Joss Whedon came to prominence with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a series that demonstrated his penchant for characterization, natural
dialogue, and firm grasp of the demands of pop culture audiences. He followed with the hugely successful but short-lived Firefly and is perhaps now best known for his work on the
mega-blockbuster The Avengers, the filmed comic book adaptation he both wrote and
directed. Perhaps a bit more under-the-radar is his work on another Marvel property; Whedon penned The Astonishing X-Men, a new
series dedicated to a core group of characters, new adventures, and a few brand-new faces. Though plagued by delays and fan frustrations, the series
proved a hit, so much so that his work -- along with that of Illustrator John Cassaday -- has been refashioned into a "motion comic" that brings to life
the still
inky images of the page for a unique viewing experience. The result is the four-part The Astonishing X-Men that translates 24 comic issues
into
about five hours worth of television entertainment.
Heroic reflections alive!
It's important to note that The Astonishing X-Men isn't for everyone. Even audiences who enjoyed the variousX-Menfilms may not find Astonishing to be their proverbial "cup of tea." It
seems aimed at a more hardcore audience with a finer understanding of character history, interconnectivity, and nuance that can only be grasped
with read-throughs -- perhaps even more than one -- of the many source comics. Parts of Astonishing feel jumbled and even downright
unforgiving without a deeper insight into the world. Certainly, the very core plot elements are easy to grasp, but even they're finely honed by those
complexities that aren't exactly made overt here. That said, there's some fascinating story elements, solid action, quality character moments, and
excellent writing at work within Astonishing. The overreaching plot arc is as gripping and exciting as most any comic book-inspired
narrative out there. Fans will love this, while casual and new audiences will either be turned off by the story intricacies or be driven to discover more
about
them. On the other hand is the series' "motion comic" animation that brings subtle movement to John Cassaday's still panels. The effect can be a
bit disorienting on an individual level and polarizing on a greater scale; perhaps the best description would be to call it the comic book equivalent of
"Tumblebooks" (animated children's books), though certainly a little more visually complex. Below is a brief rundown of the individual episodes
included in The Astonishing
X-Men:
Note some spoilers in the recaps below.
Gifted (1:19:42): With Professor Xavier away on sabbatical, Scott Summers and Emma Frost are serving as the acting heads
of the School
for Gifted Youngsters. Hank McCoy (Beast), Logan (Wolverine), and Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) are also serving in leadership positions in Xavier's
absence. There's no shortage of
in-fighting between the mutants, Scott and Logan in particular; tensions are high and relationships are frail. They're also battling public perception;
whereas the Avengers and the Fantastic Four are warmly welcomed by the masses, the X-Men are shunned and
mistrusted. News reaches them that Dr. Kavita Rao has created a "cure" for the mutant "disease." At the same time, the X-Men are thrust into
battle when a mysterious alien known as "Ord" crashes a well-to-do get-together fundraiser. With the cure, a new enemy, and the specter of
interplanetary war with Ord's home
planet of Breakworld hanging over
mankind, the X-Men find their hands full in one of their most challenging missions yet.
Dangerous (1:09:05): Following a successful taming of a particularly nasty beast with the help of the Fantastic Four, the
X-Men learn that a terrible fate may have befallen one of their own: a student who has lost his mutant powers, fallen into depression, and harbored
suicidal
thoughts may have done the unthinkable. With crisis looming, Pryde and the
students enter the safety of the so-called "Danger Room" while Wolverine, Cyclops, Beast, and Colossus remain to ascertain the situation. Suddenly,
Pryde and the students find themselves trapped in the room with no means of escape. On the other side, the X-Men cannot gain access to the
room. With no way in or out and frustrations mounting on both sides, they all come face-to-face with an antagonist that wants them all dead, that
knows their skills and weaknesses, and that seemingly cannot be stopped. The X-Men are either going to die or learn a terrible secret that could
have long-lasting repercussions for all.
Torn (1:10:01): Emma remains with the Hellfire Club -- which includes Cassandra Nova, Sebastian Shaw, Negasonic Teenage
Warhead, and Perfection -- and the ultimate test of her allegiance is
pushed
to its limit, though perhaps not all as a result of her own doing. The X-Men team encounters altered states and false memories and is subjected to
mental
and emotional influence
from afar in which Scott loses his power, Pryde defends her "newborn child," and Beast hunts down a childlike Wolverine. The team is incapable of
carrying out its duties, leaving them open to attack, or worse.
