The Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon #5

FUN FACT: I finally watched the motion comics of this series and I very much enjoyed it. It's great to watch a comics I'm currently reading unfold visually in my screen while I hear a voice cast read the dialogue to me. Cassaday's art worked well for the animation too because, as I previously mentioned, I think there is a dimensional element in the way he drew faces that could translate better in another medium such as the motion comics in question. The only motions comics I ever watched before this was Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's Watchmen which wasn't really as good. With the Watchmen MC, they left the dialogue boxes in and there is only a single narrator voicing the entire story which was disappointing. But the animation for The Astonishing X-Men was an all-out project with the best of efforts so I really had fun seeing the scenes play out especially the way they try to make everything look dynamic including the transitions in fight scenes and the minuscule details of facial expressions for each character. The voice cast was well-equipped enough to deliver the finer points in the dialogues. I was generally happy about the first season of the series which is composed of six episodes equal to the six issues for the piece written by Joss Whedon entitled "Gifted". Now, we only have two left to review today so let's cut to the chase and do just that.

"You all have perfectly good reasons for not wanting to do this, but you are the team I choose. So think about it."

~Scott Summers, Gifted, issue #1

But hold the satanic bible, I want to address something first. I never got to talk about my overall insight regarding Scott's impressive speech he delivered back in issue 1. I simply characterized it as a PR move to gather all five of them so they put themselves out there as a 'superhero team' so they can establish a more positive media presence in the public. It was a very belittling generalization, now that I think about it because it wasn't really just about PR, of course; the fact is Scott's motivation as a leader and the message of his campaign are worth tackling, so let's do that first before jumping right into the review of this issue itself. I'll keep it simple. I've reached certain comics storylines lately where Scott Summers is portrayed in the most unflattering of lights possible. In the current MARVEL NOW!, his missions are painted to be exploits, his goals are that of an extremist, radical revolutionist of the douchebag kind, and since he killed Charles Xavier during AVX, nobody trusts him, even his supposed team. So, reading Scott during the height of his hero career again makes me feel good because I think I can consider myself as a Scott supporter, though not necessarily a defender or loyalist by default. I just think he's getting bad cred from the most pointless reasons (people say he's bland or a bad leader, etc.) and yes, this is also acknowledging the fact that he deserves the bad cred he's getting lately after what he did to Xavier. Nevertheless, I think Scott for Whedon's AXM is the kind of Scott I love reading about. Cyclops is a born leader; that's why Xavier had chosen him in the first place. He might seem stiff and a control freak but only out of the best intentions. He's feared that his powers could hurt people and that's why he's cautious, why he's determined to protect and serve his kind and humans because he's compensating for his insecurities and this is his greatest advantage as a leader and an X-Man. He will never abuse his power---well, in light of AVX, he did, but only because he was cosmically possessed by the Phoenix. But I'm not about to be an apologist here so let's focus back on his campaign to help X-Men "astonish" the media and public. 

He talked about the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, and how he wanted to model the X-Men more closely to them which means a lot of human relations. He is pushing forth the agenda that X-Men must show priority in defending and protecting human civilians which will hopefully change the way the world views mutants in general because that's Xavier's original goal and vision after all. The world should stop fearing and hating mutantkind because there are a great number of them who will dedicate their lives and powers in building a better community where there is no separation between their races. It's a step towards the right direction, and with the limitation of five members (now six, counting the return of Colossus which I will discuss below), then the more manageable it could be. The OCF started out with five members after all so this is a great callback to the classic era even if the times have gotten more dangerous and more challenging for this batch of X-Men.

THE ASTONISHING X-MEN ISSUE #5 "GIFTED" part 5

Last issue, we witnessed our Daring Five (or DF as I would fondly call them from now on so please take note) led by Cyclops and composed of Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine and Beast break in BeneTech Laboratories where the supposed cure was being developed. In there, they encounter the corpse of a mutant who seemed to have killed herself. Convinced that there may be more dead bodies, Cyclops prevented Wolverine from torching the place down completely. Meanwhile, Kitty was assigned to find the main security logs she can disable and ended up almost getting caught. Fortunately and shockingly so, she was rescued by no other than the late Colossus who really should have been deceased, given that he sacrificed his life to stop the Legacy Virus from spreading to mutantkind. The Legacy Virus took the life of his sister Illyana, that is worth mentioning, so Peter understandably saw that it was only honorable to her memory and for the rest of his friends that he dies for them. It was epic. 

So why is he alive NOW?

Before we get to that, let's stop by the Xavier School where Ord, a.k.a Ord the Dumb-Dumb attacked two young students because he made the dumb mistake of looking for the X-Men in their turf instead of just waiting by BeneTech where the X-Men are currently at. Stupid, arrogant idiot took a shot on Hisako and then took Wing as he flew away for escape just so he can inject him with the cure to send a message, and then he lets the boy fall. He was luckily saved by one of the healer students. All is good, right? HELL FUCKING NO. He was, after all, stabbed with the cure.

And this untimely tragedy happened just moments after Hisako decided to confront him about his desire to become an X-Man. He has dreams to join the team and serve as a superhero, dammit, and now that he's "cured" (a verb so awful and inappropriate with his situation), he can never fulfill his dream. And that breaks my heart. I don't know Wing at all, and I only encountered him in this series so far, but I'm already rooting that the stupid cure gets reversed and he eventually does become a part of the new X-Men team. Poor guy could use that pick-me-up. Hence, I officially name this as the Number One Reason why Ord the Dumb-Dumb MUST DIE.

You will be avenged, kid.

Back to Colossus: There was an awkward pause between the two reunited former lovers in which Kitty had to question if he was really who he is since after all she had to watch him die and she had to grieve him for an excruciating amount of time. Once they resolved that authenticity issue, they started touching each other like young lovers ought to (well, I didn't mean to make that sound dirty; it was actually a pretty nice display of affection) and then Colossus explained exactly what he thought happened to him. It turned out that Ord the Dumb-Dumb abducted his cadaver, resurrected him for the very nefarious purpose of experimenting on him for the so-called, completely immoral by now, mutant cure I will NEVER refer to as "Hope".  It was also revealed that Ord the Dumb-Dumb is possibly partly responsible for the Legacy Virus that almost killed mutantkind before, and since that didn't work he decided to help a well-meaning doctor like Kavita Rao to come up with a "cure" just so he can "neuter" the mutant race at least, all for the sake of a vision from the future where...oops, that's for the next issue. I didn't mean to get ahead of myself there. Anyway, what happened to Peter was horrific which is why that is the...

