Astonishing X-Men #8

Facing a potent villain with an ally they should really be questioning harder, the Astonishing X-Men are still in the hottest of hot water. Another rock-solid artistic performance and a fine-tuned script make this latest episode a hugely enjoyable one. Charles Soule has a clear destination in mind for this story, but the journey ahead of us still promises a lot of exciting twists. Read Full Review

ASTONISHING X-MEN #8 continues Charles Soule's epic X-Men run. While this story doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the Marvel Universe, it has aspects that will have fans praying it bleeds over when it's all said and done. The artwork of Paulo Siqueira and Edgar Delgado makes for a pleasant read as well. Read Full Review

Astonishing X-Men almost always looks good, and Paulo Siqueira's guest stint as the artist is no exception. Read Full Review

Charles Xavier, better known now as X, has made his triumphant return. However, is this a mistake? The X-Men don't trust this new version of him. X is determined to talk to Proteus without causing more bloodshed. He wants to solve this the peaceful way, but Proteus holds a nasty grudge. Can they save the day peacefully? Read Full Review

There's been a lot to like about this book, but hopefully Soule and company can make the next few issues of Astonishing X-Men pick up the pace. Read Full Review

Its a solid story held back by Paulo Siqueira's art. Read Full Review

So far, this book feels like a collection of cool ideas done poorly and nothing about this issue changes that impression. Soule just isnt the right fit for an X-Men book. His ideas have potential, but his character work mostly falls flat and his threats never feel very threatening, even when all the characters are talking about how dangerous the villains are. The issues art saves the book a little, but in the end, this issue is all filler and it shows. Little to nothing of it sticks with the reader. It moves the plots forward in an efficient way, but its all empty calories. Read Full Review

CrazyforRAMU

Sep 06, 2018

The definite ominousness of the new "X" takes a backseat to the more immediate ominousness of Proteus. In theory, this comic should be ratcheting up the tension, but the actual effect is a little "meh." It takes a lot of pages to reassemble the team, gives too many characters a chance to express suspicion regarding "X," and delivers an over-thorough Proteus 101 class for those of us who aren't graduate scholars in X-Man-ology. The art is highly polished but also stiff and stereotypical; this is a laborious but cold reproduction of cutting-edge comics art ca. 2002. This issue manages to sustain interest but it doesn't really deliver a payoff, shocking final-page twist notwithstanding.

Spock's Brain

Mar 07, 2018

"Astonishing X-Men" is my lone X-title after I dropped "Blue" and "Gold," and it has been surprisingly good. But this issue is a dud. It is all talk. The reborn Xavier, annoyingly dubbed "X," is kind of not working for me, and, curiously, he is smirking evilly like a super villain in the first few pages, which is weirdly distracting. I guess the art overall was distracting in that it was not good. At all. The rotating cast of artists offers us a chance to see various stars every month, but Siquiera's figures are stiff and dull...this is kind of IDW quality stuff. Hopefully this thing can turn itself around next month.