Big Robots (bit Mortal Engines, where some of the City Blockks turn out to be giant robots) Wiierd (a bColour Psi Judge Anderson anthology containing:
Big Robots (bit Mortal Engines, where some of the City Blockks turn out to be giant robots) Wiierd (a bit strange days - with a murderer killing people in VR) Biophyle (An eco terrorist unleashes killer plants) The House of Vyle (A haunted house whodunit) The Trip (Anderson gets exposed to a mind enhancing drug and has to stop an evil cult)
All really strong stories which deepen Anderson's character - The fall out from Big Robots is quite devastating. While Boo Cook's depictions of Anderson vary quite a bit I thought the artwork was pretty good and enhanced the stories.
I've always been a fan of Anderson - I find her far more empathetic than Dredd, and I love the fact that she's a strong, comptant woman who isn't overtly sexualised - Okay Okay we do get a tight fitting uniform and some obvious superheroine positioning - You're never going to escape to target audience of 2000AD being male, but there's a realistic quality to Anderson too - she ages, she kicks ass and she shows real emotion.
An excellent showcase for the character and very female friendly. Really enjoyed this one....more
Another CM3 masterpiece of bizarro fiction. Polly and her brother Tick have lived their entire life in the nursary looked after by Robot Nanny WarboroAnother CM3 masterpiece of bizarro fiction. Polly and her brother Tick have lived their entire life in the nursary looked after by Robot Nanny Warborough - They long for the day when their parents will come and get them. However when Nanny breaks down, the food machines go on the blink and the children at school mysteriously glitch or disappear, Polly, Tick and new baby Leech must leave the nursary and explore the Quicksand house...
I adored this one. It's nicely gothic and freaky - The characters are quirky, I liked Polly with her green hair and anitlers - nicely rendered on the cover. I liked the transition from gothic horror to sci-fi and the changes in tone from squick dark horror to an oddly upbeat ending.
Big thumbs up - And a great example of why Carlton Mellick is my favourite Bizarro author. ...more
**spoiler alert** Harping back to the Hinchcliffe era this fuses Who and gothic horror. I don't know what it is but while I think mixing Who and Briti**spoiler alert** Harping back to the Hinchcliffe era this fuses Who and gothic horror. I don't know what it is but while I think mixing Who and British gothic is amongst the best there is, mixing Who with American gothic just never seems to work quite as well (I'm thinking of things like the 6th Doctor: The Lovecraft Invasion, fusing two of my favourite things Lovecraft and Who and coming up wanting) The same is true of this one - how can a Who story centred around Poe with robot ravens and a mutant shapeshifting cat be anything other than awesome? And yet its pretty forgettable. I'm not warming to companion Tamsin, but then Lucie Miller is pretty much an impossible act to follow. Sheridan Smith set the bar and the later 8th Doctor Adventures are really suffering for her loss.
This one's not bad exactly, but it suffers from a new companion finding her feet, both the doctor and audience reeling from Lucie's departure and a rather dull story. Though I do like the cat that gets into the TARDIS and mucks up the navigation. ...more
The 5 stories here don't at first seem all that astonishing in the genre of Science Fiction: Trips to Mars & Venus, mad scientists creating mutants arThe 5 stories here don't at first seem all that astonishing in the genre of Science Fiction: Trips to Mars & Venus, mad scientists creating mutants are staples of the genre and yet.... These were written between 1934-6. While they obviously spring-board from Homer, Wells and Burroughs, they are far more modern and grounded in reality, more in keeping with the likes of Bradbury. At the time these would have been truly groundbreaking.
The science is based in fact, and feels plausible. The aliens are neither humanoid nor tentacle monsters intent on conquest of Earth or mating with its women. The parade of creatures here are truly alien and given psychology and philosophy as our heroes try and understand and communicate with them.
I was also impressed with the strong role of women - In the Adaptive Ultimate (Filmed 4 times - She Devil, The Miraculous Serum, Kyra Zelas and Beyond Return) - Two scientists inject a woman with fruit-fly DNA and create a totally amoral 'goddess' who adapts to every situation like a chameleon. For a more positive role there's Pat the better half of the husband and wife team in The Lotus Eaters. She's strong, qualified and daring.
