Man, my expectations on this were super low based on the Goodreads reviews, plus I've never particularly liked Jimenez's art -- he always seems to get hired as the go-to guy to fill in for artists I really like, so I'm a little prejudiced whenever he shows up in the masthead. But I flipped through this trade several times, really digging on the new look for Armor "ooooh!
He's more critical of the needs of the narrative, packs in more story, and generally tries to make a superhero book that he would enjoy reading -- as opposed to a lot of the navel-gazing, digression, personal diatribes and general disregard for the audience that haunt his otherwise-awesome creator-owned work Transmetropolitan , I'm looking at you. You know I got nothing but mad love, but let's be real; there's at least 5 issues of straight BS in your beautiful pages. By comparison, Jimenez is doing his best work here because -- um, duh -- X-Men are like totally his favorite characters ever, dude.
He actually has an extensive interview reprinted in the backmatter, and it sort of makes you misty how much he loved drawing this particular story. And you know, based on my own paltry body of work in indie comics, I think it's true, for whatever reason -- writers me write best when they're working with material that might not be their cup of tea: Artists everyone I've worked with draw better when they're given free reign to go completely nuts on their favorite thing to draw.
Artists as id and writers as superego? Shit, I don't know science. In any case, Exogenetic has to be one of the most balls-to-the-wall, all-killer-no-filler superhero comics I've read in a long, long, time. It's hyperviolent, hypersexualized without being exploitative, exciting, funny, whacky, ridiculous, and dark, with a real handle on the complex dualities no, really of our fearless heroes -- AND you don't need to be familiar with a bunch of backstory in order to follow along.
The pace is so breakneck that when one of the characters stops to explain the year history of X-Men that lead to this issue's particular monster, it's actually a nice breather until the next horrible thing explodes when you turn the page. I'd really go as far as saying that this is a sort of "gonzo" comicbookery that borders on exploitation art, although I don't know if that kind of terminology really works for a genre that never had anything grounded in reality to exploit in the first place.
But I have never -- like, never-ever -- gotten so involved in a big action-y blow-em-up in a comic book that it felt like I was watching a bigscreen movie with surround-sound.
- Measurement Data Modeling and Parameter Estimation (Systems Evaluation, Prediction, and Decision-Making).
- John Calvins Commentaries On The Psalms 93 - 119.
- Mountains, Grass and Water: Explore the Hastings Cutoff and Overland Trail through Ruby Valley, Nevada.
- Astonishing X-Men - Wikipedia.
- The World of Norm: May Cause Irritation: Book 2!
And that happened here. I am literally regressing to my teenage self.
Without all the bad poetry and Tool albums though, which is a relief. Sep 19, Martin rated it it was ok Shelves: After many shipping delays for the individual issues collected in this book, reading it in one sitting works in the story's favour. It's hard to feel the urgency of a crisis when there are months between chapters. By the time you'd get the next chapter, you had to re-read the previous ones as a refresher. The characterisation and interactions between the cast seem natural and genuine, and the art is good.
There's no sense of danger. The big baddie turns out not to be so big after all, and the way our heroes deal with "it" is very much anti-climactic. Warren Ellis writes these X-Men well. The action set pieces and the "stunts" are exciting in themselves, but there it ends. Phil Jimenez supplies the art for this story with Andy Lanning and I must say that they do a good job. The cinematic angles used and the various designs used for the story are great. My only gripe is that Emma Frost looks like she aged years since the last story arc, on top of having a '70s hairstyle, like she's one of Charlie's Angels What makes this story ultimately pointless is the fact that "Astonishing X-Men" AXM , as a series, is never too bound by current continuity.
In this particular story arc when it was first published , the X-Men's base was still on the outskirts of San Francisco. They'd had their own island nation for over a year now, and you know they all make it there So, again, there's no sense of danger. We probably won't see their wacky X-2 rescue jet complete with scorpion legs! But an irregular shipping schedule, as well as so-so stories, have changed all that. This title deserves more. Oct 24, Nancy Meservier rated it liked it Shelves: I have to wonder if I was the only one that found Ghost Box to be overcomplicated and confusing, as Warren Ellis's next installment in Astonishing X-men is a lot simpler and action focused.
