Astonishing X-Men theme by ZHero
Download: AstonishingX-Men.p3t
(6 backgrounds)
| Astonishing X-Men | |
|---|---|
 John Cassaday's cover to Astonishing X-Men #1 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | (vol. 1–2) Limited series (vol. 3–4) Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | |
| No. of issues | List
|
| Main character(s) | Havok Beast Warpath Dazzler Colossus Banshee |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | List
|
| Penciller(s) | List
|
| Inker(s) | List
|
| Colorist(s) | List
|
Astonishing X-Men is the name of four X-Men comic book series from Marvel Comics, the first two of which were limited series. The third volume, an ongoing series, began in 2004, with its first run written by Joss Whedon and art by John Cassaday. It was then written by Warren Ellis with art by Simone Bianchi and Phil Jimenez.[1] Daniel Way and Christos Gage then took over the title writing alternating stories. They were followed by James Asmus who wrote one issue, then Greg Pak, who took over for four issues in November 2011.[2] Marjorie Liu wrote the final 21 issues of the series until its end at issue #68 in 2013.
The title's fourth volume and second ongoing series launched in 2017 during the "ResurrXion" storyline.[3] The first run was written by Charles Soule and illustrated by a rotating cast of artists. Matthew Rosenberg and artist Greg Land would then take over the series before its end in 2018.[4][5]
Volume 1 (1995 limited series)[edit]
The original Astonishing X-Men was a four-issue limited series that replaced Uncanny X-Men during the 1995 alternate universe storyline "Age of Apocalypse", in which all X-titles were given new names and issue numbers. In the storyline, Professor X was murdered 20 years in the past by his own son, Legion. Magneto, witnessing his friend's death, committed himself to Xavier's dream and created his own team of X-Men. However, he was unable to prevent the rise of the despotic Apocalypse and hence the series primarily dealt with the X-Men's battle against him.
Astonishing X-Men, written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by Joe Madureira, featured a team of X-Men led by Rogue and consisted of Sunfire, Blink, Morph, Sabretooth and Wildchild.
Roster[edit]
| Issues | Years | Roster |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | 1995 | Rogue, Sunfire, Blink, Morph, Sabretooth, Wildchild |
Collected editions[edit]
| Title | Material Collected | Pages | Publication Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astonishing X-Men (X-Men: The Age of Apocalypse Gold Deluxe Edition) | Astonishing X-Men (vol. 1) #1–4 | 96 | August 1, 1995 | 0785101276 |
| X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic Book 2 | Astonishing X-Men (vol. 1) #1, X-Men: Alpha, Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen, Generation Next #1, X-Calibre #1, Gambit and the X-Ternals #1–2, Weapon X (vol. 1) #1–2, Amazing X-Men #1–2, Factor X #1–2, and X-Man #1 | 376 | August 9, 2006 | 0785122648 |
| X-Men: The Complete Age Of Apocalypse Epic Book 3 | Astonishing X-Men (vol. 1) #2–4, X-Calibre #2–3, Generation Next #2–3, X-Man #2–3, Factor X #3, Amazing X-Men #3, Weapon X (vol. 1) #3, Gambit & the X-Ternals #3 and X-Universe #1 | 360 | April 19, 2006 | 0785120513 |
| X-Men: The Age Of Apocalypse Omnibus | Uncanny X-Men #320–321, X-Men (vol. 2) #40–41, Cable #20, X-Men Alpha, Amazing X-Men #1–4, Astonishing X-Men (vol. 1) #1–4, Factor X #1–4, Gambit And The X-Ternals #1–4, Generation Next #1–4, Weapon X Vol. 1 #1–4, X-Calibre #1–4, X-Man #1–4, X-Men Omega, Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen and X-Men Ashcan #2 | 1072 | March 7, 2012 | 0785159827 |
Volume 2 (1999 limited series)[edit]
The second limited series to bear the title Astonishing X-Men was published in 1999. Its three issues were written by Howard Mackie and illustrated by Brandon Peterson. The story occurs after the storyline The Shattering. Most of the regular X-Men left the team over a conflict with Professor X. An interim team consists of Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Archangel, Cable, and Nate Grey.
