Astonishing X-Men v3 #1

"Gifted (part 1)"

2.99 USD/4.25 CAN @ July 2004

Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday
Inker: John Cassaday
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Chris Eliopolous
Editor: Mike Marts
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada

Synopsis: The story opened up with a girl, Tilde, screaming for Dr. Veeda, and the doctor comforting her. Then we go to Kitty Pryde arriving at the X-Mansion. As she phased through to enter, she recalled things when she was younger at the mansion like clowning around with Peter Rasputin or being a teenager and calling Professor X a jerk. She continues to daydream about yesteryear and phase through to her destination in the mansion, and finally arrived at the conference stage where she was late and with the conference already starting with hundreds of students and the faculty on the stage and Emma Frost on the mike, who proceeded to chastise Kitty Pryde about being late in front of the audience. A dejected Kitty took her seat. Emma continued with addressing the students intimating that she and Scott Summers will be head of the school in Professor Xavier's absence, with an absent Logan, Kitty Pryde, and present Henry McCoy as senior staff for the school. She continued with what the school is about and the guidelines and rules for the students. All of a sudden the ceilings bursts open and debris comes crashing down as several Sentinels attack. Scott and the team immediately start blasting and go into action, with the exception of Emma. Then Emma pushed buttons on the Danger Room, showing that the Sentinels are only holograms and that the auditorium is really the Danger Room. The horrified students are in a state of shock. Emma continued addressing the students including that "they" will always hate all of them. That is the first lesson. As she goes on addressing the students, the three school staffs in the platform looked dejected and pissed off.

Afterwards, Emma and Scott have words in another location in the mansion. Scott told her that she should've warned them first. And then at Scott and Emma's bedroom later that night, as the two lovers are asleep, we suddenly have someone atop their bed who asked Scott, "Which part of the grieving is this?" And while Emma next to him in the bed is still asleep, a suddenly awakened Scott Summers blasted Logan with his optic blasts. It had enough force to send Wolverine crashing through the windows and landing all the way to the school grounds outside. Claws "snikted" out he rushed to go back inside to battle Scott Summers who was rushing to go outside to blast his teammate once more. The ruckus woke up the remaining staff and students and they headed outside as well. They exchange words, same old story, fighting about the now deceased Jean Grey. We cut to the next scene where Hank McCoy is admonishing Scott and Logan in front of Emma and Kitty in a closed door meeting, about violence in front of the students, and between administrative staff trying to kill each other among other things. He told them they should've been passed this nonsense already. Scott doesn't want to apologize to Logan and vice versa but Scott said he'll do it because they're a team and goes on a team leader speech. And they will go back to wearing costumes because superheroes wear costumes and because people get scared of the leather uniforms they have been sporting lately. And we get to see the team members for what they are envisioned by others, Hank as an articulate individual but only seen as a beast, Emma as a villain, Scott as a leader, Logan as thug, and Kitty Pryde as a protective mutant.

Then the scene changes to Doctor Kavita about to make an entrance to address a crowd along with the little girl that was screaming earlier. Meanwhile at the grounds of X-Mansion Kitty Pryde is outside looking above in the sky for her pet dragon, Lockheed to see if he'd arrive. Logan joined her apologizing that he still loses "it" here and there. In the Dr,. Kavita conference, she asked the crowd what is a mutant. And terrorists armed with weapons barged in. There's a hostage situation covered by the media, and Scott and the group change into their costumes. And the costumed Astonishing X-Men walk into the hangar towards their Blackbird.

Comments: This is actually a good combination. I always liked the fit of having Kitty Pryde and Wolverine in the team. Emma, a former villain, and now the lover and teammate of the the recently widowed (at the time) team leader, is a good way to change-up things and upset the status quo. I'm glad Kitty Pryde was mentioned, I always liked the little fella in the pages of the Uncanny X-Men. This comic book has a throwback effect like reading yester-years X-Men of the 80's while being updated to current times. The old rivalry between Scott and Logan is getting old, I guess those two will always be antagonistic towards each other. The boy scout and the thug. Glad to have Hank around to voice his reason and intelligence.

Astonishing X-Men v3 #3

"Gifted (part 3)"

2.99 USD/4.25 CAN @ September 2004

Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday
Inker: John Cassaday
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Chris Eliopolous
Editor: Mike Marts
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada

Synopsis: Outside the Westchester School base of the X-Men, Kitty Pryde is assuring one of the students, Wing, not to worry about the mutant cure shown on television, and that the government won't force it on them. Wing is skeptical.

