Astonishing X-Men #67
It’s certainly not the most intense X-Men story happening right now, but with its domestic tones as Wolverine and Gambit take a roadtrip into whoknowswhere, Indiana, chasing a baby alien, it’s a heartfelt adventure that’ll warm any X-Men fan’s heart.
Writer: Marjorie Liu | Artists: Amilcar Pinna & Cris Peter
Cover: Phil Noto | Publisher: Marvel
Despite the hubbub that’s been happening in the X-Men universe with Battle of the Atom going on, Astonishing X-Men continues to stay strictly on it’s own, providing a nice break to let X-Men fan breathe a little between events and melodrama. Following Bobby’s meltdown, they get themselves tangled up with a baby alien species and Wolverine and Gambit have found themselves road tripping a few states over as they hunt the thing down.
What one can truly appreciate from Liu’s writing is her grasp of the characters and their voices. It’s always a pleasure to read her Remy and still hear the accent without it seeming forced upon you. The same goes for reading Wolverine, there isn’t a ‘bub’ inserted into every other sentence, but he still says things that ring true to the Wolverine voice, for example, “I’m an old man… I need coffee and meat, or there’s going to be a problem.”
What’s particularly nice about this story is that it emerges from the life of a young girl named Wendy. She’s obsessed with superheroes and mutants (sound like anyone familiar?) and finds comfort in what heroes like the X-Men mean for those who feel oppressed just because they’re different. It’s a classic foundation for an X-Men story, with a little alien force thrown in for fun. But that doesn’t make it any less of a delightful read.
What really strikes is how easy it is to relate to Wendy (maybe not on all levels, but certainly some) and it just serves as a nice reminder as to why we’re fans in the first place—and given the amount of complaining I keep stumbling upon lately, the timing for a story like this couldn’t have been more perfect.
To wrap it all up in it’s already beautiful little package, Pinna’s art is as aesthetic as ever. Beautiful faces, dynamic expressions—even the alien, for just an eyeball and tentacles, looks as scared as Wendy says it does. The ‘wow’ factor though comes from the spread he gives us as we take a look at Wendy’s daydreams, galavanting through New York with all the best heroes. It’s a simple spread, even the colouring from Peter isn’t as vibrant as it usually is, and yet it still feels empowering as you look at it.
It’s a simple story and maybe even a little cliché with the crying at the end, but sometimes it’s nice to have just a little pick-me-up story.
Writer: Marjorie Liu | Artists: Amilcar Pinna & Cris Peter
Cover: Phil Noto | Publisher: Marvel
Despite the hubbub that’s been happening in the X-Men universe with Battle of the Atom going on, Astonishing X-Men continues to stay strictly on it’s own, providing a nice break to let X-Men fan breathe a little between events and melodrama. Following Bobby’s meltdown, they get themselves tangled up with a baby alien species and Wolverine and Gambit have found themselves road tripping a few states over as they hunt the thing down.
What one can truly appreciate from Liu’s writing is her grasp of the characters and their voices. It’s always a pleasure to read her Remy and still hear the accent without it seeming forced upon you. The same goes for reading Wolverine, there isn’t a ‘bub’ inserted into every other sentence, but he still says things that ring true to the Wolverine voice, for example, “I’m an old man… I need coffee and meat, or there’s going to be a problem.”
What’s particularly nice about this story is that it emerges from the life of a young girl named Wendy. She’s obsessed with superheroes and mutants (sound like anyone familiar?) and finds comfort in what heroes like the X-Men mean for those who feel oppressed just because they’re different. It’s a classic foundation for an X-Men story, with a little alien force thrown in for fun. But that doesn’t make it any less of a delightful read.
What really strikes is how easy it is to relate to Wendy (maybe not on all levels, but certainly some) and it just serves as a nice reminder as to why we’re fans in the first place—
To wrap it all up in it’s already beautiful little package, Pinna’s art is as aesthetic as ever. Beautiful faces, dynamic expressions—even the alien, for just an eyeball and tentacles, looks as scared as Wendy says it does. The ‘wow’ factor though comes from the spread he gives us as we take a look at Wendy’s daydreams, galavanting through New York with all the best heroes. It’s a simple spread, even the colouring from Peter isn’t as vibrant as it usually is, and yet it still feels empowering as you look at it.
It’s a simple story and maybe even a little cliché with the crying at the end, but sometimes it’s nice to have just a little pick-me-up story.
A Look Inside
