Astonishing X-Men #14 continues Matthew Rosenberg and Greg Land’s tongue-in-cheek, nostalgia fueled X-Men roller coaster ride. Picking up from the splash page ending we got last issue, the book rockets through the plot in a thrilling and engaging way. Havok manages to fully assemble his “not actually an X-Men team” X-Men while digging them all deeper into trouble at the same time. It looks like his search for redemption just got a lot tougher in this issue.

Summary

As the Reavers had launched an attack on Beast’s lab at the end of the last issue, we see Beast and Havok discussing the help they’re getting. It turns out Beast has had Banshee since he was “resurrected” in Uncanny Avengers, and he’s let Banshee free to take out the Reavers. The three are quickly joined by Warpath, who it turns out was sent by Kitty to keep an eye on Havok, showing he’s still not trusted by the other X-Men. As Beast hopes to learn why the Reavers attacked, Havok goes in search of another member for his team: Colossus.

We learn what Colossus has been up to since leaving the X-Men in X-Men Gold #31, and he’s easily persuaded to join the team. Meanwhile, Beast has learned who he thinks the next target of the Reavers is and the five men head off to protect that mutant. And that’s when we get a glorious splash page of Dazzler kicking off the next stop of her anniversary tour. After a brief chat with the team, Alison is ready to sign on until she learns they’re actually hoping to recruit someone else working with her in a wonderfully funny and near meta conversation.

After walking out of the club Dazzler was playing in, Havok’s team runs into another group of soldiers. While the roster has added some serious muscle with Warpath and Colossus, they’re still outnumbered and falling behind. Only a timely save in another beautifully done splash page puts them in the clear, but it turns out Havok’s decision to shoot first and ask questions later may have put his team on the run as Rosenberg and Land deliver another great surprise in the final page of Astonishing X-Men #14.

Creators

Matthew Rosenberg continues to deliver a high-octane plot, quick witted dialogue, and characters with layers of personal redemption at stake. Rosenberg continues to show how Havok is struggling to make up for his recent choices, and added a Colossus and Dazzler who have something to prove as well. The addition of Banshee gives Rosenberg a wild card of sorts, as it caught readers off guard. It adds a new layer to the goals of Havok’s team. Will they find a way to rehabilitate him? Is he more than just a weapon? Rosenberg has many readers hooked on what he’ll do with these characters next.

Add hilarious and real dialogue and this book is one of the most engaging X-Men titles in the line. In Astonishing X-Men #14 we get dialogue that adds just enough drama to the characters, making them feel real as well. Through dialogue we see how Colossus is painfully dealing with the events of his wedding and how Dazzler is handling her fame. Rosenberg’s got a great feel for these characters, and his dialogue makes you believe these are people who’ve known each other for years.

And with Greg Land on art, this book is just beautiful to look at. Land draws some incredible action scenes throughout the issue, as the plot is heavy on fighting. But it’s clear he’s really shining with the “showy” powers of Havok, Banshee, and most especially Dazzler. Both of his Dazzler splash pages look like they could be covers for a comic (or even a poster) and they’re filled with wonderful details. Land is the perfect artist for this all-action and heavy power set team, and I hope he’s on the book for some time.

Final Thoughts

Astonishing X-Men #14 is a must for any X-Men fans. With beautiful art from Greg Land on every page and an action packed plot with some great character moments from Matthew Rosenberg, this book is hitting all of the right notes. The creative team is one I wasn’t expecting to wow me, but they’re delivering a fantastic story with a really great line-up of some amazing X-Men characters. Given that the book is pulling from all eras of the X-Men and dropping plenty of surprises each issue, fans can’t afford to miss this run.

Final Grade: A