Pick of the Week: Astonishing X-Men #14

Even when I was reading comic books as a kid, there weren't many that were worth waiting for. But Joss Whedon's (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) take on the X-Men franchise is definitely worth the wait.

This is the third story arc Whedon has penned for Astonishing X-Men, and things are getting even better (although the "Danger" storyline was a little weak). The reconstituted Hellfire Club of Sebastian Shaw, Cassandra Nova, Perfection, Nagasonic Teenage Warhead, and X-Man Emma Frost has infiltrated the Xavier Mansion intending to destroy the X-Men. And it looks like they've got a decent chance at succeeding.

Astonishing #13 closed with Emma Frost getting inside Cyclops' head, making herself appear as his dead wife, Jean Grey. As I said at the time, "Emma Frost is just a complete bitch!" Whedon proves me right in the new issue. She screws with Cyclops like only a psychic with whom you are in love could, getting to his tortured core and twisting it without mercy.

Most of the issue deals with Emma and Cyclops, but there is plenty of other storyline material to go around. S.W.O.R.D., the secret government agency that keeps track of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, now has the name of the mutant destined to destroy the Breakworld. And a date. And Cassandra Nova surprises Hank McCoy in the lab.

Of course, there's humor as well. The romance between Kitty Pryde and Colossus gets deeper, with an embarassed Kitty accidentally phasing through the bed (and the floor below) during a tryst. A very entertaining two-page spread.

Of course, John Cassaday's artwork is top-notch, as is to be expected. It's a great book, and shouldn't be missed. Too bad it will be another two months before the next issue comes out.

Quick Takes:

Ultimate X4 (Part 2 of 2): X-Men fight the Fantastic Four. X-Men and FF make a truce to fight bigger enemy. Yawn. Read it if a friend bought it. Otherwise, skip it.

Fantastic Four #537: Victor Von Doom gets out of Hell to obtain Thor's Hammer. FF can't stop him. Whoops! Doom can't handle the power of the artifact. Don't really see the Civil War tie-in, however.

The Amazing Spider Man #531: A definite tie-in to the Civil War series. Peter Parker goes with Tony Stark to Washington for a Senate hearing on registering super-powered types. A fight with Titanium Man shows the representatives that maybe it's not such a good idea. But who's getting things riled up, and why? Pick up this one.

Next week, we start the Civil War series. Should be interesting.