Joss Whedon & John Cassaday
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted (2004)
Author: Joss Whedon & John Cassaday
Genre: Graphic Novel (Superhero)
Plot Summary:
The X-Men gather to fight a new evil threatening Mutantkind. Cyclops, Beast, Shadowcat, Wolverine, and Emma Frost are the team that will protect the world from the newest threat, the cure for mutations! Before the battle is over an old comrade will reappear and mutants will fight against mutants.
Geographical Setting: New York
Time Period: Present Day
Series: #1-6 of Astonishing X-Men
Appeal Characteristics:
This 2005 Eisner Award Nominee for Best Serialized Story is a story full of characters that will be familiar to X-Men fans. Writer Joss Whedon writes realistic characters. His characters are superheroes, but he also shows them as regular people. He gives his characters wit, which gives the novel a more lighthearted tone. X-Men fans will be pleased with how close Whedon stayed to the canon. The plot is also familiar and will be shown in more detail in the movie coming out this summer. The adventure in the story keeps the pace fast and constant while the characters keep you wanting to know more. Whedon's writing style is more fluid than typical comic writing which makes for an easier read by the reader. While the novel does end in a cliffhanger, it does tie up the previous story enough for readers to be satisfied. Another appeal of the graphic novel was the illustrator John Cassaday. His pictures make the people seem like real people. The pictures are realistic and bright and in an easy to follow order. The creativity of the pictures add to the story instead of distracting from it. While some transitions between scenes can be confusing, readers will enjoy the details that Cassaday spreads throughout the book to compliment Whedon's story.
Read-alikes: A good book to start with would be the next book of the series, Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous #7-12 by Joss Whedon & John Cassaday. It has the same style as my book with the same characters and basic storyline. Cassaday once again is the illustrator. This book will answer the unanswered questions from my book. Fray by Joss Whedon is recommended because it is the same author. The books have the same lighthearted tone and pace. The characters drive the action and keep up the pace. Both books have a similar feel. Another read-alike is Planetary: All Over the World by Warren Ellis & John Cassaday. Again, this book uses the same illustrator as my book. Both books have graphics that improve the stories and add to the value of the book as a whole. Cassaday has the ability to tailor his artwork specifically to what the author describes so even though the writing is very different, the illustrations still fit to the story perfectly. One read-alike with appeal elements is The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. It is another Superhero book along the same storyline of good guys saving people from the bad guys. Another similarity is the kind of characters-the reluctant superheroes. Batman and the X-Men are both superheroes out of honor not for fame. Both books also feature well-defined canon figures of comic books. Both writers closely followed the canons so that readers will recognize and appreciate them. Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert was recommended because of the similarities between the characters. Anyone familiar with the Marvel Universe will recognize the different characters in this historical setting. The epic battle of good verses evil is still played out. Another similar appeal element is that the story is full of adventure rather than action, which helps keep the face fast and interesting.
Red Flags: violence, language, sex, partial nudity
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