Could a mutant be even more mutated? – review of the comic book “Astonishing X-Men” vol.3

There are only a handful of mutants left in the world. And they have their hands full! Threats will appear from space, other dimensions, but also from our planet. Will the truncated X-Men squad manage?

With the last of your strength

This is M Day . It was then that the Scarlet Witch made 90% of mutants lose their X factor and became ordinary people. Its spell, however, did not touch the group of the most famous X-Men. Wolverine, the Beast, Emma Frost and Armor, under the command of Cyclops, are still ready to defend the Earth from numerous threats. The Queen of Wakanda, Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm, provides them with financial and personal support. The six will have to fight with an old friend, alien invaders, enemies from other dimensions, as well as a madman combining mutagens into one and creating creatures that our heroes could not even imagine.

Scientific slang

Warren Ellis is the author of the screenplay in Volume 3 of Astonishing X-Men . This British artist, who also created Daredevil , Civil War , Hellblazer and Transmetropolitan, had a specific idea for his story from the very beginning. It is worth noting that he took over the series after Joss Whedon, but although it was brilliant, he does not try to pull it by force. Since M-Day has come and Kitty Pryde and Colossus are gone, she’s not going to bring them back, just telling the X-Men to get on without them. It only throws them up with Storm and gives them a completely new task to do.

At the beginning, I have to wink for a moment. The comic takes off very slowly and you could say that it is a bit boring. The author introduces us to all the heroes, marking the relations between them. Probably new people will appreciate such an introduction, but readers who know the history of homo superior at least a littleThey’ll just nod their heads and think “yeah, I know Logan and Scott don’t like each other, can we move on?” After that, an investigation will begin, which is also dragging on a lot. I understand that we are not supposed to get to know the mutant opponent right away, but somehow we should not feel any tension in the investigation. Unfortunately, Ellis cannot create detective stories like Bendis or Brubaker. On top of all this, there are a lot of scientific concepts that are difficult to read, let alone understand. Professor McCoy and his girlfriend from SWORD, Abigail Brand, make more arguments, and we feel like Wolverine, who does not understand anything and would rather go into real action. Fortunately, this is finally happening! After two chapters, the mutants go to battle and then we forget about the tiring introduction to delve into the extraordinary events. Everything we need is here – fights, twists, unusual enemies, traps and lots of humor. The latter is especially provided by the Rosomak-Armor duo, whose constant arguments, but at the same time developing friendship, are the true highlight of the entire notebook. The author also had unusual ideas about the enemies attacking the group. The creatures straight from the nightmare, as well as former allies or mutated old rivals make a great impression. And finally, an unexpected plot twist awaits us, when we find out who is behind it all and what was driving it. as well as former allies or mutated old rivals make a great impression. And finally, an unexpected plot twist awaits us, when we find out who is behind it all and what was driving it. as well as former allies or mutated old rivals make a great impression. And finally, an unexpected plot twist awaits us, when we find out who is behind it all and what was driving it.

Redundant realism

For the drawings for the third volume of Astonishing X-MenSimone Bianchi and Phil Jimenez respond. The first gentleman created graphics for notebooks 25-30, and the second – 31-35. Comparing their works, it must be admitted that the Italian whose sketches we start with the comic fares worse than his friend from the USA. You can see that the artist tried very hard, but he simply overdid it. Apparently, he wanted the heroes to look as realistic as possible. Unfortunately, the faces of the mutants and other characters did not come out as he would like. Especially the lips look very unnatural. In addition, the frames are heavily scattered, and the silhouettes, especially the hands, often fall onto subsequent illustrations or extend across the entire page without any purpose. So you have to really focus so as not to get lost in all this. More or less in the middle of the notebook, the draftsman changes, which is impossible to miss. The characters become more colorful and comic. Plus, it gets more brutal. But what to expect? INAstonishing X-Men is happening a lot, and Wolverine often gets a lot of opportunity to show off. No wonder then that blood pours profusely and severed body parts fly through the air. In addition, the illustrator perfectly captured the moments of the explosions. The reader feels as if the image in front of him is actually shaking. These effects deserve another plus for Mr. Jimenez.

Alternative worlds

There is one more thing that should be mentioned when talking about the latest Polish edition of Astonishing X-Men. Inside, we also find four alternative stories about our mutants from parallel worlds. These are short stories by Warren Ellis as well, but by Alan Davis, Adi Granov, Clayton Crain and Kaare Andrews, respectively. They are all great, and at the same time extremely dark and depressing, and personally I can’t choose which is the best. Both in terms of plot and drawings. It is a fantastic supplement to the notebook, for which we should thank both the authors and the Polish publisher. Anyway, Mucha Comics did a great job again, including the introduction, summarizing previous volumes and adding unused covers and character designs to the notebook. I’m sure every fan will appreciate it.

X-Meni still in shape

The first two volumes of Astonishing X-Menwere a true masterpiece in the world of comics. Joss Whedon and John Cassaday set the bar very high for their successors. Unfortunately, Warren Ellis did not jump over her, but he was very close. If not for a lengthy introduction and too scientific language, the grade would probably be even higher, but it’s still great. A compelling storyline and well-depicted heroes, each with a unique character and a different kind of bond with each other, are a big plus for the third volume. The worst of the trio of artists is Simone Bianchi, whose drawings are at best not bad, but they are far from perfect. In my opinion, the best job was Phil Jimenez. The illustrations created by him can easily compete with those prepared by his predecessor. Alternative stories included in the comic and a few additions from the Polish publisher also deserve attention.