By Joss Whedon & John Cassaday (Marvel/Panini UK edition)
ISBN 978-1-905239-59-7
Spectacular action and unforgettable dialogue are the standard for this series, and Joss Whedon and John Cassaday constantly outdo themselves. If only all X-Men series could be this good…
With this third volume the long-running plot-thread of Emma Frost’s allegiance is resolved as the New Hellfire Club makes their move. Long a major threat to the X-Men, the organisation of millionaires, evil mutants and greedy malcontents has often tried to remove or subvert our heroes and their latest assault seems to be unstoppable. Meanwhile, mutant-hating alien Ord of the Breakworld has spectacularly escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and seems utterly determined to save his species by obliterating ours.
A spectacular action epic with deep psychological underpinnings, this non-stop rush of multi-level conflict (physical, psionic, emotional) still finds moments for wrenching empathy and laugh-out-loud gags as the team achieves one of their greatest victories. The creators seem to have a perfect grasp of their charges here, so they know that no X-Men story ends truly happily. Thus this book concludes in a foreboding prologue as the heroes take off for Breakworld with the Xavier School’s psychic ordaining that they won’t all be coming back…
This UK edition reprints Astonishing X-Men issues #13-18 and also features interviews with Whedon and Cassaday. Every comics fan should read at least one X-Series, and this is it.
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