There is a long line of mutants outside of BeneTech Laboratories to get the cure.

In the kitchen, Wolverine is watching the news on television and Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost are debating about mutants being sheep and people, and Kitty not agreeing that Emma is teaching ethics at the school. Wolverine made a snyde remark about thinking he had the claws. Up all night and sleepy because he was checking out a sample of Dr. Rao's mutant cure serum that Emma gave him, Beast walked in the kitchen looking for coffee. He'll verify his findings with Dr. Kavita Rao, which elicited a concerned look from the other three mutants.

Meanwhile at BeneTech Laboratories, Ord the alien is upset at Dr. Rao for giving a sample of the mutant cure serum to the X-Men. She was going to feel his wrath but she had other concerns, like curing a mutant child.

Inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Scott Summers is in a meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Nick Fury. He gave Nick Fury the weapon they confiscated with their battle with Ord in the previous issue. Nick confirmed it's S.H.I.E.L.D. weaponry, and used by mercenaries, but questioned Scott how is he sure Ord's an extra-terrestial? Scott got in his face, which Nick Fury warned him not to, since the only reason he's even talking to Scott is because of Charles Xavier's credibility. Nick Fury has a problem with the X-Men's Magneto who was responsible for the House of M storyline in the MCU, but Scott rebuked him telling him Magneto taught at the school a long time ago and is no longer part of the X-Men for a long time and they don't harbor any dangerous criminals like Magneto. And this time Nick Fury asked him how the White Queen Emma Frost is doing? And Scott was quiet and taken aback. Nick Fury reassured Scott Summers that they are watching the X-Men very closely and will know about their plans ahead of time. Scott told him where was S.H.I.E.L.D. when Genosha was destroyed, but Nick told him it is not American soil, and told him he'll let him know when he finds out some info on Ord, and that Scott knows the way out. A moment later, the X-Men Blackbird flew out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.

At Hank McCoy's lab, he told Wolverine that his findings are inconclusive. But the sample looks good. Wolverine told him to get rid of it, or he'll go through Beast right now in order to get rid of it. He was adamant, even with orders from Emma Frost, and Hank didn't know what he want, but he would prevent Wolverine from getting rid of the sample cure. Pissed off, Wolverine attacked Beast who parlayed him. They tangled some more with claws drawn out, and they crash through a wall and into a corridor where there were a couple of students, who thought it was cool that teachers in the place kicked each others ass. And in the middle of the fight as it was about to get bloody, they suddenly broke off fighting and bowed to each other, obeying the mental commands of Emma Frost. She summoned both X-Men, who were joined by Scott, Emma, and Kitty in a telepathic room where they discussed the pros and cons of the cure, and that Scott is with Logan on this one. Kitty suggested letting Professor X know, but was shut down by Emma who didn't want to go to Xavier at the first sign of crisis the team encountered. They were dismissed, with Scott telling to have a beer and stay clear of McCoy. After they left, Scott told Emma that Kitty thinks she's controlling everything he said, but asked her if she's not.

Later that night, Hank McCoy discovered the body the Dr. Rao and BeneTech is running the tests on. He went and told Scott and Emma they have to go to BeneTech immediately because the body is Jean Grey's.

Comments: Joss Whedon still has the X-Men fighting like siblings do, with Wolverine and Beast really getting into it. We can't blame Beast for getting a cure to his mutant state, as he kept mutating into a real beast, and I am sure he would like to look normal human for a change and to assimilate without drawing a crowd because of how he looked.

The Scott and Emma dynamic is really not as even as it seems. It's more like Emma has a more controlling factor in the relationship. It's as if Whedon has the vagina have almost complete control over Scott Summers. Well, in most cases in the world, the vagina's power over man is almost overpowering indeed.

Astonishing X-Men v3 #5

"Gifted (part 5)"

2.99 USD/4.25 CAN @ Novembber 2004

Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday
Inker: John Cassaday
Colorist: Laura Martin
Letterer: Chris Eliopolous
Editor: Mike Marts
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada

Synopsis: Scott Summers is having delusions and weird hallucinations. Then Emma is slapping him to have him stay awake. We found out he's bleeding to death and they are surrounded by super armed security guards from BeneTech, who couldn't care less if Scott bled to death.

We join the students at X-Men Mansion. Elixir is trying to revive Wing with his mutant powers, with Hisako at his side. The Stepford Cuckoos are telling them, there's problem with the X-Men as they lost psychic contact with her, blaming love and Scott Summers, which they blurted out Emma is so in love with him. Wing finally regained consciousness, but found out he's been cured of his powers.

