Astonishing X-Men #2 - Mobile Edition

Marvel Comics
Astonishing X-Men #2
By Leroy Douresseau
September 19, 2003 - 09:20

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Joss Whedon
Penciller(s): John Cassaday
Inker(s): John Cassaday
Cover Artist(s): John Cassaday
$2.99, 32 pages, color

Having only read ASTONISHING X-MEN #2, I still feel safe in saying that Joss Whedon & John Cassaday make it seem as if it’s the early 80’s and Chris Claremont and John Byrne are still at the height of their run on X-Men. There is nothing revolutionary about this book. It is simply a well-written and well-drawn romantic adventure and soap opera, done in the spirit of those famous Byrne/Claremont X-stories, stories so loved and so memorable that they’ve been the heaviest influence on the X-Men movies.

If we can’t have Morrison on the X-Men, then it’s good to have a skilled screenwriter like Whedon who can recall and resurrect that time when the X-Men were really good. Cassaday isn’t breaking new ground with his drawing or designs, but he sure is drawing some purty pictures. The simplicity of his art recalls the Silver Age charm and solid cartooning of Kurt Schaffenberger done in latter day dynamism. B