Number Two Reason why Ord the Dumb-Dumb MUST DIE.

The other four of the Daring Five are trapped in one of the rooms where they discovered the body of a mutant girl who has lacerations on her wrists, leading them to believe she committed suicide. Some guards attacked and shot Cyclops and Wolverine so the two are currently bleeding out (well, Wolvie is taking his time healing) while Beast and Emma had a serious talk with Dr. Kavita Rao who immediately rushed to Cyclops' side to help him because she maintained that she never wanted to hurt mutants; she just wanted to cure their genetic defect. The moment I really liked was the exchange between Emma and Dr. Kavita Rao regarding this which touched upon the obvious correlation between homosexuality and mutation that has been brought up during that memorable scene in X2 where Bobby and his parents talked about the fact that he's a mutant. That entire scene read as a 'coming out' exchange. The director wasn't being very subtle about it especially when he had the mother asked quite blatantly, "Have you tried not being a mutant?" which is something an ignorant, narrow-minded person would ask a gay person in real life, reinforcing the misconception that being homosexual is a choice, an inclination, something that a person can cease to be if they tried really, really hard enough. Anyway, let's take a look at the exchange between the two women:

Now this is not the first time that an X-Men writer called out the supposed oppressed minority his story is representing metaphorically. In Chris Claremont's classic God Loves, Man Kills which is coincidentally the main source material that X2 film was based on, Claremont made young Kitty talk about the struggle of the African-American community toward racism and likening it to the discrimination against "muties" like her, equating the dreadful N-word with the mentioned derogatory term. Here, Whedon brought up the 'gay gene' since the 'mutant cure' is a parallel to the real-world 'conversion therapies' that some Christian groups push on homosexuals who maintain that homosexuality can be 'cured' if we, like, try really, really hard to pray to Jesus about it. Dr. Rao's response that the gay people are not a threat made Emma laugh because, again, many Christian groups would disagree, citing that homosexuality endangers their heteronormative lifestyles. I don't know exactly how I feel about the two women arguing about this real-life issue in the context of mutation and the mutant cure, but I liked that it was spelled out clearly in the pages because clearly, readers are making those connections already in their heads. 

Surprisingly enough, Dr. Rao still maintained her position that the cure she created can help save lives which was okay; I believe in her sincerity. She is a decent person with a misguide view on mutantkind because she has only seen the worst it can offer. Beast was angry at her by this point and asked her if she even knew about the dead bodies of mutants being experimented on. Before she can answer, Ord the Dumb-Dumb makes a stupidly timed appearance. Ord the Dumb-Dumb's hubris becomes even more apparent when he stood there, ever so proudly spouting out his nonsense about laying carnage to mutantkind, while Wolverine, Beast and Emma could only stare in dumbfounded silence but not for reasons Ord the Dumb-Dumb thinks. Behind him is Colossus and Kitty Pryde. 

Time to pay the piper, asshole.

Peter honestly freaked me out in these panels but Ord the Dumb-Dumb definitely deserved that overdue beating. However, this display of justified violence was sorely interrupted by the arrival of Nick Fury and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

The Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon #4

Normally, I would start my AXM reviews with an introductory segment before going straight for the summary of the content plus my insights on what happened, but for now I'm skipping that part and doing the next one because I don't have anything else to talk about that piqued my interest and can be related to this series like that Divergent article, and Freytag's pyramid. Besides, this fourth installment of Gifted is pretty straightforward and we get the complete leading five X-Men of this series in one place while another thing happens back n the Xavier School with two students.

Last time, I discussed that we're at the RISING ACTION of the dramatic structure at this point, and I can say that issue #4 still keeps us even on that level even if there have been certain developments and surprising revelations that occurred for this installment. I still couldn't say this is the climax, though, and I am definitely hoping that the next issue would count as that. Wait a minute, I shouldn't lie to you guys. I actually read the next issue along with #4 so I already know what happened there, but I'm still trying to decide if that was supposed to be the climax. I'm in a weird place right now because I'm sort of sick and need lots of bed rest but instead I'm typing reviews because I have a schedule to uphold, and I'm nothing if not thorough and consistent.

Holy shit, those two paragraphs feel like an introductory post. Fuck it, let's get right on track and forget for a second that I'm honestly typing this while I have terrible colds and a throat infection. Those are just stupid distractions. What matters right now is persevering through reviewing this issue of The Astonishing X-Men.

The issue starts with Cyclops leading his team to break in BeneTech Laboratories after Hank made the timely discovery of the disturbing measures that Dr. Kavita Rao and the other scientists have taken in order to acquire and produce the so-called mutant cure. Later on, during the mission, Wolverine would inform Beast about what the media has been covering regarding said cure, and that Rao and her team have named it "Hope". 

I can't help but suppress a tiny smirk (or was it grimace?) upon reading that. After all, I've just finished reading the big-event stories that happened after Whedon's series, namely House of M, Messiah Complex and Second Coming. In those stories, we witnessed the mutant decimation where mutants become an extinct species. But then a mutant was born again for the first time and she was considered as the messiah. Her name is Hope. It's quite amusing at we had both cure and messiah named after the same thing but they function differently and for contrasting purposes. Well, one is a person and one is a medicine that's supposed to abolish the mutant gene so there's always that.

(Goddammit, while typing this review, I was also eating Chinese takeout and then I accidentally touched a spicy substance in one of the containers and then wiped my hands on my face and the spicy shit is now near my eyes but  then I rubbed my eyes, and now they sting so bad because of the fucking spice. I washed them but it still hurts. I'm literally tearing up as I soldier on and type this).

