Highly recommended. - Rated 
If you appreciate a story with skillfully crafted characters, relationships and plotting you will love Astonishing X-men.
Astonishing X-Men is masterfully written by Whedon. The outstanding text is complimented by Cassaday's fine artwork.
Even if, like me, you are new to American comic books, I strongly encourage you to buy the Astonishing X-Men trade paper backs, starting with the first volume, Gifted.
I'm astonished!!! - Rated
Joss Whedon, the genius behind Firefly, doing X-Men? Sounds like a winning combination! And it so is! The story is believable and fun and the characters are spot on. Bringing the X-Men down to five members was a stroke of genius as it allows every character (including two of the students) a chance to shine and makes the story easier to follow. John Cassaday's artwork is superb as it is realistic and believable. He also has a fantastic talent for catching expressions, eliminating the need for all those stupid narrative thought bubbles that some comics have. All in all, this comic is astonishing!
The new boss, same as the old boss - Rated
Which was why I stopped buying comics several years ago, too much violence, too many people back from the dead and too many tie-ins.
However, I have to say that despite the Marvel standards committee Wheedon has done a pretty good job and Cassadays artwork is kinetic, smooth and detailed and the flow from cel to cel is natural. It really does have something of a retro feel, and is IMO none the worse for it.
This first is a hail hail the gangs all here introduction and has the obligatory Marvel character resurrection because, as we know, in the Marvel universe no-one ever really dies.
The next installment is something of a disappointment story wise (for the most part) and has one of those deus ex machina moments that really should be illegal. The artwork is beyond reproach.
The third installment (as far as I've got) is much better all round, with story threads heading off in all directions and some nice twists which have an air of plausibility given the overall story.
I don't know how much Marvel are prepared to give Wheedon his head, but perhaps we might be in for something of a treat.
Feel that tingle? - Rated 
That's the tingle of proximity to greatness.
if you've ever loved Superheroes, the silly, four colour splendour of it all, the over the top action and scenery chewing villains, this will set your pulse racing. I speak as someone who enjoyed Morrissons take on the X-posse (and worships morrisson generally), but this right here feels more authentically like the X-men, like the glory days of the X-men (where they jetted off into the depths of space and overthrew intergalactic tyrants before returning to earth in time to fight for peace and justice over tea) than anything morrison created in his tenure.
It feels modern, though. It's much more restrained than back in the old days (despite what i just said). Cassiday's art is slick and clean, and packed with a kinetic buzzzzz that vibrates off the page and up your arms.
If i had to describe it, I'd say it feels like whedon and cassiday are taking the old claremont/byrne glory days and almost retelling them with a modern sense of irony and cinematic pacing. Written down, that almost sounds like a criticism, and i suppose to really survive the test of time, the team will have to try and find a distinctness and identity of their own, but give them time. This is an impressive, impressive start.
Morrison's gone, and X-men are superheroes again. the king is dead, long live the king...
Astonishing?... Average X-men, more like - Rated 
When i first read that Joss Whedon was taking over writing New X-Men when Grant Morrison decided to call it a day i thought this may not be so bad after all.
I was wrong.
Firstly, for some reason, some clown at Marvel thought it would be a good idea to ignore what Morrison had said about the rather idiotic looking "spandex" silly suits and dress the X-men once again like a bunch of sugar-high hippy children off to a fancy dress party. Why?!
Although Whedon makes a bland attempt to explain this, it just sounds forced and silly. This whole book, like the rubbish costumes, is very dated. I dont know if Whedon is attempting to go for a "retro" feel for the book, but it just feels dull and old fasioned. Even Cassidays usually excellent designs feel dated, i.e. the Blackbird jet, Shield , Ord (although his charaters faces are perfect!). Maybe this is why they went for the "Astonishing" title over "New". But to be perfectly honest, its neither.
There doesnt seem to be one new or astonishing thing about the whole book. It just seems to be one big cover version of something Chris Claremont did twenty or so years ago, but with a bit of Whedon's, i must admit, nice and natural feeling, banter. But thats all it is. By the end of the book not much has happened other than a few arguments and the odd one liner. This is a terrible follow on to Morrison's whitty, fast-paced and thought-provoking New X-men. By Morrison's third issue he had flipped the X-world on its head, created a classic new Baddie (Cassie Nova), come up with an entirely original take on an old favourite (Wild Sentinal), destroyed the island nation of Genosha, "killed" Magneto and had Xavier pointing a loaded hand-gun at his temples to blow his brains out if anyone should try to take over his mind. Not to mention coming up with a ton of ingenious concepts for the charaters never before thought of (Ruby-Quartz contact lenses, the school actually having students in it and Xavier's staff meeting, in arm-chairs in his mind)... Im not saying Astonishing is terrible. Its nowhere near as bad as Claremonts current run on Uncanny X-men. But its nowhere near as astonishing as Morrisons 'New X-men' in "E is for Extinction".
Save your money and buy THAT instead.
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