This team protected the Mannites (a group of super powered, genetically engineered children) from Death, a horseman of Apocalypse. Wolverine was apparently murdered by Death in the final pages of the series, but it was later revealed that "Death" was actually a mind controlled Wolverine, and that the "Wolverine" who was killed was an imposter, a shapeshifting Skrull.
Roster[edit]
| Issues | Years | Roster |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1999 | Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Archangel, Cable, Nate Grey |
Collected editions[edit]
| Title | Material Collected | Pages | Publication Date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astonishing X-Men: Deathwish | X-Men #92, 95; Astonishing X-Men (vol. 2) #1–3; Uncanny X-Men #375 | 160 | October 2, 2000 | 0785107541 |
| X-Men: The Shattering | Uncanny X-Men #372–375; X-Men #92–95; Astonishing X-Men (vol. 2) #1–3 | 288 | July 22, 2009 | 0785137335 |
Volume 3 (2004–2013)[edit]
In 2004, Marvel used the title Astonishing X-Men for an ongoing X-Men series initially written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by John Cassaday. The series is noted for its independence from crossovers and large-scale events in the Marvel Universe such as House of M, Decimation, Civil War, Messiah Complex, Avengers Vs. X-Men, and Battle of the Atom. This was previously due to the long delays between issues and Whedon's own stated desire to remain away from big crossovers, which he personally disliked, and what he saw as hectic and unfollowable X-Men continuity.[6] This policy persisted almost to the end of the series, with the sole exception being the "X-Termination" event in 2013.
Joss Whedon run (2004–2008)[edit]
Whedon/Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men is a continuation of Grant Morrison's New X-Men title and features a similar line-up of characters, including Cyclops and Emma Frost (as co-team leaders), Beast, Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, Colossus, and Wolverine. This team became the usual focus for a majority of issues during Whedon's run. The run introduced a number of original characters into the Marvel Universe including Kavita Rao, Special Agent Brand, S.W.O.R.D., Hisako Ichiki, Ord of the Breakworld and Blindfold. Whedon's run on the series was a critical and commercial success. The roster of the book was also the focus of various limited series at the time, such as X-Men: Phoenix—Endsong, X-Men: Phoenix—Warsong and World War Hulk: X-Men.
"Gifted" (issues #1–6)[edit]
The first story arc focused on the introduction of several key characters and their involvement on the team. Whedon introduced a "mutant cure" designed by Indian Benetech scientist Dr. Kavita Rao, who was secretly sponsored by warrior alien Ord. The prospect of "real" humanity arouses the interest of a heavily mutated Beast, who visits Rao only to discover that the drug is the product of illegal human experimentation on an unknown victim. The X-Men raid Benetech and reunite with Colossus. With Colossus's help, the team takes down Ord, but not before it's revealed that a mutant (most likely an X-Man) would destroy Ord's home planet, the Breakworld, within the next three years.
With this 2005 arc, Whedon brought back Colossus four years after his comic book death in 2001.
"Dangerous" (issues #7–12)[edit]
This Whedon arc features a Sentinel attack with a mystery mastermind. The culprit is the Danger Room, which is becoming sentient and appears as a robot called "Danger." Whedon establishes that Professor X imprisoned Danger and made it an unwilling host of the Danger Room, leaving the X-Men disgusted. Whedon also revealed that Emma Frost is aligned with the newly formed Hellfire Club.
"Torn" (issues #13–18)[edit]
The X-Men are manipulated by a new Hellfire Club, consisting of Cassandra Nova, Emma Frost, the enigmatic Perfection[broken anchor], Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Sebastian Shaw. It is revealed that when Cassandra Nova's mind was imprisoned by Emma into a biological "slug", Cassandra placed a subtle suggestion into Emma's mind to cause Emma to believe she had to help Cassandra destroy the X-Men and free Cassandra, and that Cyclops' inability to control his optic blasts is result of a childhood trauma. Nova initially defeats the X-Men by manipulating their greatest fears. In the end, Cassandra's plot is revealed to Emma by Cyclops, but it is unknown whether Emma returned the remaining consciousness of Cassandra to the slug or otherwise. Moments later Ord and Danger burst into the room, where they are all forcibly teleported away by S.W.O.R.D. to a spaceship headed for the Breakworld.