Speaking of threats to mutantkind, I finally realized who Ord is supposed to be in this story right after reading this issue. I also had to research him because he's beginning to piss me off and I need to know why he's vital to the series. Apparently, he was sent from his planet called Breakworld in order to destroy mutantkind because mutants will somewhat cause the destruction of his home planet in the future. To accomplish this, he teamed up with Dr. Rao herself by aiding her to come up with a mutant cure hoping that this would be enough to prevent mutants from spreading across galaxies. This will come to play later as we discover the means he secured in order to help Dr. Rao with said cure. But I digress. Let's talk about the fact that's a dumb-dumb. Desperate to confront the X-Men, he went to the Xavier School to talk to the two innocent mutant children, Hisako and Wing. Meanwhile, if he just waited in the BeneTech Labs, the X-Men would have come to him willingly since they are currently in that place. But because he's a dumb-dumb and a cruel piece of shit, he hurt Wing just to send a message to the X-Men. But the worst part was that he injected Wing with the cure. This is the same kid who was just talking to Kitty Pryde last issue (and yes, who admittedly asked if she was a fucking retard), but we also find out minutes ago during his conversation with Hisako that he wants to be a part of the X-Men himself. How can he do that without his powers? Way to crush a young boy's ultimate dream, Ord, you dumb-dumb. I'm going to start officially calling Ord as Ord the Dumb-Dumb for the rest of my reviews from now on.

Back at BeneTech Laboratories, Kitty with alien mini-dragon Lockheed is on a solo assignment to find the main security systems of the lab and dismantle them while the rest of the team gather around a corpse of a mutant girl who looked like she committed suicide. Emma gets insecure about Jean which is all Scott's fault anyway for assuming that it was Jean's body that was being used to conduct experiments concerning the cure. When Wolverine suggested that they burn down the lab once and for all, Scott argued that they might be other bodies so they better be safe than sorry. Good thinking, Scott, but I can't help but wonder if there's a tiny part of you that hopes that Jean's body will turn up and, better yet, it turns out that she wasn't dead after all! Well, that would be a convenient twist and we can restart the love triangle among you and Logan (or a love square, considering Emma is involved now) but unfortunately for you, slim, the one who gets reunited with an assumed dead lover isn't you...but Kitty Pryde when she was discovered by the guards and was escaping for her life. All of a sudden, she opens a door and out comes Colossus, who was definitely supposed to be dead, since he sacrificed himself to stop the Legacy virus a few stories ago. As shocked and out of her depth as she was, it's a good thing Kitty still remembered to phase up as Colossus mindlessly started attacking the guards, ignoring that she was standing right there.

Once he snaps out of his angry daze, Colossus recognizes Kitty at last and collapses in front of her:

Like I said, I read the next issue already and it explains how this was all possible, and what does it all mean in relation to the cure.

Now, if y'all excuse me, I have to crawl back into bed and try to get some well-deserved rest.

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

The Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon #3

Is everybody familiar with Freytag's pyramid or more commonly known as the Dramatic structure of narrative? Composed of five parts, it outlines a story's plot, most notably used for Greek and Shakespearean plays. We have the exposition ( + inciting incident), rising action ( + conflict), climax, falling action and dénouement (resolution, revelation or catastrophe). Critically speaking, Freytag's pyramid doesn't always fit the more contemporary dramas of our time, but it's still a handy structure that I use as a writer and as an English teacher when helping my students understand the plot elements of a story better. I'm thinking of using it for Joss Whedon's The Astonishing X-Men and see if his narrative can fit into Freytag's outline. We're officially three issues in so this is what our pyramid should look like as divided in the parts the plot is currently in. Based on what we have seen in the three issues, here are the first two parts:

If you can hardly read the descriptions provided, rest assured that I will be posting a bigger one by the end of this review. I plan on combining the two parts together to form the pyramid structure. I gotta say, it's been an exciting endeavor reading and reviewing this series, mostly because I like the fact that we only have five X-Men characters to focus on and their relationships with each other provide us readers with a lot to chew on. The obvious tension-filled one is between Scott and Logan considering the death of Jean Grey still hover above these men, causing them to be slightly antagonistic toward one another, especially Logan with Scott. While the latter has moved on from the heartbreak and loss, the former gets judgmental about it, considering Scott's way of moving forward is my shacking up with Emma Frost who used to be a villainess from the Hellfire Club, and Sebastian Shaw's White Queen who manipulated them during the prelude issues for the Dark Phoenix. In addition to that, Kitty is also not on board with Scott's relationship wit Emma because she doesn't believe Emma has really changed. Meanwhile, Hank is having a crisis over his mutation again which has personally got me worried. In any case, color me very, very intrigued.

TIMELINE CHECK: While I was reading the argument between Scott and Nick Fury in this issue, there was a brief mention of Magneto and one of his legendary tantrum fits that destroyed Manhattan as well as Cassandra Nova and the Sentinels laying waste to Genosha. I've been wondering where Professor X has been in all of this, since Kitty also talked about asking for his help in this issue and Emma stating that they can't just whine to the professor now that's he's no longer their team leader. So I had to research the year of release of Chris Claremont's Cherik-festive title Excalibur Volume III and was pleased to see that it was back in 2004 while Whedon's own series was published a year after. I've read and reviewed Excalibur 3 because that's essentially Claremont's love letter to Cherik shippers where Charles and Erik eloped to Genosha to try and make their second marriage work. The Magneto who destroyed Manhattan (and subsequently also killed Jean Grey) was a clone, by the way, and the real Mags is alive and well and whom Charles decided to ran away with in Excalibur, leaving the X-Men behind just so he can be husbands with Erik. In a nutshell, Whedon's The Astonishing X-Men is smacked between that Cherikfest and the mutant decimation that happens soon after. It's noteworthy to contextualize that because the mutant decimation courtesy of a crazy Scarlet Witch occurs just years right after Dr. Rao proposes a mutant cure here in Whedon's series. That's a chilling association of events, really.

THE ASTONISHING X-MEN ISSUE #3 "GIFTED" part 3

The issue opened with Kitty Pryde counseling one of the young students in school who had expressed interest in taking the cure. She was more than happy to help him through the difficult process, offering him a positive advice about mutants and how they are a community. She said, "We're a people and there's no way anybody can make us be what they want. We stick together and don't panic or overreact...you'll see. We're stronger than this." It really was a touching piece of insight.

