisfying in that way. It also gives both these books rereadable value because you pick up on what was set up and how. These subtle seeds being planted where you’re like “Huh, I can see this being teased as coming into play later but I don’t know HOW.”
And speaking of subversion and twists — there are so many good ones in this book. To name out a few, Kitty sacrificing herself, Cyclops getting his powers back when you didn’t know he got them back (and cutting to a full multi-panel spread of him blasting Kruun!), Cyclops using Emma to trick out Kruun and you as the reader! Aghanne being the “prophecy maker”, and Emma’s Hellfire Club being extensions of herself! All of them made for really cool, surprising moments, and some of the best cuts I’ve read in comics. I will say, the takeaway from Emma’s “Hellfire manifestation” was conveyed, but the other part to it, the one I’m not sure about — how she maybe was subconsciously (apart from Cassandra) also using them to strengthen the X-Men and each one of them on their own? At least, that’s what I got from when Cyclops says to Kitty that “Cassandra wanted you to open the box, but Emma wanted you to do what you’re doing now” (which was Kitty pointing the gun at Emma, wanting to kill her) — so was Emma wanting Kitty to kill her because of her guilt? Anyway, that part could’ve been a lot cleaner. Also, I don’t think Cassandra Nova’s plot was ever really wrapped up? I also didn’t quite get what Emma was trying to do by having the rest of the Avengers and co “see” their version of saving the bullet from hitting NY.
Other than that, everyone’s dialogue and voices were super spot on. Whedon and Cassaday’s work in both these books live up to the hype and I’m glad I picked these up and was my first foray into X-Men comics. Cassaday again knocks it out of the park — when I opened the first page to the Giant Size issue and saw a full spread of Spidey, I couldn’t help but to smirk. The cover had Spidey and the Avengers in it, so I knew something was coming, again, just didn’t know how. The last few issues were so epic, the whole thing felt like I was watching a film or finishing a season of TV. I was thinking about it the next morning..
Lastly, there are some cringey “Whedonisms”..some dialogue is corny and dated, but other than that, this is definitely one of the best comics I’ve read and see myself rereading this somewhere down the road.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2018
Oof, thanks for once again traumatizing me, Joss Whedon.
(Aside from that, there was a lot of the clever word play humor you'd expect, and content-wise some definitely adult situations. Worth reading for sure if you're a Joss Whedon fan and you can tolerate the content.)
(Aside from that, there was a lot of the clever word play humor you'd expect, and content-wise some definitely adult situations. Worth reading for sure if you're a Joss Whedon fan and you can tolerate the content.)
December 8, 2025
This was a great little mini run I’ll have to comeback to at some point but it was awesome. I’m glad Kitty got to do something for once plus I’m happy I got to see how Armor joins the team too.
August 19, 2025
Updated During 2025 X-Reread:
I enjoyed this much more this time around. Maybe because I read so many poorly written X-books more thoroughly than last time that I can appreciate the solid use of continuity and how well each character is utilized to drive the story to its conclusion.
I also wanted to add that, in 2025, a Joss Whedon book isn't an appealing choice. There's too much smoke around his name for him not to be a forest fire. But last year I read his run on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Vol. 1: The Long Way Home, and there is no way that somebody who used the medium as deftly as the person who wrote Astonishing X-Men did would have later turned out the fetid fan-fic level crap that Whedon wrote after this. My guess is either one of his siblings or someone on the Buffy/Angel writing staff actually did the writing for this, and Whedon's name was slapped on the cover for sales.
He may have come up with the idea, or he may have served as the editor for the book but he's not talented enough to have written this. I think he's just someone who takes credit for other peoples' work.
I don't mean to be conspiracy-theorist about this, I just can't imagine how someone talented enough to write this licensed property book would then turn around and put out the utter dreck of BtVS Season 8 & 9, even at the nadir of their skills. (There were some great storylines in Season 8 & 9 but they were written by Brian K. Vaughan.)
***
Original 2018 Review:
The second half of Whedon's X-Men run is much messier than the first. With a lesser artist, it would probably just be a three star book, but Cassaday is just as strong here as he was in volume one.