The final panel of issue 15, in which Shadowcat crouches in a sewer clenching her fists, was an homage to the final panel of Uncanny X-Men #132, in which Wolverine did this gesture.
"Unstoppable" (issues #19–24 and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1)[edit]
In the following Unstoppable arc, Whedon wrote an adventure taking place on the alien Breakworld. The X-Men square off against the Breakworld leaders, who are intending to destroy Earth by firing a giant bullet. The Danger subplot is also resolved, and Whedon established that Danger is hard-coded not to kill. In the end, Shadowcat phases inside the Breakworld bullet, and when it reaches Earth, makes it intangible, so that the bullet passes through Earth. However she is unable to remove herself from the bullet and vanishes with it into space.
Warren Ellis run (2008–2011)[edit]
Marvel announced at San Diego Comicon 2007 that following completion of the Whedon/Cassaday run on Astonishing X-Men, the series would continue with the new creative team of Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi. Ellis later confirmed this story on his website, saying the series would be retitled Astonishing X-Men: Second Stage. He also mentioned that, like Whedon, he would be given complete creative freedom without having to pay mind to the franchise's sprawling continuity.[7]
This run was expected to debut in early 2008, but was pushed back to July 2008, with the "Second Stage" subtitle dropped.[8] A sketchbook was released before the first issue and showed costume redesigns by Bianchi. The characters showcased were Dazzler, Beast, Nightcrawler, Archangel, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Colossus, Storm, and Wolverine. While some of the characters did not appear in the book, Ellis had mentioned earlier that a majority of Bianchi's drawings were made public to promote the title, and that upon his run's announcement the final cast had not been set.[7]
Ellis and Bianchi's first issue, Astonishing X-Men #25, featured the team relocated to San Francisco, with a base in the Marin headlands. The story takes place in the aftermath of the House of M story arc, which put mutants on the verge of extinction. The initial "Ghost Box" arc was printed under the Manifest Destiny label, but did not feature any crossovers with other titles. The only addition to the team was Storm, with Colossus and Kitty Pryde having left the team.[9]
"Ghost Box" (issues #25–30)[edit]
Based in San Francisco, Ellis established the X-Men as protectors of the city. The new team consisted of Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast, Wolverine and Armor, and later, Storm arrived. The X-Men uncovered a plot of mutant synthesis from an unusual murder. The killer (designated 'X') was located, fixing and restarting the eponymous "ghost box" in a spaceship. X was defeated but killed himself rather than surrender information about his intentions and "the Annex."
The team returned to San Francisco with Suspect X's "mysterious box" (actually a "Ghost Box") in tow and gave it to Hank along with a syringe filled with Suspect X's blood. After analyzing the box and blood, Hank told Scott that after having gone over Suspect X's file there appears to be talk about a secret war between Suspect X's people and the murdered mutant from the beginning of the story arc. There is also talk about a mysterious place called Tian which is in China and that piques the interest of Wolverine. After analyzing Suspect X's blood, Hank finds out that Suspect X is just a normal mutant but with his X-gene on a different chromosome. Just like the murder victim, Hank believes that Suspect X is a manufactured mutant. Hank wants to bring Abigail Brand from S.W.O.R.D. in to help investigate this matter, but Scott is against that. In the end, against Scott's wishes, Agent Brand is brought in who lets the X-Men know that the Ghost Box is a dimensional portal between different realities. Hank then concludes that Suspect X is not a manufactured mutant after all; in Suspect X's reality the x-gene is normally located on a different chromosome. Brand wants to turn this case into a S.W.O.R.D.-only case but Scott counters it. Brand gives Scott and the X-Men time to investigate before she brings in S.W.O.R.D. With the help of Wolverine, the X-Men locate Tian, which is an uncharted area of China that no surveillance or satellite system can get through, not even the Chinese government. The X-Men are able to sneak into Tian and discover the headquarters of a secret group of mutants informally referred to by Hank as the "Chinese X-Men." Sadly, they seem to have died because of M-Day's associated effects.
