Astonishing X-Men #23

If comic books find their magic between in the gutters between panels, then I bow down before the great magus team of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. I cannot praise enough what they have done with Astonishing X-Men. Whedon has imbued the all-but-staid franchise with a depth of character you would never expect outside of indie comics, and Cassaday's sandy artwork squeezes every bit of grit and emotion from the team, all while firmly holding onto every bit of action possible. The book has long been my favorite ongoing series, and issue 23 shows that love is much deserved.

After battling the forces of the alien despot Kruun, issue #22 ended with the death of Cyclops. Coming off that climactic end, the (deliberately) slow beginning of issue #23 is disconcerting. In essence, Whedon cuts from a bloody, chaotic war scene in which the main character dies, to a quiet building a world away. Cyclops has just died. We want to see the X-Men rushing into battle, avenging the death of their courageous leader, not two aliens calmly discussing the war. We know implicitly that the X-Men will eventually return to battle, but Whedon is not going to quickly confirm this. The long (not until page 7) wait builds our anticipation above boiling.

Also in this beginning do we see another bit of genius. The rebel aliens discuss the death of Cyclops (though they only have enough information to say "one of them is dead") amidst a mausoleum of similarly anonymous dead. Breakworld is at war, and like any war, choosing a side is never black and white. Time and again, allusions are made to the fact that the X-Men's involvement in the conflict ultimately renders them a nameless band of soldiers on a very faraway planet.

At this point, I would normally expound upon my vague opening statement. Whedon and Cassaday exquisitely utilize the space between panels and pages? How? when? Where? Unfortunately, the answer to these questions would spoil the issue. Even defending my lack of elucidation might spoil the issue. Such quagmires us noble reviewers must face! I will get to the point eventually, though not before trying a few detours, but first:

The following paragraphs get a big ol' SPOILER ALERT:

Besides the great artwork and writing, the series is also known for its horribly long delays between issues. With issue #23, it seems like Whedon has come to terms with this and written accordingly. Though the pacing of the issue's opening works well enough on its own, its effect is greatly increased by the time between issues #22 and #23. The death of Cyclops has, by the time we open the issue, faded to the backs of our minds. Whedon's opening most obviously works to ease us back into the story, but it also works to ensure our readjustment is as slow as he wants it. When we see Cyclops captured and brought back to life by the aliens, we are genuinely surprised (even if the comic nerd in all of us saw it inevitably coming).

The newly revitalized Cyclops ends the issue calling his teammates to him with a rallying cry of "Let's finish this!" A bit over the top, maybe, but we can't help but smile as the good guys are finally on the offensive. But what, exactly, are the X-Men going to finish? At first, we were led to believe the prophecy of Colossus destroying Breakworld was false, but every piece of information Whedon has given us since points to it being true. Although this ostensibly seems like a good idea (kill those evil bastards), can we really cheer for the X-Men? For the mass murder of an entire World? Issue #23 was all about the action, but I definitely see Whedon returning to this problem in the upcoming finale.

Inevitably though, beyond whatever Whedon and Cassaday accomplish on paper, it is what lies between papers that really holds the issue's verve. Every turn of the page becomes a little surprise, quickening our heart rate just enough so that by the time Cyclops unleashes his optic blast, our fragile hearts do not collapse under the shock and awe. More than just asking us to fill in the moments between panels, Whedon and Cassaday guide us between the very pages. Indeed, the quick jumps (most of the issue is progresses as a two-page scene, then cut to a new scene for two pages, and so on) force us to relinquish our expectations and fall on the creative team for guidance. Again, it is not only the content that sets Astonishing X-Men apart in my mind, but the form as well.

I hate to appropriate the language of film, but it is hard to describe Astonishing X-Men without phrases like "sound bridge", "audio match", "180 degree line", "shot/reverse shot" and so on. In other words, Astonishing is highly cinematic. Not so much as the action romp that was Millar's The Authority, but still strongly utilizing cinematic techniques. Of course, this is nothing groundbreaking, nor is it surprising considering comic books ask readers to imagine a lot of motion (and render panels accordingly). But Astonishing is also all comic book. Some convenient language is useful now and then, but I don't ever want to obscure the fact that moments like Cyclops revealing he has his powers and blasting through the entire enemy complex in two impressive two-page spreads...moments like that succeed with absolute perfection only in comic books. So if ever you are forced to prove that "graphic novels" is a unique genre, capable of portraying a moment unlike any other medium, simply hand this comic over.

by Spencer Sugarman

name:
mail:	(optional)
smile:
Enter this code validate comment: (note! case sensitive! if you enter code incorrectly, you will lose your comment!) Remember Me | Forget Me