Unstoppable (1:33:30): Agent Brand and S.W.O.R.D. have taken the X-Men and are en route to Breakworld. Ord's mission
and
Colossus' place in the larger plot is revealed. A Breakworld armada changes course from Earth to intercept the vessel carrying the X-Men when they
learn Colossus is on-board. When the vessel reaches Breakworld, Colossus is presented with a possible alternate purpose within local prophecy.
The team discovers that Breakworld has fashioned an intergalactic projectile meant to destroy Earth. As time ticks away to launch, the action
intensifies and the future of two worlds hangs in the balance.
Marvel Knights: Astonishing X-Men motions onto Blu-ray with a high definition transfer that doesn't always impress early on but that settles
down after a rather rough opening act. The first episode lacks the visual nuance and high definition smoothness of the later outings. It offers jittery
and
jagged lines and reduced detail, none of which are significant problems later on. While the odd line still retains a slight unevenness, there's a general
crispness and clarity to the later episodes that allows them to shine in high definition. Detail is usually as good as the source material allows -- there's no
real flow but the somewhat blocky elements show some surprising nuance -- and image stability is rock-solid. Colors are fine, even and natural across
the entire spectrum. Blacks are usually accurate as well. The image does suffer from some readily evident bouts of banding across solid backdrops, but
color transition nuance on faces, for instance, is handled quite well. It shows some hiccups early on but this transfer is otherwise in good shape beyond
Gifted.
Marvel Knights: Astonishing X-Men features a robust DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. There's good heft and heavy aggression to
musical elements. Clarity is fine though not quite mesmerizing, and front-side spacing is as wide as the speaker layout allows. Sound effects prove
highly aggressive throughout. As with music, raw clarity could use a little boost, but the general effect and massive element aggression largely masks
other shortcomings. However, there are a few instances when the raw power proves to be a detriment rather than a benefit; at the end of
Gifted, for instance, the sheer sonic force of a blast-off almost completely drowns out dialogue. Generally, however, the spoken word plays with
firm center spacing and faultless clarity, with even a nice little sense of space when the scene calls for it. Overall, this is a quality track, one that's
surprisingly big for a two-channel presentation and one that should satisfy most listeners.
Marvel Knights: Astonishing X-Men contains relatively few extras.
Disc One:
A Conversation with Joe Quesada and Neal Adams (HD, 17:11): Discussions include the motion comics style, the medium's viability and
future, Joss Whedon's involvement with the property, the story arc, the animation process, the advantages of the motion comic process, and more.
Music Video (HD, 2:36): "Rise Up" by David Ari Leon & Guy Erez.
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted Trailer (HD, 1:55).
Disc Two:
Behind the Scenes: Marvel Knights Animation (HD, 5:12): Joe Quesada, Alex Maleev, David Goldberg, Neal Adams, Kristine Stone,
Corinne Hall, Jason Chambers, Bob Wilson, and Vincente Alcazar speak or appear in this piece that covers the motion comic process, including
animating, voice acting, and the importance of keeping the original artwork as the only visuals that appear on-screen.
Marvel Knights: Astonishing X-Men overflows with superb character moments, great dialogue, and a strong story arc. Unfortunately, it's a little
muddled and not quite as accessible to newcomers as are the feature-length films. These motion comics require a little more patience and a broader
understating of the nuance within the X-Men universe to truly enjoy. The stories are well-developed and engaging on a base level, however,
and chances are
a watch will yield a desire to seek out the comics and gain a broader understanding of a highly complex X-Men universe. The animation style
may leave viewers divided, but at the very least it's somewhat novel and worth checking out. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of The Astonishing
X-Men features good video beyond the first episode
and fine two-channel lossless audio. The set is, however, rather short on extra content. Recommended to hardcore X-Men fans.
Blu-ray.com and Shout Factory are offering three members an opportunity to win a copy of The Astonishing X-Men Blu-ray Collection, a motion comic release that collects all four Astonishing X-Men adventures from writer Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind The Avengers, ...
Independent distributors Shout Factory have officially announced that they will release on Blu-ray The Astonishing X-Men Blu-ray Collection. Arriving as a two-disc set, the collection will be available for purchase online and in stores nationwide on November 1 ...
