Sometimes not so X-ceptional
Okay, so the X-Men franchise doesn't REALLY need a savior. I'm sure even a B- or C-list writer could still make any Marvel comic starting with the letter "X" sell at least a little. But in recent years, all things X seem to have lost a little bit of the magic I X-perienced as a kid growing up.

Not Grant Morrison, not Chuck Austen, not Joe Casey, and not even Chris Claremont have been able to recreate the Claremont-John Bryne/Paul Smith/John Romita Jr. eras I loved. Certainly there were highlights in the Claremont-Marc Silverstri and Claremont-Jim Lee eras, but it was around this time that the artwork began to overshadow the writing. If you were to ask me what I remembered most about the Scott Lobdell-Joe Madureira years, it would most certainly be Joe Mad's amazing art. And don't even get me started on the more recent, more disasterous X-Treme X-Men where the only two good things about the entire series were Salvador LaRocca's art and the return of Kitty Pryde.

There have been really "cool" things over the years ranging from "The Age of Apocalypse" to Grant Morrison's entire run, but nothing and no one has captured the essence of the characters themselves. Everything has been "whoa, shocking event" or "dude, killer art" but not "man, they totally nailed Scott's and Logan's adversarial relationship through perfect dialogue." Gone are the days where Wolverine and Nightcrawler can take Colossus out to a bar, get him drunk, and let Juggernaut drop a building on him just because the pre-Magneto accolyte mutant needed to be reminded of how much of a dick he was to Kitty Pryde. Until now.

Whedon the Status Quo Slayer
Joe Quesada's done a whole mess-load of good things since becoming head honcho at Marvel, but nothing -- ABSOLUTELY NOTHING -- compares to the brilliance that is bringing Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Joss Whedon on board. Whedon has done more to solidify the X-Men as living characters in three issues than everything written in the previous ten years put together. Oh, I should mention right now that I might be a little biassed as a HUGE Kitty Pryde fan, particularly since Whedon has breathed exquisite life back into my favorite character of all time.

Whedon has demonstrated an uncanny ability to write group dynamics. The Scooby Gang just seemed to grow and grow over the years, yet I don't ever recall any single character suffering for it. And though witty banter was served in very generous proportions, it only served to support or enhance the characters and their relationships.

X-Men, not unlike Spike at the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season six, now has a soul again!

Whedon should write everything
Wolverine gets in fights for just about any reason with just about any teammate. Someone (Kitty, of course) finally gets in Emma Frost's grill for dressing like a high class hooker. Cyclops finally gives Wolverine the full-on, through-the-window optic blast that he always wanted to. The Danger Room is not only a vitally important part of the X-Men's battle training, but it's now also a humorous device in the resolution of character conflicts.

Even though I bad mouthed the whole notion of "whoa, shocking event" or "dude, killer art" earlier, I'd like to state that surprise endings, massive cross-overs, and superstar art all definitely have their place... as long as they don't overshadow the characters and the story. That said, Astonishing X-Men has "shocking" and "killer" in spades.

Rather than give too much away, suffice it to say that the first three issues have plenty to Ooo and Aah over (not the least of which is the heroic return of everyone's favorite space dragon, Lockheed). And John Cassaday is the perfect artist for the series as he can draw action and situations (for lack of a better word) equally well. Sarcasm, irrational anger, and awkward silences practically leap off the page!

If you're a long time X-Men fan, you need to be buying this title. If you're an X-fan who fell off the X-wagon long ago, now is the time to return. And if you're a Buffy or Angel fan, Astonishing X-Men will fill the Whedon-shaped hole in your heart.