The main problem is it gets quickly convoluted as it tries to tie in too many elements from Morrison's run, while still adding its own characters and themes into the mythos, and it doesn't work. It's still very readable, as the dialog is crisp, and it's clearly building to something, but the Emma survivor's guilt/Cassandra/Hellfire/Negasonic Teenage Warhead/Danger storyline isn't as smart as it imagines it is.
Still, the ending is important, and, again, the real star is Cassaday's art. And nineteenth century Fopverine.
I enjoyed this much more this time around. Maybe because I read so many poorly written X-books more thoroughly than last time that I can appreciate the solid use of continuity and how well each character is utilized to drive the story to its conclusion.
I also wanted to add that, in 2025, a Joss Whedon book isn't an appealing choice. There's too much smoke around his name for him not to be a forest fire. But last year I read his run on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Vol. 1: The Long Way Home, and there is no way that somebody who used the medium as deftly as the person who wrote Astonishing X-Men did would have later turned out the fetid fan-fic level crap that Whedon wrote after this. My guess is either one of his siblings or someone on the Buffy/Angel writing staff actually did the writing for this, and Whedon's name was slapped on the cover for sales.
He may have come up with the idea, or he may have served as the editor for the book but he's not talented enough to have written this. I think he's just someone who takes credit for other peoples' work.
I don't mean to be conspiracy-theorist about this, I just can't imagine how someone talented enough to write this licensed property book would then turn around and put out the utter dreck of BtVS Season 8 & 9, even at the nadir of their skills. (There were some great storylines in Season 8 & 9 but they were written by Brian K. Vaughan.)
***
Original 2018 Review:
The second half of Whedon's X-Men run is much messier than the first. With a lesser artist, it would probably just be a three star book, but Cassaday is just as strong here as he was in volume one.
The main problem is it gets quickly convoluted as it tries to tie in too many elements from Morrison's run, while still adding its own characters and themes into the mythos, and it doesn't work. It's still very readable, as the dialog is crisp, and it's clearly building to something, but the Emma survivor's guilt/Cassandra/Hellfire/Negasonic Teenage Warhead/Danger storyline isn't as smart as it imagines it is.
Still, the ending is important, and, again, the real star is Cassaday's art. And nineteenth century Fopverine.
July 11, 2019
Jesus...
Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon, ladies and gentlemen.
Here it is. The conclusion to one of the best comic book creator runs in the history of comic books. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
The first act is heavy with the confusion. That might seem intimidating, but rest assured... it’s deliberate, and all of your questions will be satisfactorily answered. After the second coming of **spoiler** villain, we push into what serves as the main story. This is where the whole series comes full circle. And man, it really does.
Everyone’s personal journey is so important here. It all matters. The “main character” is the X-Men as a whole, although the MVP recipient may surprise you. We get to know our whole cast in ways that other X titles simply don’t even breach.
John Cassaday is a god among men. I’m not even going to debase his work by trying to describe it. It’s simply perfect.
The thing that really stands out to me about Whedon’s now legendary Astonishing X-Men run is the top notch character writing. It speaks to my heart, but also my sense of sarcasm. His characterizations are so grounded and personal. Their interactions remind me of how actual people who know each other interact. Whedon knows that real people don’t litter their interactions with exposition and perfectly constructed sentences. They just “talk.”
This is a very human work. It won’t disappoint.
Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon, ladies and gentlemen.
Here it is. The conclusion to one of the best comic book creator runs in the history of comic books. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
The first act is heavy with the confusion. That might seem intimidating, but rest assured... it’s deliberate, and all of your questions will be satisfactorily answered. After the second coming of **spoiler** villain, we push into what serves as the main story. This is where the whole series comes full circle. And man, it really does.
Everyone’s personal journey is so important here. It all matters. The “main character” is the X-Men as a whole, although the MVP recipient may surprise you. We get to know our whole cast in ways that other X titles simply don’t even breach.
John Cassaday is a god among men. I’m not even going to debase his work by trying to describe it. It’s simply perfect.
The thing that really stands out to me about Whedon’s now legendary Astonishing X-Men run is the top notch character writing. It speaks to my heart, but also my sense of sarcasm. His characterizations are so grounded and personal. Their interactions remind me of how actual people who know each other interact. Whedon knows that real people don’t litter their interactions with exposition and perfectly constructed sentences. They just “talk.”