As a result, while the comic falls very short of the high standards set up by Joss Whedon, it's actually a fairly entertaining read. The storyline here is focused on the Brood, and while I would have preferred to see some of the ideas developed a bit more, it does have its moments. The book's big selling poin I have to wonder if I was the only one that found Ghost Box to be overcomplicated and confusing, as Warren Ellis's next installment in Astonishing X-men is a lot simpler and action focused.
{{#if added}} Subscribe to Series {{else}} How Subscriptions Work {{/if}}
The book's big selling point would have to be it's break neck pace and focus on action. And while I wouldn't call Phil Jimenez's artwork perfect, it's certainly better suited to fight scenes and my personal taste then Ghost Box's Simon Bianchi. Not a lot of time is spent on character moments, but there are a few good bits, including a tense confrontation between Beast and Cyclops.
Much like Storm noticed in Ghost Box, Beast can see that Cyclops is changing, and not necessarily for the better. I also enjoyed the banter between Armor who's really growing on me as a character and Wolverine. Disappointingly, Exogenetic features what could be a really cool moment, if Joss Whedon hadn't done a really similar scene involving Wolverine and Cyclops during his run.
The characters are in costume for almost the entirety of Exogenetic, so we don't have to worry about the embarrassingly dated civvies that were featured in Ghost Box. Speaking of embarrassingly dated, what's going on with Emma Frost's Charlie's Angels hair? Storm's costume continues to be completely ridiculous, which is a disappointment given how stylish she's been looking in the current run of X-men. Exogenetic may not be perfect, but it's quite a step up from Ghost Box. I wouldn't pay full price for it, but it's certainly worth getting from your local library. Oct 15, One Flew rated it really liked it.
The only exception is when i have a great regard for the creative team, such as Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's New X-men run. So the concept of Warren Ellis writing the X-men was a big draw card as well as Jemenez's artwork. As the story went on I started admiring the scale, style and general weirdness of Ellis' vision. The thing that probably impressed me the most though were the likes of the conversation between Beast and Cyclops, which had far more character depth and development than is generally seen in such titles.
Also I greatly appreciated the stupid pretence in most superhero comics that it is wrong to kill the villian no matter how evil they may be. All in all a good read, by no means a must have but very enjoyable. Sep 24, Jacob rated it really liked it. I liked this more than the Warren Ellis book before and I liked the artwork more too. My only criticism is the colorist still paints with too dark a palette, which is something many complained about when he colored the Captain America book.
I probably wouldn't buy this book new, but used, yes, just like I did with the last book. Dec 09, Adam Stone rated it really liked it Shelves: I hate to think that a writer of Ellis's caliber was ever sat down or Skyped by edtorial, and told that his work was not gelling with the title. But it feels like that happened. His previous volume, "Ghost Box", was an ambitious story with a talented artist whose work is more complex than the usual X-artists. But it fell flat. The art made the story visually unappealing, and difficult to follow. The story never delivered on its conceptual promise.
This volume has more traditonal art by Jiminez, I hate to think that a writer of Ellis's caliber was ever sat down or Skyped by edtorial, and told that his work was not gelling with the title. The concept is fairly basic and easy to follow, but it's not a cliche. The ending is a satisfying conclusion that we don't regularly see in Marvel books.
Even in the last volume, Ellis's dialogue takes Whedon's voice and tweaks it a bit. It may not be boundary-pushing or hilarious, but it gives a continuity with the previous art team. Mar 17, Ryan Monson rated it it was ok. I gave Volume 5 a 1-star rating thought I would have given it a 0 if that were possible. I added a star from volume 6 because the artist is different. Volume 5 has the worst art of any comic that I have ever read.
Every character looked ugly and every page was just terrible. The art here is light years better but the story is still horrible. Everything is non-sensicle, the action is weird and often one page doesn't tie in well with the next. It is almost like he wrote an extra 30 pages and rathe I gave Volume 5 a 1-star rating thought I would have given it a 0 if that were possible. It is almost like he wrote an extra 30 pages and rather than editing, he randomly removed whole pages.
The dialogue is painful and the humor rarely hits. The purposes for what they are doing are basically non-existent. Jan 29, Eric Mikols rated it really liked it Shelves: Talk about an improvement! Most of what I hated about the previous volume is fixed here, with better art Phil Jimenez, great as always and no X-Men characters become overnight villains.
