Oh, X-Men, how do I love thee? I shall not bore anyone by counting the ways, but suffice it to say I love 'em. However, my introduction to the X-Men did not come in the form of a comic book, but instead from the Saturday morning cartoon show that used to run on FOX and, later, the big budget movies. I wasn't a comic book reader as a kid (mainly due to lack of access--there were no bookstores in my small rural town) and discovering that the X-Men had been around forever did not exactly encourage me to begin reading. I assumed that I would have to start at the beginning and the idea of doing so was overwhelming.

What finally inspired me to begin reading this series is that it's written by Joss Whedon (oh, Firefly, how do I love thee?). Whedon plus the X-Men is an irresistable combination. There's definitely some trademark Whedon going on here, most notably in the snappy dialogue and the clever scenes (my favorite is when Ord breaks into the school, only to find the X-Men aren't there--just the students, thus leading to an amusing "would you like to leave a message" dialogue). However, overall, it didn't grab me. I think this is mainly because the X-Men involved (Cyclops, Kitty Pryde, Beast, Emma Frost, and, of course, the ubiquitous Wolverine) just aren't among my favorites. All in all, though, it was a pretty good book and I'll definitely read the others in the series. ( )

Joss Whedon and the X-men make for a great combination. This first volume is the best of the four in the series. ( )

The X-Men must deal with a recently-developed mutant "cure" that threatens their way of life.

I used to be a big X-Men fan, but I've been away from the series for a long, long time now. I don't think this was the right place to jump back in. It's the start of a new series, true, but it's pretty clear that a lot has happened since I've been gone. (I stopped reading shortly after the whole thing with the Legacy Virus; interestingly enough, that cropped up again here).

Therefore, I don't think I'm the best person to judge this book as a continuation of the recent X-Men storyline. I still enjoyed the art and the one-liners, but I'll need a little more time to sink back into it before I can comment on how it fits into the mythos as a whole. Time to seek out volume two. ( )

Someone is offering a way out for mutants (again), there are tough decisions that have to be made and Scott Summers is trying to get a life. Also Kitty's back.

Fun stuff. ( )

I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan, which is why I'm reading a couple of graphic novels at the moment. I also love the X-men. If all you know of X-men is the movies, then this graphic novel may feel confusing. It deals with a mutant cure, but in a totally different way than the movies did. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the sparks of Whedon's wit here and there. ( )

This is the 1st XMen novel I'd read. I felt like I missed a bit with the back story, but I thought the story was good and I liked the characters. ( )

I've enjoyed the X-Men movies, and this collection of six comics was written by Joss Whedon, of Buffy and Firefly cult status (though when a cult gets that big it should probably be called a religion). Sadly reading it confirmed that I just don't get superhero comics. I found it visually repellant (digital techniques have not improved the look of comics IMHO) and almost completely uninteresting in its story and characters. If I hadn't seen the movies I wouldn't have had a clue what was going on, but having seen them I couldn't tell if anything new was happening. The existence of the X-men is under threat again because of widespread prejudice against mutants. They fight among themselves, spectacularly. They uncover a plot to destroy humanity. They foil it, but their victory leaves the alien villain alive to fight another day. With apologies to all Whedon/X-men fans: Ho-bloody hum! I've lent the book to a younger person who loves Buffy, and look forward to seeing whether she agrees or thinks I'm an illiterate idiot. ( )

I stink at trying to keep up with all the X-Men storylines, past and present. My knowledge mostly ends with the 1990s X-Men cartoon. Joss Whedon's storyline was recommended to me and I wasn't a Buffy fan but I did love Dr. Horrible, so I thought it was worth a shot. I really enjoyed the first volume, and I think that I've been filled in with enough past storyline that I'm not totally at a loss. I like that this a return to X-Men roots - somewhat goofy costumes, nods to Beast's change in appearance, the team getting out there and being seen by the public as protectors. I'm not particularly attached to anyone, and it's easy enough to pick the book up and put it down. If you're looking for a comic fix and like a little tongue-in-cheek humor without a lot of badassery, I'd suggest picking this up. ( )

This is a great story arc. ( )

I don't read that many comic books, but I do like X-men and I like Joss Whedon so I bought this book. I was not disappointed as the volume contains what I love about both the x-men and Joss Whedon. The artwork is also very good and worth the cost. ( )

The best X-Men book written in decades. ( )

I'm not usually one for comics (or graphic novels) but I have always been an X-Men fan and with Joss Whedon writing, how could I resist. I wasn't disappointed and Joss' writing shines through an otherwise fairly standard X-Men storyline, with lines that made me laugh out loud. The artwork is superb, beautifully complimenting the writing and conveying so much beyond the words. It's not sold me on reading more graphic novels, but it's sold me on getting volume 2. ( )

Reprints issues no. 1-5 of the comic book series: Astonishing X-Men.
The cure is revealed, and riots start. This book is really good, course everything joss whedon does is good. ( )

Pretty good, but I think people who know more about graphic novels than I do would enjoy it more than I did. ( )

Finally we get a far more than decent X-Men comic. The unfortunate thing is how slow the brilliantly talented Cassady is with his work. Someone needs to clone him, fast grow him, so he can set himself to work and produce more and more. The use of Kitty Pryde is excellent. To quote an X-Leader "we need to be more, we need to be Astonishing".

http://graphicsf.blogspot.com/2006/12... ( )

Layers and hints like we're used too with Whedon. Pics are great, I like the stories but the steps between the pictures are sometimes rather big.

http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/g... ( )

oversized ( )