The boy in question, however, was baffled by that sentiment and gives her this gem of a response: "Miss Pryde...are you a fucking retard?"

As awful as that answer was, I had to laugh. I feel bad for Kitty because she belonged to a different time and had a very different experience about being recruited into the X-Men family. Kitty Pryde first appeared in the comics right after the Dark Phoenix Saga came to a close. She was introduced in the preludes as a thirteen-year old girl with phasing abilities, and she encountered Emma Frost (working for the Hellfire Club at that time) in her own home, being asked to study under her tutelage. Ultimately, Kitty chose to join Professor X because she felt like she could trust him but didn't arrive to the school itself until the death of Jean Grey (the second death). Kitty was a fresh-faced recruit who was eager to learn and help out, and one day while she was training in the Danger Room, she was possessed by her future self who came from a place where Sentinels have depleted mutantkind and the only way to prevent their rise is by traveling back to the past and confronting Mystique and the Brotherhood before they instigate an all-out war between humans and mutants. Kitty then became an important key player in Days of Future Past and afterwards became a fan-favorite for comic book readers. She was relatable, charismatic and easy to root for, all youth and hopeful countenance. That's the life that Kitty has had as an X-Man, one that is  a contrast to the new young mutants who are attending the Xavier School.

Not everyone in the school gets to be an X-Man; some of them just need a safe place where they could learn and grow without the danger of being ostracized and bullied. The boy that Kitty was counseling may have been one of these, and so he is unable to comprehend the sense of duty and loyalty that comes along being a defender of one's race like Kitty was at such a young age. There was also a two-paged spread where we see a large line of mutants gathered in front of BeneTech laboratories to get the cure which we have seen before in the movie: X-Men: The Last Stand. A scene later, we see Kitty entering the kitchen and asking Emma, "How much detention are we allowed to give? What's the maximum amount of detention a human body can withstand?" indicating her displeasure about the boy's untoward response to her earlier. Emma wasn't being helpful either, and so the two women continue to be unpleasant with each other in this exchange:

Casually strolling in looking like a miserable chap, Hank declares without any punctuated emotion that he's just spent an entire night examining a sample of the mutant cure which Dr. Rao was kind enough to provide as seen in the previous issue where Beast was caught breaking into BeneTech Labs. Emma and Kitty were just too damn speechless to react properly so Hank left them there after he got his cup of coffee, proclaiming that he hoped to get more precise results pertaining to effectiveness of the cure, if the strain really is the genuine thing. Emma does not look pleased at all especially since Hank didn't even think it was important to let the rest of them know about the fact that (a) he knows Dr. Rao personally; (b) he has access to the mutant cure all along and didn't even bother volunteering the information until they had to ask. Meanwhile, we have the scene that reveals Dr. Rao's association with the alien thug Ord who seemed to be working with her but readers aren't sure to what purpose and to what end. I'm very bothered about this relationship because I despise Ord at first sight (because his ugly face matches his even uglier personality) and Dr. Rao is still giving me mixed feelings about her character. I know she's not an evil person. She seems to show genuine concern and emotional investment on the welfare of the mutant child Tilde after all. 

On the other hand, Scott goes to the S.H.I.E.L.D agency to seek for their help and instead encounters useless office politics of some sort. Nick Fury was incredulously dismissive of the effects that the news about this 'mutant cure' has on the general public, acting like him and his agency couldn't be bothered about it as if the welfare of the masses isn't at stake--well, if mutants did decide to take the cure, they stop being an endangerment to the other percentage of the population so I guess Fury is waiting for the whole thing to play out first before he steps in? I'm not entirely sure what his gameplay here, and neither is Scott, and both of them are getting annoyed by each other; Scott for Fury's undisguised apathy, and Fury for Scott's peskiness. Also, sometimes I forget that this is how Nick Fury looks like in comics. When he appeared for the first time in the pages, I knew it was Nick Fury, sure, because of the eye patch and the uniform, but I'm just so into the movie version with Samuel L. Jackson that every time I see this Nick Fury now, I just can't take him seriously. Anyway, here are two dialogue exchange that were noteworthy; one expressed Fury's candor concerning mutant cure, the other was a passive-aggressive taunt about Scott housing a known villain and how Fury informs him that he's been keeping tabs on whatever is happening in their so-called school:

Now my favorite confrontation of this issue had to be the one that occurred between Beast and Wolverine. While Hank was back to investigating the sample of the mutant cure his former colleague Dr. Rao was generous enough to provide, Logan walked in and told him to destroy it or that he will destroy it for him. Unpleasantness was unavoidable as they had an honest discussion as to whether or not Hank himself intended to use it because he can't deal undergoing any more physical transformations that slowly rob him off his human features and perhaps even his intelligence and mentality. He's afraid of devolving. Logan, who can sympathize to a certain extent, still argued that this isn't just about Hank anymore; it's about him being an X-Man and what that represents. If he takes the cure, he is sending a message than even the strongest of their kind can't fight back and that will dishearten the common mutant masses, and they themselves might take the cure because they see no other option than to surrender and let themselves be abolished of their uniqueness. 

Things are getting a little out of hand between the two friends so Emma put a stop to all this nonsense by telepathically taking over and then moving the rest of the team inside the Danger Room. After the Hawaiian-themed simulation, we now have the Dollhouse simulation which has to be the highlight of this issue (that, and Wolverine sitting contentedly on the big purple teddy bear behind him). I hope this becomes a recurring thing in the series. I wonder what else kind of absurd simulations the Danger Room has in store for us.

Scott, who had just finished a heated discussion with Nick Fury scenes earlier, is totes not in the mood for more confrontations, so he immediately addressed Hank's concerns regarding the mutant cure, and Wolverine's worsening habit of violently fighting his teammates when he's having an argument with them. He tried to arrive into an acceptable compromise for Hank's situation by stating that they should first figure out if the mutant cure is authentic or not and if it is, then they will cross the bridge when it's there regarding or not Hank has a right to take the cure for himself. Scott requested as gently as he could that they should at least talk about it before Hank makes that decision and Hank acquiesced and went back to work. Meanwhile, Scott told Logan to just get a beer and stay out of Hank's way and Logan just let it go as commanded. Kitty wondered if they should contact Professor X for help but Emma answers her that he's no longer the team leader and that they should learn to deal with things like proper adults from now on and not resort to asking Xavier for help every time they encounter a setback. So the five of them went on their separate ways. A scene later, we see Hank in panic as he realized what measures were taken in order to produce the cure, and he hurriedly informed Scott about this development.