Back in Benetech Laboratories, Kitty Pryde is having a hard time dealing with a Peter Rasputin that is back from the dead. He must be a clone, or robot, or something else, because Peter Rasputin died, and she went to Russia to scatter his ashes. He thanked her. But explained to her that they switched his body with another, and that he is the genuine article, and not a trick. She asked him if he knows any other way out, other than upwards. He said no, and that he only knows the room and they kept him healthy and he pounded on the walls for years, because of tests, and repeated testing on him. They would gas him, and cut him, and test him, and all he remembered were people behind masks, and Ord, who kept saying Colossus's death saved mutantkind from the legacy virus and that he will pay for it with his life. Kitty confirmed he did save them from that virus.

In the levels above, Dr. Rao entered the room where the fallen Scott Summers was. She commanded the security me to get their medical team. A scrambler device in her left ear prevented Emma from controlling her mind. She reassured Emma that she wouldn't harm Scott, and to apply more pressure to prevent more blood-loss. She didn't authorize firing shots, but she explained to Emma they need this cure and nothing will change that. Beast suddenly got to his feet, and quick as a cat has his hands around Dr. Rao's neck preparing to break it. The security men ordered Beast to release her and pointed their weapons at him. He put Dr. Rao in front of the gurney with the deceased girl and ask her if the dead girl needed the cure, and Dr. Rao told him, she killed herself, thus Beast released his hold on Dr. Rao's neck.

Scott then asked Emma to mentally link him to the rest of the X-Men. Wolverine is healed enough and waiting for on his orders. Beast then told Dr. Rao that he got her real good. Scott ordered them to show the idiot battlebot armed guards who they're dealing with. And with that he let loose a beam of energy from his eyeblaster. Beast knocked down the doctor. Wolverine went after the guard and sliced and diced and went after their left ear, And thus Emma was able to control the minds of the security guards. And she gave them telepathic orders to leave the premises.

Logan ordered to have Scott brought back to X-Men Mansion for healing, and that he and Beast look for Kitty Pryde, and then burn down Benetech Laboratories. Emma told Logan, he doesn't give the orders, and agreed his plan was a good plan. Dr. Rao said she has back up information to hundreds of teams around the world. Logan is calling her bluff.

And Ord suddenly crashed through a wall and is in their presence with his blade, that he told Emma Frost that it will even cut through her in her diamond state. Cyclops is still down, so the three remaining X-Man prepared to battle Ord, but then were suddenly in shock, and Ord mistook this for fear. He didn't realize they were staring at Kitty Pryde behind him phasing up from he ground, with a very alive Colossus, who they knew has been dead for several years. Ord ordered to finish the battle which a shocked Wolverine agreed to. And Ord thought perhaps because Lokcheed the dragon is behind him. A punch from Colossus from behind. Then the two of them battled. Ord told Colossus he's tough because hes made of steel, and Colossus corrected him that he's made of rage and started to throw Ord all over the place then proceeded to pound on him when Ord was grounded. And continued to pound on Ord until he was unconscious. Wolverine told Colossus to finish it, but then the voice of Nick Fury told them they're not winning that day, and the X-Men is suddenly surrounded by over two dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with their weapons pointed at the X-Men.

Comments: "They switched my body with someone else." And with the sentence from Peter Rasputin, Joss Whedon has successfully retconned Colossus to come back from the dead in the world of the Marvel Comics Universe. It is very emotional and endearing with Kitty and Peter's quiet scene. He notice she looked different, and she had trouble believing he's the genuine article. You can really tell these two loved each other.

Ord has a genuine beef for Colossus as it appeared in Colossus's flashback that he was tested and experimented on for years, with masked men, but he always recognized Ord who vowed Peter shall pay with his life for saving mutantkind.

You have to admire Scott Summers' leadership here even being down and dying. But unfortunately, Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. is at the end about to save Ord and Benetach Laboratories.

You hit it right on the spot brutalis. It's exactly what I mentioned in my Iron Man by Dennis O'Neill reviews that the covers on those 80's Iron Man comic books at least showed an action sequence showing what is actually happening inside that particular issue, unlike modern comic book issues whose covers have nothing to do with the story inside that particular comic book issue. And I do miss those days.

Yep. I guess this is the result of market research, that people were more likely to buy covers that looked like a cool pin-up as opposed to covers that reflected the narrative inside? I can't imagine Marvel and DC doing this flippantly. The alternative (which is at least true, if not the actual reason for the change) is that the artist has a lot more leeway and lead time if doing the cover doesn't require knowledge of the particular story with which it will later be paired.