Astonishing X-Men #7 - spoilers & discussion

[Gray Lensman]

True. But as a counter point, when Emma and Storm switched bodies, Storm got telepathy and Emma got weather powers (with no telepathy left). Same as when Emma was in Iceman's body.

No power seems more subject to writer whims than telepathy - it can be an "I win" button, or an "I lose before the fight even starts" button depending on the needs of the issue/episode.

[ZNOP]

Brain does not necessarily = consciousness, as Chuck is proving this very moment.

'Ya think ol' Charles pull a page from Amahl Farouk's playbook when his brain was incinerated?

[cranger]

There may be something intriguing happening here. The dialogue was just off, so I am hoping that is for a reason, otherwise if this is just supposed to Prof X plain old coming back with no surprise twist, this couldn't sound any further from him.

[nx01a]

>Enjoyable issue.
>I've never liked Noto's fashion design sketch art style but it was OK.
>At least Archangel isn't dead [yet].
>Bishop's end times catalogue is very interesting.
>Xavier now seems like the kind of guy whose next gift will be making everyone on Earth love mutants... the kind of thing he should have swallowed his morals and done decades ago. As morally questionable as he's been retconned into being, he never did what would have really mattered.
>I think everyone here called Proteus' return many issues ago. Will Proteus be discorporated again along with Xavier's consciousness? Charles killing himself to stop Moira's crazy son works fine for me... esp. since I honestly don't trust the person this Charles seems to be after subjective years of fighting the Shadow King.
>At least the questioning of Fantomex's motives comes to the right conclusion:
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[AbnormallyNormal]

I agree with everyone saying "X" has something... off. Like quasi villainous somehow. He is WAY too confident and moving way too fast. Plus his speech bubbles are all black I mean come on.

Agree that Soule didn't seem to read the latest Uncanny by Bunn given his approach to Warren

At least Gambit and Bishop fans are getting some stuff out of this though

And Psylocke has a place to be lol

I am still kinda interested in this book but I think a lot of the pizzazz that was there when issue 1 came out has disappeared especially with XMEN RED and all that coming down the pike

[Thievery]

I miss the old Angel. No evil persona crap. They've been milking that cow for way too long, imo. Warren used to be a fun character, but now every time he's around it's some inner battle with his dark persona.

Yeah Warren needs to be rid of the whole dark persona crap that Remender started and then Bunn and Soule continued, then just let Warren and preferably Betsy have some fun together, maybe even lead their own team together and go from there...

I read Warren's part of the story as Warren loosing the dark spit personality the character has had since the Kyle/Yost run on X-Force. He will just remain blue with metal wings permanently instead of switching back and forth between his feather winged form. And Warren comments that he has Archangel's form but no longer has his personality. He spends the rest of the comic calm like regular Warren. At least he would remain this way unless he is killed later on in this story or X is decieving him.

Sorry LoganAlpha30X33, but it seems as if Betsy may be going back to Fantomex instead of Archangel.

So, Soule's big character journey for Archangel was... to take him back to where he would be if he had stuck to continuity. It is genuinely just the status quo Bunn left him with. I think this is tremendously disrespectful considering the continuity Bunn had to/chose to engage with (Hippie Angel) to get Warren's character to a new place in an engaging, entertaining way. Soule hasn't really tried.

I'm not about to get massively picky about continuity in the face of a good, self-contained story, but what's the point? Ignoring continuity just to return to the continuity you ignored, it boggles the mind. Doesn't feel like Warren is needed in this book at all.

I don't think Soule took Warren back to where Bunn left him. Bunn's version of Warren was cold and distant. Soule's Archangel feels more like the 90's version of Archangel. He had Warren's old personality, not the one Bunn gave Warren. Other than that I agree that Archangel was not needed in this book.And while I am happy to have classic Archangel back I would still like to see him back with his army of sleeper mutants.

I thought the issue was Okay. The dialogue felt a little awkward but that was about all I didn't like.

I still don't like Fantomex, but the last two issues made me feel somewhat bad for him. Unless he is lying.