Hank afterwards looked away and asked softly, "Why can't things stay buried?"

To which Scott replied in horror and disbelief, "Jean?"

I'm definitely giving this issue a higher rating of 8 than the last two issues because it had more substance and revelations than the last two issues. Things are also starting to move forward to more exciting conflicts and with that cliffhanger, I certainly had to read the next issue immediately because that revelation was disturbing enough. So let's see where we are now in Freytag's pyramid of dramatic structure so far:

RECOMMENDED: 8/10

The Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon #2

A few days ago, I read an NPR article entitled Not So 'Divergent': The Cookie-Cutter Noncomformist which had notable things to say about the profitable formula of a typical young adult dystopic novel which I do not subscribe to but sometimes always curious about, seeing as most of the women my age seem to enjoy them even the ones whom I share some common interests with regarding other genres of literature. I wonder if it would appeal to me if I just pick one up--oh wait, I did finish the first two books of The Hunger Games series and gave up on it once a favorite character died (and was poorly cast as Lenny Kravitz in the film adaptation). That only meant that I wasn't intellectually or emotionally invested enough in the set-up that I wanted to keep going. I think the last closest thing to a YA dystopia book I read was a manga by Yuu Watase called Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden that has the same elements so I suppose I'm fine with the formula itself but only if it's presented in another medium, such as sequential art? Am I too much of a comic book snob? But admitting that I don't like any of these teen dsytopia stories and yet also claiming to love a Japanese manga that essentially tells the same kind of narrative is at least acknowledging that there is a part of me that such a formula appeals to. That's a puzzling paradox, isn't it? In any case, the reason I bring up the NPR article is because it mentioned the X-Men briefly in one of the paragraphs:

"It seems a little bit sad that the only kind of nonconformity that pop culture enjoys feeding kids is the nonconformity of superpowers – that's what X-Men is, after all. Mutants, but mutants with special powers. Secretly, you're not different-bad, you're different-great. You're different-better.

But what if your divergence is a horizontal move, not a vertical leap? What if you can't demonstrate that you're superior to everyone else and you don't have superpowers? What if you're just ... different? Are all these stories really saying it's okay to be different, or are they only saying it's okay to be special?"

It's an interesting argument and one I don't entirely disagree with. If we really get into the semantics and socially relevant implications of the X-Men narrative, it'd be a tad patronizing to compare its stories of prejudice and discrimination to the real-life civil rights conflicts that a lot of the writers were inspired to write about through X-Men, most notably Chris Claremont who has made many parallels between the X-Men's struggle for a place to belong in the society and that of the African-American community during a very trying era in American history. The X-Men are not just different--they are considered to be either two things: as either the next evolutionary step or an abomination to mankind. Either way, this meant the X-Men (and mutants in general) are special. As the article argues, what if you're just different without being necessarily special? Well, I suppose I can make a counterpoint that the X-Men are the special ones and the mutants in general are the nondescript population. It's worth mentioning that not every mutant has a superpower. Not every mutant has a chance to be accepted in Xavier School and be recognized as a superhero. Some mutants may have deformities and even pointless mutations that won't ever get them in the spotlight at all. 

But, of course, we focus on the special cases from the minority group because they're ultimately what defines said group fighting the status quo to get their identity acknowledged in a big way. Do you think all gay men are flamboyant and all lesbians are butch (or temptresses who make out with each other to titillate straight men)? NO. But that's how most heterosexuals believe especially when these stereotypes are so ingrained that even the individuals themselves who posses these qualities use them as strong identifiers to make a statement. But that is what the LGBTQ movement is trying to discourage, much like how the X-Men are out there so people could recognize that their powers can help humanity and that there is more than one kind of mutant. The specifications between "different" and "special" are not entirely inseparable as we see in our pop culture, so the article does make a strong point by raising the issue of what if someone is just different without having any special skills or ability to offer. However, it fails to take into consideration that only the special stand out and are spurned, reviled or discriminated against because its their uniqueness in an area that usually requires expertise that make them the target of attention. I'm sorry to say but if you're different in a sense that you're nondescript then the world will not take interest in you and that makes you lucky if you don't strive to make a statement anyway. I'm not sure if I'm articulating this right but this is a discussion I feel the need to open here, seeing as Joss Whedon is going to be touching upon the same thing with this "mutant cure" storyline.

THE ASTONISHING X-MEN ISSUE #2 "GIFTED" part 2

Let's talk about the visual presentation of John Cassaday so far even if we're only two issues ahead. I'll be honest: I wasn't particularly fond of how angular-looking the faces of his characters were drawn, and I think it has yet to fully grow on me. It's not a terrible style, of course, because there is some depths in his interpretation of character visuals, giving the faces a real depth that is somewhat three-dimensional on page. Perhaps it's this realism that takes me out of their beauty. Still, this could be a compliment; since the characters are drawn to resemble how real people really look like outside of the comic book world, then the more impactful it becomes to look at. 

I would have to complement him for the features he puts into faces down to the minuscule details--such as the eyes, eyebrows, cheekbones and lips. Not everyone has to look pretty and polished (aside from Emma who is supposed to be a gorgeous bombshell in the first place). Kitty is mostly drawn to look like a plain Jane which make her endearing to me because it undermines what a knockout her personality and characterization are in general. His illustrations of cat-Beast are my favorite, however, since I think cat-Beast is the most memorable physical transformations Hank McCoy ever had that really appealed to me. Even though Cassaday's style is not of my taste, I do appreciate the aforementioned qualities and dimensions he adds when he draws character faces. 

Now, let's get to the content. Much like the first issue, the second part of Gifted is all exposition but with just the hint of a rising action ever so slowly taking a curve-ball. I think that Whedon had been taking his sweet time setting up all the pieces first which hopefully would entail a much more satisfying, vicious climax in the long run. This composition of the scenes are evenly paced, serving to contrast the different tones of the narrative which, thankfully enough, don't clash with each other or compete for which one must be heard the loudest. Whedon allows the characters to chew on some scenery because the trick for such stories is truly in the details.

