Astonishing X-men 13 (Spoilers)

[Infernal-Ginger]

I actually really liked this issue....Lands art was actually good...Alex looked sexy....I loved his desperation/characterization ..... but I really wish there was another lady on the team .... really want a good writer to write Sage

[nx01a]

>Enjoyed the writing, so-so on the art but it'll do.
>Poor Havok. He has nothing and no one, plus he's clearly delusional that starting another team instead of taking time for himself and his mental health is what he desperately needs right now.
>I'm hoping Headbitchress Kitty sends Warpath on the DL to look out for Havok. Show she isn't all rude and self-absorbed.
>Is no one willing to literally just sit down and talk with Havok about his erratic behaviour? Cap and Kitty clearly don't care, and Stark only cares about his technology.
>Banshee and Havok on the same team? Time to go wild with the concentric circle attacks! I hope for many Banshee/Dazzler team ups.
>Wonderful to see Banshee back while still dealing with his Death Seed resurrection unlike Daken. Dude looks as toothless as OMLogan. If Beast took the teaching job just so he could get advanced tech to help Banshee, I'll respect the furball a bit more.
>The Reavers are targeting geneticists specializing in mutation? Reminds me of the Dark Riders targeting mutant healers but without the 'murder them' part. Perhaps this evil human military man wants the geneticists to create yet another mutant disease/'cure'. I hope not. That's really boring at this point.
>Havok's Bastion dream... Anyone else notice the word 'Arcade' by the fair ground? Foreshadowing much?
>Looking forward to the next issue!

Favourite panels...
Anything related to Havok's power signature.
ax1.jpg
I'm reminded of several panels from Bunncanny X-Men of Magneto vs the Dark Riders but that's a good thing.
ax2.jpg
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEk!!!!!
ax3.jpg

[akiresu_]

I thought this issue was great, I just have a bit of a sour taste leftover from Banshee's reveal. Which isn't that I don't want Banshee here, or that I think he doesn't fit the theme, but we could have really done with another female character I think. That being said, I enjoyed pretty much all of the issue. Loved the snark.

Havok being plagued by dreams of Bastion, the appearance of Ms Sinister and Alex's new, more aggressive approach (seemingly influenced by his re-inversion?) really made this feel like a sequel to Blue's MotherVine arc, and that's what I loved here. This feels like a Rosenberg love letter to continuity, picking up on standing threads in a thematic way. I'm really excited to see where this story (and series) heads from here. If all the characters get their baggage unpacked like Alex, I think this will be a really solid run. So long as X sticks to the annual and doesn't show his face again.


Rockslide alone was worth price of admission.

[berserkerclaw]

Alex reeks of desperation. With his mind put right back by Emma and Polaris over in x-men blue, he is trying to be a hero again. First he goes solo, and goes as you saw in the preview. Then he just goes into the mansion in Central Park and tries to grab some students to make his own X-men team. It is interesting that he wants to be called Havok, I guess the the "call me Alex" days are in the past now that the Avengers do not want to be seen in the same general area as him. The students however are less than impressed, and Kitty (rightly, for once) chews his head off. He can not just waltz back and recruit some child soldiers. Warpath is present to witness his total emasculation.

So he goes to Beast, who is teaching in Harvard, because both of them have “disappointed every single person they know”. The rationale being they both can find redemption together. But Beast is tired of fighting. Half his teeth are prostethics and under the fur he is scarred all over.

Over in B-plot land a military guy is using the Reavers to capture experts in mutant genetics. Not real world old doctor ladies, mind you, but exciting ones. They start by baging Miss Sinister (I guess they decided Sinister himself was above their paygrade). Given Moira is still dead, their next stop is Beast…

And so the Reavers attack the Hank-Beast meeting. There is some fun banter about who is their actual target, with Beast thinking they are there for Havok. Luckily Beast has a secret weapon.

And with two of the most despised and unlikable X-men around as leads you need someone really warm and lovable to make this work (There is a reason Dazzler is the one in the cover). So Beast pushes a lever and a door opens. In the shadows a high collared figure can be seen. And it starts low, a sound effect we have not seen in ages. eeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

ENTER THE WAIL OF THE BANSHEE

**** yeah. He looks like crap, and it is not the usual male Land thing, he is all parched up. God only knows what that traitorous monkey-cat has done to him.






So, Land. I dislike his art deeply, but it is not the worst we have seen of him. Also not his best, mind you.

About the writing, I like the fact that he takes the time to pick up characters from where they were left. Like the reavers after the Wolverine mini, Beast being a pariah after his “trial”, Banshee having been in a lab for a while, and so on. The banter is fun, and I expect it will be better once characters that are not Havok and Beast show up.
The pep talk was super sudden, and Land is not good at talking heads. I do not know if the intention was making Alex look like a twat. Points for using Rockslide to mock him pretty much in character. A lesser writer would have chosen Quentin. It is also cool that Iron man is written as a smug *******, and the he remembered that Kitty actually dislikes Havok.

With the Banshee reveal, it is also clear that this team has only one gal, which is curious. I hope they pick another one along the way. Emma would be ideal, as she has close ties with all the cast (except Dazz, maybe) and fits the redemption thing.

Well of course Sean looks like crap he was an undead horsemqn of death

[Harpsikord]

MY MAN IS BACK!! I missed Sean so much, holy ****. But he's obviously not at his best because of the Death Seed thing - hopefully Hank has been helping and by the time Rosenberg's mega-arc closes, he'll be back to the way he was.

[Leirus]

Well of course Sean looks like crap he was an undead horsemqn of death

Horseman of death yes, undead no. The seed had resurrected him at the prime of his powers or whatnot. At any rate, I took it as him being kind of in rehab.

[butterflykyss]

how was havok face fixed?

[Harpsikord]

how was havok face fixed?

Elixir took the scars away.

[butterflykyss]

Elixir took the scars away.

oh thnk you. did that happen in the previous astonishing issue or another book?

[Harpsikord]

oh thnk you. did that happen in the previous astonishing issue or another book?

No problem, doll.

It happened at the very end of the Mothervine arc over in Blue.

[Rnap22]

I hated the Kitty "owns the name X-men". That was stupid.

[butterflykyss]

No problem, doll.

It happened at the very end of the Mothervine arc over in Blue.

ohhhh I see thnk you beloved.

[Havok83]

Did they ever actually patented the name "X-Men"?

You cant patent a name. Patents are for inventions, creations and ideas. X-men would fall under trademark law and yes that can be tradmarked. Marvel Comics has the trademark for the X-men name. I dont believe its ever been mentioned in book, but as of this issue, it appears Xavier trademarked it for himself. I remember X-Staxis originally used the name X-Fore bc the original team never trademarked it. Maybe they told Xavier about that so he went and did it for the X-men in case anyone else wanted to capitalize off of them

[LoganAlpha30X33]

ohhhh I see thnk you beloved.

Even though until Elixir did that Alex's scars were already healing on their own as the size of his facial scars had been reduced greatly by that point somehow...

[Leirus]

You cant patent a name. Patents are for inventions, creations and ideas. X-men would fall under trademark law and yes that can be patented. Marvel Comics has the trademark for the X-men name. I dont believe its ever been mentioned in book, but as of this issue, it appears Xavier trademarked it for himself. I remember X-Staxis originally used the name X-Fore bc the original team never trademarked it. Maybe they told Xavier about that so he went and did it for the X-men in case anyone else wanted to capitalize off of them

Sounds ridiculous but it actually makes sense. If there is pirate merchandise of Calvin & Hobbes in the real world, there would be probably some bootleg x-men stuff around.