And I agree with a previous poster that it seemed wrong of Charles to sacrifice another person just to save his own life. Its more of the jerk character that the professor became before Cyclops killed him.

[jpmst17]

I liked this issue fine. I'll miss Fantomex though, he's one of my faves. I'm interested to see what the deal is with X. he seems off. Either way, this has consistently been the best X-book out recently, so i'm fine with an issue that is a little slower

[planetxmen]

Another intriguing but just ok issue.
I’m looking forward to the X-Men team up against Proteus more than anything else.

[yogaflame]

'Ya think ol' Charles pull a page from Amahl Farouk's playbook when his brain was incinerated?

Farouk, it would seem, has been his greatest teacher. After battling each other on the Astral Plane all this time, he had to pick up a few tricks. Besides, Charles has already shifted brains before; remember he died in a clone body he hopped into(since his original one was infected by a Brood). Then of course Jean famously split his consciousness and hid it in millions of minds during that Cassandra Nova business. The brain simply is a focus/home for consciousness, which is a field that transcends the flesh.

[yogaflame]

Another intriguing but just ok issue.
I’m looking forward to the X-Men team up against Proteus more than anything else.

They better dial up Colossus real quick. Or do you think Archangel's wings are enough metal to put Proteus down.

[Psyknight]

Fantomex is not gone and he’s lying or he’s telling the truth in an Obi-Wan Kenobi “from a certain point of view” kind of way.

[DragonsChi]

I feel that X taking for Fantomex body and the way he is acting is how most people would act if you spent years trapped in what equates to mental limbo with a mad man. What is so great about Soule's story is that he is setting up psychological aspects with Charles that should carry over into very huge character developments.

We have a man who was originally defined by peace, unity, and turning the other cheek coming back from years of fighting for his own sanity in a sense. He has probably seen his students and loved ones die several times overs in the scenarios him and the Shadow King has played out. It's even possible in some of those scenarios Charles himself did the killing just to stay dominant or on even footing with his aggressor. What we are seeing now is possibly a Charles Xavier, after years of battling, who is now somewhat numb to the previous ideals he use to hold dear, possibly to a degree that he is wondering why he is even fighting for them at all. The fact that he was so cool with taking Fantomex's body is just another example of that.

All of which is amazing story material and character exploration that should be LOADS better than....

"Well here is Grandpa Chuck again everyone. Same Hero, New Wheelchair! Watch as he tries to interact with his battle harden students searching desperately for a place among them and then slowly fades into the background of his over crowed mansion."

Been there ,done that, and saw all three movies. This could be the Charles Xavier that everyone always wanted but never even knew it, if handled correctly. This could be front line Charles, a practice what he preaches Charles, and if nothing else a Charles that will make a lasting impression.

[Tycon]

I bet X will give the following "gifts":

-Rogue: She can touch people again

-Mystique: What Bunn did to her in Bunncanny #16 by making her mind whole again

All I've got so far.

archangel seems magically fixed in this installment though.

Thank god it took Soule 7 issues to get Warren back to where he was literally RIGHT BEFORE HE WROTE HIM. This development is nothing but a waste of space that could have easily been avoided if X-Editorial cared about basically continuity.

I feel like Soule has not read many xmen comics.

Me neither.

I don't think Soule took Warren back to where Bunn left him. Bunn's version of Warren was cold and distant. Soule's Archangel feels more like the 90's version of Archangel. He had Warren's old personality, not the one Bunn gave Warren. Other than that I agree that Archangel was not needed in this book.And while I am happy to have classic Archangel back I would still like to see him back with his army of sleeper mutants.

I definitely agree with the 'Sleepers' comment. But wouldn't exactly call him 'cold'. He was just a pacifist. Kind of calm and collected, though I agree that Soule's Archangel definitely has a different characterization.

[Muffinman]

I bet X will give the following "gifts":

-Rogue: She can touch people again.

I don’t think this will be her gift as it would then make the entire set up of Rogue and Gambit completely obsolete. It can always be temporary, just for this story arc, but I’m skeptical

[AcesX1X]

the minute professor say "hey" to rogue should have been everyone's cue that something is not right ..