The readers are enlightened by two major things in this issue. First is Dr. Rao and the mutant child Tildie who serves as her 'muse' for her goal in curing the mutant disease. The woman has good intentions, I guess, and for now she does struck me as someone who sees a problem and tries to offer the most humane solution. In this case, she doesn't hate the mutant people themselves but rather the 'disease' that corrupted their 'healthy cell activity', that being gene X. It's comparable to that of religious people who don't proclaim hatred and outright bigotry towards the homosexuals as people but rather the sin that has made them that. Lots of naysayers would disagree, of course, that there is a very blurred distinction between what was deemed the 'sinner' and the 'sin'; that by calling it a 'sin' (or, in this example, a disease') is still a negation of the individual's right to be identified as whatever he or she is biologically born with. With homosexuals, it's therapy or going to the 'pray the gay away' camps with the promise of reversing the so-called 'sin'; with the mutants, it's this end-all cure for their genetic mutations as founded by Dr. Rao. Both cases offers an alternative without bloodshed and bigotry, a compromise for the affected to seek counsel and expulsion so they can finally live normal lives. This kind of belief is not as dangerous as that of the avid anti-mutants like the Purifiers, but is nonetheless just as cruel and hypocritical, even pitiful and misguided. That's why I don't really hate what Dr. Rao is trying to do but her scientific view devoid of human context in approaching this eradication of mutants is still as deeply troubling as the next hatemonger spewing hellfire on what he perceives to be a bunch of godless cretins in need of cleansing. I really want to see how Whedon plans to play this one out.

The second thing to take note of in this issue is how the X-Men reacted upon receiving the news concerning this miracle cure. I don't feel like mentioning that incident at some rich people's gala event with an alien named Ord trying to wreak some havoc because it felt a little bit out-of-place and small potatoes. I don't really care for now why he's here and what he plans to do. He came off as a silly distraction which the X-Men easily got the best of which was good enough of a victory, seeing as Cyke found a way to turn this into a PR stunt to show that, much like the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, they're also trying to help the city and law enforcement when bad guys like this roll around. Unfortunately, the media is more interested in their reaction about the cure, and Wolverine foremost is not happy about it:

And now for the interesting character interactions. First, we have this lovely exchange between Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde. And by lovely, I meant kindda sad and brutally honest, especially on Kitty's end. She basically tells Emma off as we discovered that it was Emma herself who invited Kitty to come back. As Emma tries to make nice and establish some trust with Kitty, the latter just outright refuses, essentially criticizing her relationship with Scott, her teaching style, and describing in detail that she was quite the abhorrent evil vilainess back in the day and Kitty hasn't forgotten about it and isn't planning to so soon. I thought it was a little unfair but understandable enough if you look through it with Kitty's negative bias perspective. I don't think these two women are ready to be friends and bury the hatchet anytime soon. And that's fine, because their tension and rivalry may keep things on the edge and interesting. We'll see how they fare together in the next issues.

The second character interaction is the last one between Beast and Dr. Rao whom ge revealed to be a former colleague of his. He broke inside the facility where he reseach was located and she was right there waiting for him. Beast made no qualms denying the purpose of his visit and Dr. Rao was quick to defend her stance, emphasizing her goal to help mutants who do want to be rid of their 'genetic disease.' Beast interrupted her speech midway and quietly confessed that he was not there to destroy the cure but rather to study it; he wants to know how and if it truly works. That last panel shot of Beast looking away as if in shame as he admitted that openly really perturbed me. It's so easy to forget that this is a man who had lived in fear concerning the volatile and unpredictable physical transformations that his mutation puts him through each stage. I think it's safe to say that Hank is tired of always being taken off guard, dreading that his next evolution will further deform him and not just his physical state. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he wants to try the cure as well. His mutation is a burden. If there's a chance to remove it, he's taking it. Rogue in the movie version did, and we can also sympathize as to why she did so in the first place.

The stakes have been set here in the second issue but I'm still lowering my ratings so I can save up for the ones that deserve a high grade. As enjoyable as this had been, I knew it's still all exposition without that much substance but I know this could change anytime soon and I'm really, really, REALLY looking forward for the developments that are about to unfold. So far, I'm very much intrigued with the kind of curiosity that is unrelenting. Whedon is weaving a brilliant plot here, moving the pieces in corners that I can't see yet but I'm confident enough will be revealed soon. The characterizations for each X-Men have been spectacular, especially that conflict between Kitty and Emma which I know will continue to evolve and perhaps even drive the narrative in many ways soon.

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

The Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon #1

There are many reasons I love the month of October. First off, there's Halloween on the 31st which I normally celebrate by candy overload and horror films. Then we have the consecutive birthdays of two idols of mine, rapper Eminem and writer Oscar Wilde on the 17th and 18th respectively, and now, hopefully for the best, it's the month when I first read and review Joss Whedon's promising series, The Astonishing X-Men. I've cleansed my palette from last month's series and I'm ready to embark on a fresh, exciting journey that extends to the content, style and quality of my reviews. Written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by John Cassaday, this 2005 series is composed of a grand total of sixty-eight issues and one of its major storylines has been used as one of the three inspirational material for the pitiful mismatched narrative that was X-Men: The Last Stand movie, and, to a lesser extent, the much more superior 2011 adaptation, X-Men: First Class. 