As Storm and Emma investigate the grounded temple, Emma notices they are not alone and that she will have to switch to her diamond form, leaving her without her telepathy. She relays the info to Cyclops who is with Beast, Armor and Wolverine. As Armor and Logan go off to search the temple for anyone else, Scott and Beast discuss Forge, M-Day and its effects on the multiverse. Armor and Wolverine come across a man who can fire lasers from his fingers, Storm and Emma lose their powers in the presence of the mutant hiding from them and Cyclops and Beast take on a mutant with a strange chameleon mutation. After the X-Men take down their foes, they reveal to the X-Men they have a mutual friend, Forge.[10] Emma continues to interrogate the X-Men's captives and the team discovers that Forge created the manufactured mutants (including the victim in the beginning of the arc). He created these "mutants" for a counter-strike against the Annexation using a Ghost Box that he acquired.
The team head towards where Forge is located and are apprehensive about the upcoming meeting. After some discussion with Forge, Cyclops and Storm try to reason with him but he is strongly determined to see his plan through. Forge's insistence seems to stem from years of being ignored and neglected and he desires to leave behind a legacy and save the world. Beast has Abigail Brand to send an immensely powerful laser beam into the Ghost Box's portal. Storm urges Forge to escape but he would rather face death than humiliation and the team escapes as the beam destroys both the Ghost Box and the world whence the invaders came.[11]
"Ghost Boxes" (Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #1–2)[edit]
During a four-month hiatus in the middle of Ghost Box's publication schedule, Ellis published Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes. The two-issue spin-off series featured four short stories, with each revolving around Ghost Boxes. The first story, "Agent X-13's Report on the Emergency Annexation of Earth-616," is the only one of the four that does not take place in a parallel universe. Rather, it is an "alternate ending" to the Ghost Box arc where the Annexation of Earth-616 is successful.
The second story, "Being an Journal By Miss Emma Frost of New Portsmouth Bay in the State of New Albion," takes place on Earth-889, a steampunk parallel universe. In this story the X-Men, here known as X-Society, investigate parallel events similar to what happened on Earth-616 and inadvertently cause the Hindenburg disaster. The Emma Frost of this reality would later return in the "Exalted" storyline and be featured on the team in the X-Treme X-Men title.
The third story, "The Last Testament of Scott Summers," deals with a parallel Earth where the Annexation is successful and the X-Men are eliminated, save for Cyclops.
The final story, "4," focuses on a parallel Armor, Beast, and Wolverine five years after a catastrophic attack wiped out nearly all of the mutants and humanity. With barely any resources left, the three spend a year marching towards Kalispell, clinging onto the hope of a sanctuary where the resistance can make a final stand.
"Exogenetic" (issues #31–35)[edit]
Agent Brand's investigation of an orbiting laboratory in space ends with it self-destructing, damaging her escape ship. As the craft falls toward Earth, she radios the help of the X-Men, who save her before the craft can crash into San Francisco. In the crowd, Emma notices deceased former student Wallflower and follows after her. Laurie immediately transforms into a bio-sentinel and the team destroy it. Brand reveals that an individual called Kaga hacked into the X-Men's files, using Beast's work on deriving a live x-gene from dead mutants to recover dead mutants to recreate some of the X-Men's greatest foes, such as the Brood and bio-sentinels masquerading in cloned bodies of their former allies.
Brand's explanation is interrupted when a Brood-Krakoa hybrid attacks, attempting to destroy any physical evidence of the bio-sentinel. The X-Men destroy it and locate the hidden ship that dropped the Brood-Krakoa hybrid, boarding it. They find another dead mutant, Paradigm, whom Kaga used to hack into the X-Men's files. Away from the team, Cyclops destroys the remnants of Paradigm, killing him, while the X-Men fight off and destroy a Brood-Sauron hybrid. The X-Men fly the ship into Kaga's base, finding an army of genetically engineered monstrosities meant to attack them. They destroy all the experimental creatures, and confront Kaga.
Kaga is revealed to be a deformed elderly man with numerous genetic abnormalities and disorders, a true mutant born from a mother who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He reveals that he hates the X-Men for their perfect bodies and incredible superhuman abilities despite being labeled "mutants," whereas he is deformed, trapped in a deteriorating body. In retaliation, Cyclops decides that he will not kill Kaga, but will ensure that "Mutantes Sans Frontières" gives Kaga the care and medical attention he needs for the rest of his natural life.
