ASTONISHING X-MEN

Man I love this image! It's from Astonishing X-Men #1, where Joss Whedon & John Cassaday are rocking. X-Men has sucked hard for the past 15 years and despite my obsessive compulsion to still buy them each month, even I was beginning to have thoughts of abandonment. Grant Morrisson came onboard for a brief time in the early Tweens and really shook things up; Gone were the costumes, for one. Some of it was good, some bad. But in the end, it just wasn't the X-Men I knew and love.

Then came Whedon/Cassaday and recaptured some of that delicious glory of the classic Claremont/Byrne days. This pic depicts the X-Men, freshly back into new costumes, walking in and showing everyone in the place that they mean business and are totally prepared to kick some fucking ass! Kitty, for the first time ever I think, is in a cool costume! Beast, while still in his less-desirable Grant Morrisson "Cat" physique, somehow pulls off his new weird trousers! And oh-man oh-man oh-man, Cyclops is back in his Skull Cap costume, updated and new!! YES!!!! Jumping over to Emma - just looking at her makes my cerebral cortex piss itself in fear!

And of course we have Wolverine. A character that was once cooler than cool until he was yanked from the background and thrust into the limelight, his image plastered on everything the Marvel Money Marketing Machine could find. Around 1995, I began to hate the character. He became a parody of himself at best. But here, Whedon and Cassaday not only make him a badass again, but they make that dreadful Yellow & Blue costume WORK!! Never cared for the original Romita Sr, the Byrne redesign or the 90s lame-o version. The Orange/Brown was (and is) the best. But this new one works when drawn by the right artist (like Cassaday). The costume is slick and sharp, without being overtly styled out. When this dude walks into a bar with that getup on, he's telling you he's not only ready to rock-n-roll in a brawl of messy wetworks, but he's going to first announce his presence to everyone!!! And kudos to artist Cassaday for drawing him short and stocky. Remember, Wolverine is 5'3" - NOT freaking 6'1", like Hugh Jackman. "Wolverine" - short, hairy and ferocious. It's not just a clever name, its what he IS. He's the best at what he does. And what he does ain't pretty. SNIKT!!!

The X-Men are BACK and they're a force to be reckoned with, True Believers!!

Check out some Astonishing X-Men collections here and pick up the single issues at your local comic store! Hell, just buy the collections at your local stores too - support them!