Considering these were written in the mid 1930's they are radical indeed and changed the face of science fiction into what we know it as today.
**spoiler alert** Another freaky volume. In terms of goldfish mutation we get loads more limbs and one who has the beginnings of a human face; hair an**spoiler alert** Another freaky volume. In terms of goldfish mutation we get loads more limbs and one who has the beginnings of a human face; hair and teeth we also learn the secret of why gold-fish burst out of people. It seems that tiny fish enter the body through mouth and nostrils in the dark where they incubate and then burst out giving rise to the next generation. Adored this idea, I just wish there was more visual evidence of it - more body horror please!
Hajime and co finally unite with Idol Alisa and her group, all the survivors coming together towards what looks like one epic final stand. The highlight in terms of character is the androgynous Gion who we learn is an underworld doctor. He really comes into his own when he is forced to treat Hajime. After leaving, he finds Sable waiting for him in his apartment. The interaction between these two is priceless. All the seemingly psychotic and sociopathic characters seem to be actually useful in this one. Kou, terrifying in his bloodlust is in his element slaughtering mutant goldfish and saving everyone. Even Fuuka, Alisa's obsessive fan is learning the power of friendship.
We get more of the Goldfish bowl idea here - It's very reminiscent of Stephen King's Under the Dome. By the end of this our characters are beginning to realise that they are the last line of defence to stop the goldfish leaving the bowl and invading the rest of man kind....
I love the freaky concept of this series with the constantly mutating burbling killer goldfish. I just hope the ending, when we finally get there, lives up to the beginning. ...more
As TV-tie-in Annuals go, The 1979 Man From Atlantis one is pretty good.
It features 5 stories: Fuel Crisis, Kidnap! Whirlpool, Dead to the World and TAs TV-tie-in Annuals go, The 1979 Man From Atlantis one is pretty good.
It features 5 stories: Fuel Crisis, Kidnap! Whirlpool, Dead to the World and The Assassins from Salo, all of which are in keeping with the show and could easily be episode plots if fleshed out a bit, and the supporting cast given bigger roles. One thing I particularly liked is that as well as the standard annual illustrations (that as you know rarely look anything like the cast) the stories also have colour stills from the series with I thought added a nice touch.There's your usual board-game in here and lots of aquatic facts which I found quite interesting, from sea creatures to famous swimmers and the history of the submarine. It also gives a double page introduction to Mark and the supporting cast.
In comparison with other late 70's TV SF annuals, I thought this one stayed true to the show and didn't wander into WTF is this doing here? territory. ...more
While this is supposed to be a sequel to Well's Island of Doctor Moreau, it feels far more like a reworking of the original story. Its set in the not While this is supposed to be a sequel to Well's Island of Doctor Moreau, it feels far more like a reworking of the original story. Its set in the not too distant future (1996), during a third world war. Our hero Calvert Mardle Roberts is a politician who's space shuttle gets shot down returning from a conference on the moon. He lands on Moreau's Island - Moreau's successor is an embittered thalidomide victim Mortimer Dart - As well as creating cyborg limbs for himself has been busy experimenting with both vivisection and drugs in utero to create a bizarre army of freaks for the war effort.
I loved some of the ideas in this, thalidomide and the idea of using drugs to produce freaks is a brilliant 'modern' twist, however not nearly enough is made of this. The idea is put to far better use in the novel Geek Love by Katherine Dunn where a mother uses drugs during pregnancy to produce circus freaks. Here its rather overshadowed by everything else.
I didn't think enough time was spent on the current situation either. I got confused over the moon, for a while I thought this was actually set on the moon - but I think his shuttle crashed on a return journey. But not nearly enough time is devoted to the war-torn future. Are there colonies on the moon - how far has man expanded into space, what are the world powers? Its all disappointingly sketchy.