Before we begin with the first issue, let's introduce the main players of this series as seen in the debut. The cast, for now, is small which I'm expecting to grow as the series progresses because what is X-Men without its multiple arcs starring ensemble characters? Before Lost started the grueling ensemble of characters on screen, X-Men has been doing it in the last 50 years, so one can only imagine the strenuous amount of writing and characterization it took several writers over the decades to build the rich tapestry of its canon. But don't strain yourself; it's essentially unimaginable in breadth and girth. For now, let's all narrow it down to these primary players:

THE ASTONISHING X-MEN MAIN HEROES

[from left to right]

• Emma Frost (a. k. a "The White Queen") ==> Reformed villain, Xavier School teacher and Scott's gorgeous squeeze
• Kitty Pryde (a. k. a "Shadowcat") ==> The youngest member of the X-Men recruited after the death of Jean Grey
• Scott Summers (a. k. a "Cyclops") ==> The designated, default leader who is not as frigid and distant as he'd like to project
• Logan James? Howlette (a. k. a "Wolverine") ==> Fan-favorite anti-hero in love with Jean Grey and never got along with Scott
• Hank McCoy (a. k. a "cat-Beast") ==> Brainy scientist whose physical mutation never stops evolving, much to his chagrin

TIMELINE: There was a brief mention of a scene from Chris Claremont's X-Men Forever (the first series I reviewed here) when Kitty Pryde was reminiscing about her stay at the Xavier's School and this is how the issue opens. I'm guessing that we start in the aftermath of Kitty's graduation and her departure, and as Emma Frost gets a second chance to be one of the good guys. Scott and Jean were married for a time and then she dies (again and more permanently this time), leaving both her husband and could-have-been and definitely-almost-lover Logan heartbroken and in grief. Scott, luckily, moved on to another beautiful telepath and have been together since. Professor X is also a no-show here but Scott still speaks of him fondly so this is definitely pre-Deadly Genesis where he uncovered an upsetting secret that Xavier has been hiding from him. This is pre-everything major that I've read like the decimation of the mutants in House of M, followed by the Hope Summers-centered epics Messiah Complex and Second Coming. Storm, Psylocke, Rogue, Colossus, Magik and Nightcrawler were missing here so far but as I said before, I'm sure they'll be making their appearances too; just not as part of the main roster of the above five. 

FUN FACT: I think I should mention that as I was browsing through my comics folders, I realized I've managed to download copies of the motion comics for this series. I plan on watching them some time after finishing this series or, better yet, after finishing a specific arc before I start with the new one. I've heard there is a varied voice cast for every character and the animated slides of the comics pages were greatly rendered, so I'm definitely going to check it out. Heck, I'll start watching the first episode now right after posting this!

THE ASTONISHING X-MEN ISSUE #1 "GIFTED"

An unnamed child has nightmares, haunted by gruesome images of a past she can't comprehend. A doctor comes to her aid, holding her close and the shot of them in an embrace pulls out to reveal that the girl was inside a observation room of some sort which immediately gave me a sinking feeling of dread as to the identity and purpose of the young girl and doctor in the story. Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde arrives for the first time since her graduation at the Xavier's School for the Gifted.

She explores the halls of her old home and remembers specific moments in her life there that made her nostalgic and slightly embarrassed, before she phases into the nearby wall and accidentally finds herself in the middle of a lecture hall where new teacher Emma Frost was just giving a speech to the students. She tried to make herself inconspicuous as she sat near her old friends, Beast and Scott. Emma acknowledged her presence only dismissively as she ended her speech by accessing the Danger Room and showing the new blood a brood of Sentinels tearing their way through their roof. The simulation proved to be both horrific and exciting as students disperse among crowds of their own, probably still in shock of what they just witnessed even if it wasn't real. The White Queen knows how to keep things spicy.

Scott wasn't that happy that Emma didn't consult him when she decided to play her hand at a magic trick like that, but he forgives her easily enough for it. They ended up tangled in the sheets together as the dawn approaches. It wasn't going to be a pleasant morning for Scott, however, when an old rival wakes him up from his rest, making snide remarks about his late wife and his grief over losing her. Logan perches by their bed, a cruel look in his eye, as he goaded Scott, "What stage is this then? Denial?" And Scott retaliates by shooting him with a blast that took Logan out of the window, breaking glass and waking up the students who hurriedly tried to see what the commotion is about.

Pictured here: Scott Summers grieving Jean Grey

It seems like if Logan is unhappy and still heartbroken over the loss of Jean, and he believes that Scott should feel just as miserable about it still, and it better stay that way or else. Having this sense of entitlement and ownership of the way Scott should grieve is something quite douche-y for Logan, but misery loves company, and as much as both men never got along, their grief actually binds them together because no one else in the world could understand their heartbreak and despair. I think Logan is just seeking somebody else to feel the overwhelming power of never being able to see or love Jean Grey again. Scott is having none of this; he refuses to bond with Logan over his wife's death. After all, Jean's last words to him was that he should live his life after she's gone since all she ever did was die on him anyway. This was a selfless last act of love and Logan could never understand that, as far as Scott is concerned, since Jean was never in love with him. But Logan knew that Jean loved him back in her own way and a selfish part of him feels like shoving it in Scott's face. But he fails because Scott is obviously in the process of moving on...to a lovely, intelligent and powerful woman who shares the burden of responsibility of leading this school and helping restore some dignity in their line of work and vocation as X-Men. Still, Emma has a different perspective about it and had no problem speaking out her mind in Beast's presence concerning her insecurities about her blossoming relationship with Scott:
  
         

Ever the pacifist, Hank tries to make things better for everyone by putting the adults concerned inside the Danger Room where he produced a rather cutesy simulation of Hawaii islands and then they started sitting on each one as if it's furniture. The scenic view helped calmed everyone down though which was the point. But Beast still couldn't help but scold them. After that, Scott opened a serious discussion regarding their status as superheroes, how he wishes to get themselves some positive media coverage and publicity by showing the rest of the world they are using their gifts and powers to help maintain the peace and to seek justice for the oppressed. Scott was quite determined and passionate to showcase a new brand for the X-Men which will simultaneously inspire students and new recruits to join them once they're old enough and ready to face the same battle. Surprisingly enough, Logan listened to this without offering any kind of counter-argument. It would seem that Logan has learned to put aside whatever personal qualms he has with Scott and just follow his lead. Not that he hasn't been doing that over the years they've worked together; but I can tell there's a change in the air somewhat now that Logan is still grieving and may need some productive way to divert his attention which was probably why whatever Scott is suggesting they should do is a promising venture for him. Kitty willingly joins the team as well, though wary of the White Queen being by Scott's side. Hank only cares about the new costumes they were going to put on which is understandable because so am I!