"Xenogenesis" (Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #1–5)[edit]
A miniseries that takes the X-Men to Africa to deal with a mysterious mutagen that is causing mutations amongst newborn children.
Storm leaves her homeland of Wakanda to visit the X-Men. They reunite and go off to Africa, to investigate a series of mutant births, which excite the hopes of the X-Men of replenishing their species.
Once they arrive, they find that the area that was set up for Mutantes Sans Frontieres has been overtaken by soldiers. The X-Men quickly take out any of the oppressing troops, and Emma Frost kisses the staff in order to let them download the native language for 48 hours so they may be able to communicate with the locals.
After Beast witnesses the mutations and studies the babies, he discovers they are not mutants and are simply affected by a type of radiation that has spread over the area. Before they can investigate, a cyborg with his own troops that is in charge of the area takes everyone hostage at gun point. Cyclops distracts him while Emma Frost controls all of his troops, and they discover that they must work together in order to find out the cause of the radiation.
In the woods, they find a man running for his life. Wolverine, Beast, and two of the cyborg's best men track him into the jungle. A ghost box opens, and troops known as Furies emerge with guns in order to kill the running man. Wolverine and Beast easily take them down, but the Ghost Box unleashes larger Furies that can morph their arms into weapons and regenerate. Beast is shot down, the cyborg's men are eviscerated, and Wolverine is almost killed when Cyclops and the others rescue them.
Emma scans the running man and discovers he is a multiverse teleporter. He escaped from his world, which was overrun by the Furies who had killed every super-powered individual. The Furies were sent after him with the Ghost Box, and now Emma tells Cyclops that during their fight, they must keep one Fury alive or else everyone will die.
A single Fury is left for Emma, who narrowly kills her. She takes control of its mind and performs a "psychic surgery", which alters its programming. Emma changes its orders to say it completed the mission and returned because it had no other commands. Without any reason to pursue further, the outside forces would leave Earth alone.
Emma also reveals to Cyclops that the man they have gives off a giant burst of radiation when he teleports between universes, which is the cause for the babies to mutate. The cyborg kills the teleporter, saying he cannot have a volatile human dirty bomb walking around able to hurt everyone in the area. He says he doesn't like doing these kinds of things, but he has to since it is his job.
Daniel Way and Christos Gage runs (2011)[edit]
During New York City Comic Con, Marvel editors announced that following Warren Ellis' run, Daniel Way would take over writing duties for the series with Jason Pearson illustrating.[12] Shortly after, it was announced that Christos Gage would also be writing for Astonishing X-Men, with Juan Bobillo as illustrator. Gage's arc would alternate with Way's over the course of seven issues.[13] Way later revealed that this format was done due to illustrator Jason Pearson not being available on a monthly basis, and called the decision to alternate stories "brilliant." Though Pearson was the original artist for "Monstrous", he would only end up working on one-and-half issues, with artists Sara Pichelli and Nick Bradshaw doing the illustration for the rest of the arc.[14]
Daniel Way's "Monstrous" arc would take a team of Cyclops, Emma Frost, Wolverine and Armor to Japan and Monster Island. Christos Gage's "Meanwhile" arc would feature an outer space rescue mission with Storm, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Lockheed, Abigail Brand and Beast (who was with the Avengers during that time).
"Monstrous" and "Meanwhile" (issues #36–42)[edit]
During "Monstrous", Armor learns that her mother and brother have died in an accident in Japan. Cyclops, Emma Frost and Wolverine accompany her to Tokyo to attend their wakes. Meanwhile, Mentallo is dispatched by Roxxon Corporation to Monster Island, which the corporation intends to drill for oil. However, Mentallo psychically enslaves the monsters on the island in order to ransom Roxxon out of cash, and sets one of the monsters off to attack Tokyo. The monster is defeated by the team, including Armor, who had left the wake earlier to rejoin them.
Cyclops, Emma Frost, Wolverine, and Armor then make their way to Monster Island. Wolverine and Frost are captured by Mentallo, who intends to bury them alive when the volcano erupts, but are freed by Cyclops. Eventually the X-Men catch up to Mentallo, and thou
One Reply to “Astonishing X-Men”
Comments are closed.
X-Men and all related characters and their likenesses are © and TM of Marvel Comics. I made the icons.