Some of the things this does dwell on feel a bit odd as well. In particular Cal's idyll with the seal people. Now not all Moreau's creations are bad. There's a family of seal people who rescue Cal and he lives with them for a bit and embraces their commune of free love. There are several men and their queen Lorta and they have a human child, Satsu aged around 4 or 5. Satsu gleefully joins in all the 'love games of the adults' - and its clear Cal has sex with his "little sucky Satsu" - 'I did not even know that such young children could experience orgasm. But so it was.' This just feels all shades of wrong and other than its obvious shock value, I really can't fathom the point of its inclusion in this.
While I loved some of the new twists, there's not nearly enough originality and this really become a rehash of Moreau, which is fine as far as it goes, but the original packed far more punch and this feels like a lesser version. Still its quite fun, but not nearly as exciting as I hoped and the seal interlude made me quite uncomfortable....more
Kill ball is CM3's homage to giallo films, set in a dystopian future where a virus has forced people to exist in giant plastic hamster balls. Colin, oKill ball is CM3's homage to giallo films, set in a dystopian future where a virus has forced people to exist in giant plastic hamster balls. Colin, our slightly unhinged hero eight-ball is obsessed with exotic dancer siren. A killer is on the loose - a black leather clad ball, knifing exotic dancer's balls and exposing them to the melting virus. Colin has to save his beloved siren, convince her he's not the killer and make her fall in love with him.
I loved this. It's a fascinating exploration of human isolation and exceptionally relevant in today's climate. It's suitably bonkers, exciting and just plain weird, yet it's tightly plotted and I have to say pretty tame for Mellick, giving you room to appreciate the satire rather than squirming at the shock factor. It's not too misogynistic as some of his books can be, and Colin isn't too much of an asshole.
The imagination on this is as ever staggering and its superbly visual. Huge thumbs up. ...more
**spoiler alert** I've missed #8 Clone and #0 Anima which are now frustratingly hard to find in English. However I still think that 'come from the win**spoiler alert** I've missed #8 Clone and #0 Anima which are now frustratingly hard to find in English. However I still think that 'come from the wind' is rather confusing in terms of Druuna story arc and hands up I confess that I really wasn't sure what the hell is going on in this one.
So an amnesiac incarnation (clone?) of Druuna appears in 16th century? America. She befriends an Indian who is killed by what look like Conquistadors. Druuna escapes by mustang and a spider mutant erupts from the chest of the dead Indian. The rest of this is a bit of a quagmire - A different incarnation of Druuna is with a ghostly remnant of Schastar watching the other Druuna on the plains she jumps into a portal and the two Druunas come face to face uniting 'body' and 'memory'. Robot Gizmo also comes into this world as Druuna's comedy companion. She goes to a village, encounters a male Indian (a version of Will?) who wants her and one of his jealous wives (a version of Terry) who throws her the severed head of his last mistress. We run into the conquistadors again but she escapes into a mutant building where she meets the professor and a 3rd version of herself he calls 'soul' - we learn that there were two doctors - one infected, And it seems that most of the clones in this universe are hosts for these mutant tentacle aliens. Druuna leaves in search of uninfected humans.
This also features a bonus section of sketches and inks, showing earlier drafts.
So what can I say about this one? Far less sex and kink than all the other Druuna graphics - there's one scene of whipping, but on the whole its very tame compared to the stories where she keeps joining random orgies.
Serpieri began his career drawing westerns and gets to use that here - with the Americans Indians, horses and New World setting. This does make a nice change of pace and its great to see Druuna riding proud and free. I like the obvious New World metaphor: Being both the new world setting and a new world/beginning for Druuna.
I also love the alien/mutant parasite idea - It's a bit puppet masters meets alien.