Seriously, what was it about this era of X-Men that they had to ruin characters like Forge and Bishop? We get the Brood, sort of. We get sentinels, sort of. There's action and quips! The ending is anti-climatic but at least I want to keep reading this book now. Talk about hit or miss, Warren Ellis.
Feb 25, Mitchell rated it it was ok Shelves: Definitely not a worthy followup to Joss Whedon's run. However the individual lines the character's actually say are pretty good. The story though is not. And the art doesn't make up for it. X-Men fight stuff and bicker among themselves. Armor at least is done pretty well. May 09, Craig rated it liked it Shelves: I will be updating everything I have read in the meantime with tiny or nonexistent reviews so I can catch up again Ok but not particularly memorable.
Ellis again seems content to ignore the other x-books to a point. Not sure how I feel about that. Nov 16, Tundxetra rated it liked it Shelves: This has it all Brood, zombie mutants, Sentinels and Wolverine hitting a disabled man! With nice characterisations and a less dark broody X-Men, Ellis leaves his mark on the franchise.
A solid 7 out of It was always going to be tough following Wheedon, but Ellis did OK. Aug 28, Jdetrick rated it really liked it Shelves: Beautifully illustrated and a typically fun Ellis script. Apr 20, Tarique Ejaz rated it liked it. Using the X-Gene of the deceased mutants to create Biosentinels by sending them in as sleeper agents, this anonymous Mastermind has transcended all limitations of moral harmony to go hard at the mutants with the one aim.
Astonishing X-Men: Exogenetic - Marvel Comics
To exterminate them, remove them and end them. As if the prevalent hatred wasn't "There is someone out there who is using the dead X-Men to target the reduced number of whatever is left of us. As if the prevalent hatred wasn't enough to contend with for the mutants in the present comic chronological setting. Not only that, this particular anonymous had gone so far as to make a genetic transmix or transfusion whatever you deem appropriate of monsters of old.
Monsters that the X-Men had dealt with in the past but in a more vicious manner, reanimating them - bigger than before. As the search to discover this one mind behind this attack continues, we get to see a side of Cyclops we don't encounter often. A perturbed, exasperated and volatile side. That gives us a taste of what Cyclops is capable of if he is allowed to lose control. It is discovered that all the things they are up against is basically part of Hank's research on getting mutants back.
Research that was perverted to be a destructive element rather than a saving one. The research was done by the Beast to remove the effects brought about by the M-Day. It was desperate and it was something he had to do. Unfortunately, it fell in the wrong hands. You are like action heroes in that costume and Unlike the mutants of disgust and abhorrence. A mutant mastermind behind this entire attack set.
A mutant who had been crippled in the Hiroshima attack. A mutant disfigured for life. A mutant born out of an atom. Hisako shows an increased maturity which only goes ahead to strengthen her stand in the mutant team. Abigail Brand again has an important role to play. Jul 23, Julia rated it it was ok Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here. Okay, so this isn't all that bad No matter how bad the situation or whether there is even someone there to hear you, the characters have to throw out witty one liners constantly. Now, it's not a problem to have a character like this, but this is just too much. Apart from the question whether this is actually in character the even bigger problem is Okay, so this isn't all that bad Apart from the question whether this is actually in character the even bigger problem is that it makes me disconnect from the story.
Why should I as the reader care about any of this, when the characters don't take any threat to them serious? The question of how anyone can actually afford this kind of technology has always been a problem in superhero comics, but this is ridiculous. There has to be a more cost efficient way to take on mutants than building a station inside an asteroid and filling it with giant monsters. Which brings us to What the hell dude? He actually berates Cyclops for expecting some kind of big plan when they catch him You build a space station inside an asteroid and filled it with giant monsters This is apparently the work of decades, yet once our villain gets caught he almost immediately give it all up because Not to mention his motivation: He is a "real" mutant and hates the X-Men because they look like movie stars, while he has no powers and looks like a monster Yes that apparently fueled his hate enough to dedicate his life to killing mutants I don't even know what to say to that.
Jun 06, Phillip rated it liked it Shelves: I'm glad to see things turned around a bit here compared to volume 5. The darkness that took over Ghost Box is still present to a degree, but the creators acknowledge and begin to move past it. First of all, this book features the return of the Brood! I loved watching the X-Men fight them in the '90s animated series.