Elsewhere, two major events are happening as the new X-Men prepare for their first mission. A group of armed men led by a mysterious monster held hostages inside a private event somewhere in the city. Meanwhile, the doctor and child from the opening pages of this issue now step into the spotlight, surrounded by an eager crowd of journalists and spectators as the doctor named Dr. Kavita Rao stood in front of everyone to announce how she defines a mutant. Unlike the Purifiers, she doesn't think they are an abomination that needs to be ethnically cleansed for religious purposes. Unlike the government-sponsored Sentinels program, her way is not to punish these mutants and imprison them for being born the way they are. No, what Dr. Rao believes is that mutation is A DISEASE.

"Mutants are not the next step to evolution. They are not the end of humankind. The mutant gene is nothing more than a disease. A corruption of healthy cellular activity. We have found a cure." 

I'll probably have more fleshed-out insights regarding Dr. Rao's belief by the next issue. But make no mistake: I'm offended. Now this is a familiar one because we have seen this so-called 'mutant cure' as the major plot in The Last Stand which was handled poorly, actually, because there are some contradictions and inherent consistencies in that script. I want to see how Whedon approached the idea here in the original source material. Speaking of loosely based adaptations, the poster for X-Men: First Class, particularly the costume choices of the characters there were definitely inspired by this panel, including the haphazard way it was shot where the camera angle tips to the corner a little bit. Go ahead and search for the posters online and see for yourself. Also, Emma Frost's appearance here is also the basis for the costuming choices for January Jones in the film. The resemblance between the way the character was drawn here and the way the actress looks in the scenes of the movie is unmistakable so I feel like bringing it up, especially since I love January as herself (even if her portrayal lacked life in the movie) and the White Queen and her journey towards being a heroine after being such a badass villainess for so long. 

Wolverine: Time to make nice with the public, eh, Summers? 

Cyclops: We have to do more than that, Logan.

I'm going to rate this issue in pragmatic terms. I don't want to start with a high rating already since this is just the introduction and as evenly paced as everything was including the reveal at the end, and as amusing were the interactions among our heroes, I still want to start my review of this series by saving for my high ratings which is why I'm giving this one a seven out of ten because it was better than I expected but not quite there yet. As a fan of most of Whedon's work in television, I know that he's one writer who does know how to take his time formulating his stories so I'm confident that he's going for the kill once he knows the time is right and pieces are set in motion as flawlessly as he could manage. So far, the premise is teeming with potentials. I like the main players selected and I'm all on-board for the trip!

RECOMMENDED: 7/10

A Note on More Beguiling Beginnings for XMCG!

Last December, as I lay on my couch in happy contentment right after devouring a dozen plates of spaghetti and exchanging obligatory gifts with my little cousins, I thought about comics. Comics has taken a big chunk of my life as a woman in my mid-twenties and I want the online world to know it. I successfully spent the later nine months of 2014 reading and reviewing Batman in Batman Comics Geek, and two months from that was allotted for reviewing the first fifty issues of John Constantine: Hellblazer in HCG. Both had been fulfilling creative endeavors that I never could believe I managed to stay committed to for such a long time. So, I asked myself, "Should I start doing X-Men now?", fully knowing the extent of what I was in for, and then my other self answered, "Yeah, we should start doing X-Men now." So, by the second day of January 2015 since, I was popping out non-stop reviews of varied X-Men titles. Fast-forward to today. I only have three months left for this year and I've once again accomplished what I set out to do on that night, albeit while I was drunk on spaghetti and yuletide cheer. I'm very proud of myself because HOLY SHIT, X-MEN? Do you have any idea how many stories are there? Right now, I'm pretty sure I'm only 20% into its rich canon and I have never been so elated that I even managed to get through that percentage of reading material.

That being said, I think I wanted to do something more...interesting in my reviews for this new series I'll be doing until early November. I've been in a murky place lately, trying to come up with reviews for the shitty issues of Brian Michael Bendis' All-New X-Men which at first whisked me away in whirlwind romance for the first twenty issues or so, but lost me in a hurricane of bland storylines and baffling non-developments among its characters which unfortunately followed. I was relieved to close that chapter of my X-Men reading life once September ended. Now, we have Joss Whedon who will always be beloved for me because of his Firefly TV series (and, to a lesser extent, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). He is also the current writer for the recent two Avengers movie and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D show. I know he's an X-fan and I'm very intrigued to see how the quality of his content holds up.

There are three things I aim to accomplish for my reviews of The Astonishing X-Men. 

(1) Take time exploring the series and individual issues more  --> I have done this in the past but not consistently, I must admit. Now I want to really explain in detail the amazing issues and their content, completely adhering to my "two reviews a day" format of posts here in the blog. However, I do understand and fully accept that there are just some issues and certain story arcs that are just not worth the precious words and the length. If that is the case, then I will resort to something I used to despise when making reviews..

(2) MAKE FUN OF AN AWFUL ISSUE, HOLDING NOTHING BACK --> I'm the kind of reader who actually wants to read literature that will never offend my sensibilities (I've learned my lesson with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight). It takes a lot of my spiritual energy and sense of decency to actually mock a certain piece of writing, mostly because I don't bother putting out negative vibes in my reviews if I can avoid it. But, of course, there are times I simply can't and I need to tear my hair out and call out bad, awful and godforsaken writing in the comics I read (For references, check out this, this, and this). But I'm aware that other online reviewers can make it fun and snarky so I should aim for that kind of style of narrative because it is progressive therapy to make fun of stupid things every now and then even if said stupid things can be mentally damaging and emotionally scarring. Which leads me to my most important goal of the triad:

(3) MORE CAREFREE .GIFs and FUN/SNIDE COMMENTARY --> ...especially when the occasion undeniably calls for it and that usually entails the aforementioned awful issues and shitty storylines that must be dealt with by unguarded, sparkling wit. Without the risk of sucking my own metaphorical cock, I think I can be funny enough for that. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm up for it.

So expect great and better things for my reviews of The Astonishing X-Men. I'm really gonna get down to it like never before. I've been writing comic book reviews for almost 2 years now (with an approximated total of 500 reviews divided among my three comics blogs) and I should never stop challenging myself to write more, fangirl more, lose my shit more and--for the love of all that is holy--

to NEVER EVER STOP CHERIK-ING!

I'm talking about these guys!