This is a very human work. It won’t disappoint.
September 21, 2020
Una grandisima aventura mutante, tanto para iniciados como para expertos en la materia, es una gozada. Whedon y Cassaday nos ofrecen en esta ocasión un estupendo viaje repleto de aventuras y homenajes a la saga mutante. Lo he disfrutado muchísimo.
August 26, 2009
Wow, this was kicking around a 4 to 4.5 star book until Joss Whedon hits a grand slam with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth...wow. What a great storyteller.
September 2, 2012
Better than Volume 1, with a grand sci-fi tale and one of the best written and most surprising endings I've seen.
November 6, 2016
Whedon's dialogue makes me less batty than Claremont's dialogue. Yes, I know Claremont is not writing X-Men now, but I am also not reading X-Men now, and I can only comment on what I know.
August 15, 2017
See review of vol 1 but damn Joss Whedon. I forgot how much you love to hate your fans as things come to a close.
July 13, 2019
Kitty Pryde is better than you.
June 3, 2025
I'll be honest, I just don't get how this is rated so highly. Maybe context for the time period matters, but while I enjoyed this, I wasn't exactly impressed.
I felt that the villain was terrible and the plot was just whatever. I enjoyed the epic moments that Cyclops and Kitty had, but it felt like everyone else had zero presence. I absolutely love Wolverine and I HATED, I mean HATED, the way he was written here. Just like an uncle that only enjoys beer and nothing else, it felt so disrespectful how he was just a joke side character. What I also disliked was how everyone felt that at some point, they had their own voice, but then Whedon felt the need to also make everyone sound the same by making them all comedians. It genuinely felt at times that I was watching a mid tier MCU film, especially when the big twist happens around the beginning of this collection. I wasn't exactly impressed and didn't laugh with the reaction.
Cassaday is what kept me going, great art and I loved how everyone felt like they had their own face. There are some great artists, but I think a lot of them have a habit to draw the same facial structure, but not Cassaday.
While I enjoyed Kitty and Cyclops, despite not caring for them previously, the good doesn't exactly make up the "bad" for me. I think it's good, but I don't get the crazy hype this gets.
I still had an okay time with this, but only in the sense of "okay I don't think this is bad, but it's short so I'll finish it." I don't think I'll ever catch myself re-reading this or care to keep it in my collection.
3/5
I felt that the villain was terrible and the plot was just whatever. I enjoyed the epic moments that Cyclops and Kitty had, but it felt like everyone else had zero presence. I absolutely love Wolverine and I HATED, I mean HATED, the way he was written here. Just like an uncle that only enjoys beer and nothing else, it felt so disrespectful how he was just a joke side character. What I also disliked was how everyone felt that at some point, they had their own voice, but then Whedon felt the need to also make everyone sound the same by making them all comedians. It genuinely felt at times that I was watching a mid tier MCU film, especially when the big twist happens around the beginning of this collection. I wasn't exactly impressed and didn't laugh with the reaction.
Cassaday is what kept me going, great art and I loved how everyone felt like they had their own face. There are some great artists, but I think a lot of them have a habit to draw the same facial structure, but not Cassaday.
While I enjoyed Kitty and Cyclops, despite not caring for them previously, the good doesn't exactly make up the "bad" for me. I think it's good, but I don't get the crazy hype this gets.
I still had an okay time with this, but only in the sense of "okay I don't think this is bad, but it's short so I'll finish it." I don't think I'll ever catch myself re-reading this or care to keep it in my collection.
3/5
December 26, 2023
Kitty Pryde is one of my favorite comic book characters, and as a major Buffy fan, I should have known when I read this for the first time that she was going to die when she had a lovely night with Colossus. Whedon storytelling means that characters are killed off immediately after their happiest moments, but I felt like it actually worked here. 24 issues build up to show Kitty stepping up as an X-Men in ways her younger self didn't. She's able to call out Emma and make more aggressive moves than she usually does, she's earned the respect and trust of Wolverine, and she's grown stronger from the time previously spent mourning Colossus. There's so much that I love about this entire storyline but Kitty just is the focus and highlight for me. X-Men is still my all time favorite comic series, and this is my favorite ever X-Men arc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2024
"THANKS FOR THE 'STAND BACK' TIP. THAT WAS DEFINITELY LESS PAINFUL FROM BACK HERE."