They get an upgrade here by being genetically modified by the latest person that wants to see the X-Men destroyed. There are also organic Sentinels and an island sized monster. The ar I'm glad to see things turned around a bit here compared to volume 5. The art is superb, but I've always enjoyed the work of Phil Jimenez.
He takes the style from the previous book and makes it his own. And the creatures are beautiful and horrific at the same time. That alone made this a better book. The story was mediocre though. The team has to rescue Abigail Brand after her spaceship is damaged during a check of an asteroid. This sequence is pretty cool, although once it is done the X-Men just fight monsters and head off to the bad guys secret base. The villain never evoked any real feelings from me, so I think he could have been developed better. Maybe a slower reveal would have worked in his favor.
That said, his backstory actually fits really well within the overall arc. Personally, I will likely hold off on the rest of the series for a while because it has mostly lost my interest. An unknown enemy has got hold of Beast's research and is creating mutant hybrids from the cells of dead mutants to attack the X-Men. Its two strengths being great art and a rather good story. When the premise is mutant hybrids from dead cells - I was expecting resurrection of past X-Men but this subverted my expec An unknown enemy has got hold of Beast's research and is creating mutant hybrids from the cells of dead mutants to attack the X-Men.
When the premise is mutant hybrids from dead cells - I was expecting resurrection of past X-Men but this subverted my expectations - instead we get hybrids from classic enemies - The Brood, Krakoa, Sauron, Sentinels - huge thumbs up to the nod and wink to Classic X-Men stories. The dialogue is punchy and I like the interactions between the characters. I also loved the villain and his reason for setting up this elaborate attack which made a nice change from usual plans of world domination or alien invasion.
Artwork is great and I thought Storm although she had very little to do looked the best I've seen her in ages - The female characters weren't completely over sexualised either - If I have to have Emma Frost it's nice not to have her boobs knocking me out on every page! Cyclops and Storm argue about the morality of killing. We grew up, Ororo. These are the jobs we got.
When Beast feels guilty about the mass murder at the end of Ghost Box , Scott is quick to offer rationalisations. In Exogenetic , Beast and Cyclops argue about the morality of the decisions that Scott makes. In the end, both characters resolve that they have to try better — that they have to accept that killing might be necessary in some cases, but should be treated as a last resort.
Appropriately enough, Exogenetic ends with our heroes deciding to spare a vanquished foe, refusing to unilaterally execute him as revenge for the harm that he has caused. In it, the X-Men are faced with the prospect of having to sacrifice a bunch of children in order to save the larger community — aware that these children will probably grow up to be ticking time bombs. The logic of the situation should be clear — sacrifice the children to save more lives. However, Cyclops and his team refuse to make that compromise. Exogenetic initially seems like it might be constructed as a blistering critique of the X-Men franchise.
The team confront a bitter old man whose mother was at Hiroshima. He is a mutant, just one who suffers from radiation poisoning rather than super-powers. Where are my adoring crowds and beautiful girlfriends? You look like movie stars. Your clothing reeks of boastful sexuality, the fashion wear of action heroes. A scheme to turn off the sun? This is the real world. Much like the alternate realities intruding into the narrative through the ghost boxes, it would seem that the real world intruding into a superhero comic is also something hostile and aggressive. They are valid observations about the X-Men as a comic book franchise.
However, inside the narrative, they are less convincing. One highpoint comes when McCoy and Frost share a brief reference to Damian Hirst, an artist who would be on their radar, even if outside the American mainstream. His version of various characters sound unique, internally consistent if a little surreal out of context. Similarly, Ellis really hammers home on the conflicts within the character of Hank McCoy — the honesty, the charm, the bad judgement and the occasional smug sense of superiority.
He arguably balanced Cyclops and Beast better than any other writer after House of M. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Twitter account.
- Astonishing X-Men, Volume 6: Exogenetic by Warren Ellis.
- Bestselling Series.
- Astonishing X-Men, Volume 6: Exogenetic.
You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Red eyes, take warning…. Thinking inside the box…. The man does like to Brood….
Astonishing Xmen - Volume 6: Exogenetic
Burning down the house…. Introducing the X Society! To him, his X-Men! Tears of a mutant…. Their problem has just been halved…. The goggles are an inspired touch…. Twitter Email Print Reddit Facebook. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Email required Address never made public. Recent Posts Non-Review Review: A very happy birthday to a good friend and the hardest working man in Irish film NiallXMurphy.
An all round good egg