The whole clones and dimensions aspect, though confused the hell out of me. While I far prefer the sci-fi settings, this latest Druuna isn't bad. Art as ever is beautiful and this manages to rehash what's gone before (repeated characters, themes and scenarios) and yet bring something fresh to the table with the new world stuff. ...more
Druuna X is what I wanted from The Sweet Smell of Woman. This is another Serpieri Druuna sketch book with all his hardcore images, which he then self-Druuna X is what I wanted from The Sweet Smell of Woman. This is another Serpieri Druuna sketch book with all his hardcore images, which he then self-censored for publication - So we get a lot of the phallus & penetration images from scenes in the Druuna graphic novels as well as a few one-shot scenes that were never used. As well as the art which is stunningly beautiful as well as being erotic we get some insight into the mind of the artist. Serpieri talks about his inspiration and gives snippets into the evolution of Druuna and her universe. I hadn't really thought about the the mutating virus as a metaphor for AIDS but it kind of is - which works so perfectly with the sex and horror nightmare themes of the Druuna-verse.
Fans of Druuna won't be disappointed with this one....more
This 7th Druuna adventure is easily my favourite - There's less gratuitous sex and more horror. The art is phenomenal in this one as well. Druuna has This 7th Druuna adventure is easily my favourite - There's less gratuitous sex and more horror. The art is phenomenal in this one as well. Druuna has never looked sexier, but it's actually the monsters, and the eerie bio-mechanical post apocalyptic landscapes that make this stand out.
Druuna has lost her memory, she doesn't even know who she is. She wanders through this nightmare scape of mutant insects and freaky hybrids looking for answers. There's such a fusion of influences, which if you're a SF junkie like me just puts a huge smile on your face: Alien, Dune, Ghost in the Shell, there are these freaky hooded guys with glowing eyes reminding me of Jawas (Star Wars) and the cyborg will is very reminiscent of the Cybermen from Dr. Who. Story doesn't really make much sense, but honestly I didn't care, the artwork is just that good and Druuna's world so fascinating that you get drawn in regardless. It's like reading an erotic and super freaky dream....more
**spoiler alert** This follows directly on from Mandragore. Captain Will enters the computer dreamscape to look for Druuna and try and find the secret**spoiler alert** This follows directly on from Mandragore. Captain Will enters the computer dreamscape to look for Druuna and try and find the secret of the serum. He encounters weird mutated anti-bodies, erotic statues and finally meets Shastar before being forced to return. We soon learn however that he has left a residual trace of himself in the dream dimension for Druuna to encounter later on.
Naked Druuna is busy having sex on the beach with a young stud provided for her pleasure. An older voyeur writes the word Aphrodite in the sand which seems to have great significance as its the same word Will and Doc are trying to decipher back on the ship.
Her lovers disappear and the landscape shifts to a rocky cliff where Druuna encounters... herself! (crop top- stockings Druuna) I think she's a residual clone like the one of Will we meet later - We know she's not the real Druuna as she has a mutating arm. Clone Druuna vanishes and enters Druuna's physical body back on the ship. Nude Druuna in the dreamworld runs into Paula, tells her she's just an echo from Lewis' memory. Then they both join a random orgy.
Druuna wakes up - got confused here is this clone Druuna in Druuna's body? It seems we've jumped into the future - she's on an escape pod. the mutation virus took over the ship and most of the crew are dead. Shastar turns up claiming for the last time and tells her the auto destruct sequence on the ship has been activated - It explodes and kills clone Druuna??? and Lewis? One Druuna escapes through a tunnel of light. Back on the pod she says her goodbyes to Shastar who turns into a constellation of lovers (with Druuna) and the Druuna left on the ship falls asleep saying she'll worry about everything tomorrow.
Ummmm. The plot on this one is really confusing. By the end I was lost in trying to work out which Druuna survived. In the end does it even matter? As ever the reason to read this is not for the story, but for Serpieri's fabulous artwork. Druuna is perfection in female form and the weird shifting nightmare landscape is suitably freaky....more
**spoiler alert** The mutation virus has manifest on the rescue ship, infecting one of the Prolats. Doc and Captain Will know from Druuna that there w**spoiler alert** The mutation virus has manifest on the rescue ship, infecting one of the Prolats. Doc and Captain Will know from Druuna that there was a serum which retarded the mutation. They question her and although she doesn't know, she realises Lewis (God) probably did. The energy hybrid of Lewis/Shastar is currently infecting the ship's computer. While they can't communicate, Druuna has proved that she is susceptible to it's telepathy. Doc hooks her up to the computer where she enters Lewis' mind and is sent on a quest to find the secret of the serum. She has to explore and seduce her way through a parade of sadists and mutants in usual Druuna style.