- Negasonic Teenage Warhead (yes, that's her professional name), to Emma Frost after the latter got pummeled by a booby trap.
Reading New X-men, by Grant Morrison, may be necessary to understand the presence of Cassandra Nova and other elements of this story.
Wolverine gets his mind regressed to that of his own childhood. Very funny to see the big, bad Wolverine making paper dolls.
Not the worst thing I've ever read, but halfway through, I stopped caring. Then, at the very end, I cared again. Fantastic ending. Not happy. It just tied it all together and closed most of the loose ends. Also opened a few.
Overall, this was pretty good if you like edgy. Three stars.
- Negasonic Teenage Warhead (yes, that's her professional name), to Emma Frost after the latter got pummeled by a booby trap.
Reading New X-men, by Grant Morrison, may be necessary to understand the presence of Cassandra Nova and other elements of this story.
Wolverine gets his mind regressed to that of his own childhood. Very funny to see the big, bad Wolverine making paper dolls.
Not the worst thing I've ever read, but halfway through, I stopped caring. Then, at the very end, I cared again. Fantastic ending. Not happy. It just tied it all together and closed most of the loose ends. Also opened a few.
Overall, this was pretty good if you like edgy. Three stars.
March 24, 2025
A great follow up the first half of Whedon's run.
Kitty Pryde really gets to shine in the first storyline, showing how far she's come since she first walked into Xavier's School. Former villian turned teacher Emma Frost also gets some great character moments, with references to Morrison's New X-Men.
The second story arc sees the X-Men aiding S.W.O.R.D. against an alien threat. Some great moments of Cyclops as a leader.
Great dialogue and character interactions throughout, allow the villian is a bit dull.
Kitty Pryde really gets to shine in the first storyline, showing how far she's come since she first walked into Xavier's School. Former villian turned teacher Emma Frost also gets some great character moments, with references to Morrison's New X-Men.
The second story arc sees the X-Men aiding S.W.O.R.D. against an alien threat. Some great moments of Cyclops as a leader.
Great dialogue and character interactions throughout, allow the villian is a bit dull.
March 14, 2025
Didn't enjoy the Breakworld arc as much as the ones in Vol.1. It was a bit convoluted at times.
Whedon's run in the X-Men do feel a bit short-lived - and I do prefer Grant Morrison's run prior to this. It just felt more complete although the art was quite hard to get by sometimes.
I did enjoy Cassaday's consistency through this.
The highlight in Whedon's run for me is definitely the development of Pryde and Peters' relationship.
Whedon's run in the X-Men do feel a bit short-lived - and I do prefer Grant Morrison's run prior to this. It just felt more complete although the art was quite hard to get by sometimes.
I did enjoy Cassaday's consistency through this.
The highlight in Whedon's run for me is definitely the development of Pryde and Peters' relationship.
August 26, 2021
I don't think the quality quite holds up to the earlier portions of the story. Something in the Breakworld bit just didn't resonate with me. I'll say, though, that there is a scene with Shadowcat near the end that is one of the most evocative, cinematic comic book moments I've ever seen. Would love to see that make it to the big screen someday.
March 15, 2025
You can tell that this is by a writer predominantly known for TV and film - that ending is SO filmic, and you can almost hear a score when you read it. Throw in some great art from the late John Cassady AND a tightly plotted story that makes great use of Colossus, and this may be one of the best X-stories of the 2000s.
July 28, 2025
Honestly, Whedon's run suffered from a lot of over-hype. A decent ending, but the middle was kind of mediocre for me, and don't get me started on the choices he made with Cyclops. Overall, good, but nothing really special or spectacular. When I think of rereading a classic X-Men storyline, this run isn't likely to make the cut.
July 15, 2021
Still a good X-Men reboot with a good finish. But, it didn’t hit me as hard as Volume 1 did. Might have enjoyed it or made more of an impact if I read it all in one sitting. I still recommend reading this run on X-Men.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews