|
Well, there I go blowing any kind of suspense for how
I felt about Astonishing X-Men #1 by Joss Whedon and
John Casaday. So, let's dive right into things, and
get into the details of the matter.
First up, does the issue live up to the hype? Does
it 'Astonish' us? Well, based on the first
issue . . . no. However, that does not automatically make
this a bad comic. This creative team had been
rumoured for months, almost a year now, to varying
degrees, so it would be hard for anything to live up
to that kind of hype and expectations, and it's not
anything terribly special or new.
What the book does do, is write a very solid story
that is a good start for new readers, and above
Morrison's run, it actually uses past continuity to
it's advantage, without feeling dragged down by that
same continuity as many other writers would be, and
the characters are all almost pitch perfect in their
dialogue and behaviour. Joss has been a fan of these
characters probably as long as, if not longer, than
many of us long-time fans have been, and it shows. He
knows these characters, and is able to craft stories
about them, not around them, and force the characters
into the molds he needs, against their better natures.
Joss' writing is sharp, and witty, while still
working in plot progression, characterisation, and
action. And even manages to work in caption boxes,
which I've found that I miss a lot in comics of the
last few years. I am more than happy to see them
making something of a return. I liked getting into a
character's head, or having the mood set for the
reader.
My main complaint with the writing is that this feels
like it would have worked a lot better as a television
episode of something. Some scene changes were
jarring, and it was almost possible to see commercial
breaks, or intercutting which would have worked a lot
better had it been done on a moving screen, than the
printed page. This is really a minor complaint, for
now, since it's likely that Whedon just needs a chance
to get used to the format. Not having read his
earlier work in the Buffy spin-off comic "Fray," I
can't speak to how his comic style has changed, but
I'm sure it will only improve as he plays more in the
medium, and with the characters.
As for the art, what can really be said about John
Casaday? He's a master craftsman of the field, able
to render normal people, in normal situations, wearing
normal, everyday clothes, in realistic ways, and
switch over to the more fantastical costumes,
eyebeams, and villainy that is required of this
medium, in a perfectly blended, seamless mixture of
the two styles, all the while making each character
distinct, and making them recognisable to what we
already know of them from other artists.
Some of John's art - on Cyclops in particular -
however, just doesn't quite work for me. Most notably
is the visor of Cyclops that seems to be stuck to his
face with no visible means of support. When he has
the mask on, it makes some kind of sense. Without,
artists usually draw him with a pair of glasses on, or
with the visor extending back to his ears, not just
hanging onto his nose for dear life.
Also, some of the expressions seemed a bit vacant at
times, and the villain's design seems a bit
uninspired, but I'll see how things go with him, to
see what happens.
Whedon is off to a very solid start here, setting the
groundwork for his run, and making a pleasing read to
old fans, and any new ones who may come along to
follow Whedon from his other projects. Nothing new
yet, nothing 'Astonishing' but a well-written comic in
its own right, and that's all I need, really.
|