This dream/mental landscape allows us to revisit Druuna's home environment of 'The City' though being a dreamscape and in a computer, it gives rise to a nice fusion of organic and cyber tech and of course a mix of what's gone before with new and weird elements.
The art is stunning as ever, however Druuna isn't at her best here. For some bizarre reason she gets stockings and a teeny white crop-top which didn't do much for me. The stockings in particular just seem out of place. Otherwise though this one's not bad, I like the story which fuses sex and death beautifully. The irony that the serum which will cure them is derived from the mandragore (mandrake root) fed on semen (the suppliers of which are killed) ...more
**spoiler alert** If Bladerunner was crossed with The Thing and filmed as a porno you'd get a close approximation of this latest instalment of the Dru**spoiler alert** If Bladerunner was crossed with The Thing and filmed as a porno you'd get a close approximation of this latest instalment of the Druuna saga.
In Carnivora, Serpieri has captured an erotic nightmare in graphic form. It kicks off with pregnancy horror as pregnant Druuna is captured and given a Caesarean by some terrifying mutant doctors. She wakes up only to be gang-raped by a group sadistic mutants who morph into monster-form mid coitus. She wakes again to be sent on a mission by Shastar her dead boyfriend. He united with the mind of Lewis (God) to become a telepathic being of pure energy and has now merged again with the rescue ship's computer. Druuna runs into the other female officer Terry and they discover the most of the crew is being slowly cocooned and consumed by tentacular mutant bio-matter - Then they run into Terry and Roger and we learn that the Terry with Drunna is in fact a mutant clone. Indeed the mutating bio-mass can clone anyone and just like in Blade Runner the replicants have no idea they are not the real deal.... In order to prove Druuna is not a replicant she is sent to be tortured and gang raped by mutants Prolats who apparently will kill replicants instantly but only rape humans. She escapes only to seduce the ship's captain but then he encounters his clone and gets consumed by mutant bio-slime.
Shastar appears again for some much needed plot exposition after all the sex and death and sex. So the ship is on the border of a mirror universe/chaos Lovecraft dimension which seems to be where the mutants have come from and the replicants are our negative selves. The solution which makes no sense to me is to break through the barrier into the other dimension which will apparently make the ship time travel back to before any of this happened. The world is reset but the doctor lands a philosophic bomb shell for the ending asking if they had in fact failed and were all replicants and just don't know it....
I'm not quite sure what to say to this one. The art is as ever amazing and I have to say that perfect as she is, Druuna is overshadowed by the freaky mutant body horror which is fantastic. There's loads of sex, and weird body horror and it really is an erotic nightmare in book form.
Druuna's ignorance, nativity, frequent nudity, sex scenes and enjoyment of gang rape are a bit wearing and offensive for female readers. However I loved the horror element of this one which is ramped up and I also loved the whole replicant story line and sucker-punch ending, plus the glorious art goes without saying....more
**spoiler alert** I have to say that I really struggled with the plot of this one. It reminded me a bit (in essence more than style) of Aeon Flux with**spoiler alert** I have to say that I really struggled with the plot of this one. It reminded me a bit (in essence more than style) of Aeon Flux with its mix of philosophy, dystopian future setting, weird dreamy time jumping and sexy brunette heroine.
An external spaceship encounter an asteroid that is of course 'the city' (a far distant, totally mutated future version) where Druuna has been kept alive by God (Lewis) who has joined forces with her dead boyfriend Shastar (whom Druuna shot and killed last volume) . My head hurts already!
The captain of the ship manipulated by Lewis' telepathic powers has visions of divinity and a compulsion to visit the asteroid and rescue Druuna, whom he falls for. We get some wonderful Escher images and weird bio-tech fusion as the city/ship morphs and time seems to morph as well - we get deserted landscapes and suddenly an almost western like desert town where the sadistic inhabitants capture and rape Druuna trying to breed her, (but being Druuna after a few token protests she's perfectly content to be gang-banged and is begging for more). She escapes their clutches only to be raped? seduced? by Lewis/Shastar hybrid (i think) who fluctuates between being a mutant tentacle blob and then a hunky fantasy lover. Druuna finally gets rescued by the captain and escapes the city but fears she might be pregnant, but with what?
The biggest reason to check this out is Serpieri's stunning artwork. Druuna is feminine physical perfection (and if you are a fan of the female bottom, Druuna's is lovingly displayed on almost every page). I also have to mention the amazing tentacle/eyeball bio-horror and post-apocalyptic wasteland setting which really is amazing.
However the non-temporal plot and quasi religious and philosophy babble make this a real struggle to understand. It's very much like an erotic horror nightmare where nothing makes much sense. I'm also still not totally comfortable with the glorification of rape and Druuna's uninhibited sexuality - She's very much a male fantasy without much substance other than her physical attributes.
Still the artwork truly is beautiful and I love this bizarre and freaky universe, which make this series a true guilty pleasure. ...more
This instalment opens with a fantasy seduction scene with Druuna on a beach with a hunky lover Lewis who we soon learn is the head (god) in the previoThis instalment opens with a fantasy seduction scene with Druuna on a beach with a hunky lover Lewis who we soon learn is the head (god) in the previous volume, telepathically projecting a dream. He sends Druuna on a quest to destroy Delta. his rival, by destroying his tower power base. Druuna winds her way through an ever morphing landscape, encountering lots of sadistic rapists and mutants who want to have sex with her and then kill her before finally reaching her goal. But she begins to question who is the real villain - Delta... or Lewis?
I found this one a bit more misogynistic than the previous volume and felt rather uncomfortable at the glorification of rape and Druuna's attitude. Saying that the artwork is stunning - Drunna really is perfection in female form and the post-apocalyptic landscape of tentacles, wires, mutants and robots is terrifically realised....more
**spoiler alert** Imagine if the Matrix and Hardware were a porn movie and you get an inkling of Morbus Gravis - The unforgettable Druuna is an uninhi**spoiler alert** Imagine if the Matrix and Hardware were a porn movie and you get an inkling of Morbus Gravis - The unforgettable Druuna is an uninhibited beauty surviving in a post-apocalyptic city by using her voluptuous body and feminine charm to get what she needs. In this volume that's drugs which help her mutating boyfriend Shastar from turning into a tentacle monster. Shastar while lucid urges her to discover the truth about the city and it's ruling priests -
She goes on a quest and we get a matrix like finale where we discover just how small "the city" really is - it's a space-ship where humans are used as batteries and the priests are insane robots....
The biggest selling point is of course Serpieri's stunningly beautiful art. Druuna is perfection in female form, however the rest of the artwork is great as well and makes this bizarre post apocalyptic world peopled with mutants and diseased crazies really come alive.
A lot of this kind of work is eroticism for the sake of titillation and no story to back it up, but I have to say, being a massive SF fan, I really did like the story and universe here. Sure Druuna gets naked at every opportunity and is often imperiled involving mutant tentacles but there is a plot and some nice quasi- religious themes so prevalent in European graphics - she basically meets god and gets enlightened.
Fans of Gwendoline, Barbarella, Galaxina, Stella Star, Vampirella and the films of Lloyd A. Simandl will fall in love with Druuna - She's a sexy innocent in a world of monsters, weird cults and freaky technology. The perfect poster child for Heavy Metal....more
**spoiler alert** Collecting together Astonishing X-Men #13-18 this volume really kicks into gear as The Hellfire Club make their move. Every one of t**spoiler alert** Collecting together Astonishing X-Men #13-18 this volume really kicks into gear as The Hellfire Club make their move. Every one of the team is manipulated and taken out: Beast devolves, Wolverine becomes a coward, Cyclops comatose, Colossus goes Berserk and then conks out. Most touching is Kitty, she finally gets together with the newly resurrected Colossus and then the Hellfire club give her years of false memories where she has a son, Michael who is imprisoned and she has to mount a rescue. Only thing is its not really Michael she's setting free...
Add to this some alien menace: we have Ord from the Breakworld who believes Colossus is going to bring about the end of his civilisation and the disgruntled newly sentient AI Danger who has a huge grudge against the X-Men... The only people that can stop them: SWORD led by the sociopath Agent Brand and the remaining new X-Men, the only two of any use being precog Blindfold and Hisako - Armour.
WOW there is SO much going on here! The Hellfire Club, Cassandra Nova, Ord and his kill the x-men, save the world mission, Danger and sentient Shi'ar tech, Emma Frost's betrayal, Every single one of the x-men's own personal demons.... Way to go Joss Wedon to weave such an ambitious and busy plot and to keep it readable and emotionally engaging.
There's a lot here to like - It's a strong story for most of the female characters (and refreshing to see other female X-Men than Storm, Jean Grey and Mystique getting lots of attention) Very interesting take on Emma Frost - I hate her as a character usually, but I like the way this splits her into two: Emma Frost & The White Queen - And she really does do evil well, though she's nowhere near the level of Cassandra Nova.... It's also really good for some of the minor female characters: Hisako in particular - she's just there most of the time and I had no idea what her powers were - but here she kicks some ass. I quite like Blindfold too. And for the otherside... the angsty goth Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
OK there's so much packed into this its not as witty and fun as a lot of other X-Men stuff, but it's an engaging story with good character development and decent art. ...more
**spoiler alert** Astonishing X-Men injects some much needed freshness into the X-Menverse by drafting in Geek idol Joss Whedon to write the script - **spoiler alert** Astonishing X-Men injects some much needed freshness into the X-Menverse by drafting in Geek idol Joss Whedon to write the script - And on the whole this one is quite fun. The line up is Cyclops, Emma Frost, Wolverine, Beast and Kitty Pride - Not my favourite, but not too dire. I loathe Emma Frost as a character but this is about the best I've seen her - Cassaday focuses a great deal on her haughty face which makes such a nice change from the focus being her boobs. There's some nice bitchiness between her and Kitty.
The story revolves around two points of conflict. 1) A mutant cure has been found by Benetech and the team have to deal with the ramifications - what if it gets into the wrong hands? will all mutants be forced to take it? does it even work? 2) An alien called Ord from the Breakworld has come to kill the X-Men because he has seen the destruction of his world by an X-Man in the future. This brings in S.H.I.E.L.D and S.W.O.R.D and we get the return of Colossus - who isn't dead - his body was swapped and he was resurrected by Ord for sinister experimentation.
A solid 3.5 stars - Artwork's solid, story is OK and the script is quite witty. I would have liked something more innovative - Alien invasion and mutant cures... sent it all before. However, it's not handled too badly and it's quite fun....more
Mystique has betrayed the X-Men and Wolverine tracks her down for retribution. This is intercut with their chequered history in 1921 Mexico and KansasMystique has betrayed the X-Men and Wolverine tracks her down for retribution. This is intercut with their chequered history in 1921 Mexico and Kansas.
It's a really dull story. Mystique is evil and whilst sexy and wily there's no depth to her. Wolverine is relentless and broody - I like his inner struggle not to be an animal, or jaded and evil like his adversary. However I much prefer him when he's being witty and cocky. Here not so much.
This would be a 2* from me if not for Ron Garney's artwork which is really high quality - I like Mystique's cowgirl look at the beginning and her both guns blazing at the end is also really badass - Wolverine is rugged and pretty hot as well - totally rocking the yellow spandex.
Over all though disappointing - We have two of the X-Men's most interesting characters at loggerheads and this is surprisingly lacklustre I'm sad to say. Still it's nice to look at. ...more
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