Morrison's New X-Men or Whedon's Astonishing X-Men?

Which X-Men run do you prefer?


  • Total voters
    22
New X-Men. Astonishing is basically fanfiction based on New X-Men.

Both are better than every other X-Men run though.
 
Astonishing was good. It was really, really good. Y'know what.... It was actually great. But it's got nothing on New X-Men. Whedon has a really good grasp of the characters, but this grasp wasn't revolutionary. It was taking the Morrison perspective on the characters and just setting them out and letting them breathe. New X-Men stumbled, but there were so many good ideas at the core of it, and so many beautiful moments that it's really just no contest. And let's not forget that Whedon brought us Danger. That was just terrible.

Maybe if Whedon had the opportunity for a run the length of New X-Men, it could have stood up against it, but no. There's no way. And I loved Astonishing.
 
New X-Men.

Breakworld was boring and took up far too much time, Danger was meh. The character moments were great....but Astonishing just can't win against New X-Men.
 
New X-Men.

Breakworld was boring and took up far too much time, Danger was meh. The character moments were great....but Astonishing just can't win against New X-Men.

Exactly. I hadn't thought about it that way before, but you're right. The villains, for the most part, were unremarkable.

And that's the way I typically feel about the X-Men. The characters have had so much time to grow and develop that the core cast of mutants has reached an exceptional level of depth. But the villains always seem to fall short, always feel a little silly, a little shallow. I think it's endemic of the X-Men in general, and not just Whedon's run.

As for the idea of the Danger Room gaining consciousness, I actually think it's a wicked idea. But Whedon's execution of the concept just made me grimace.
 
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Exactly. I hadn't thought about it that way before, but you're right. The villains, for the most part, were unremarkable.

And that's the way I typically feel about the X-Men. The characters have had so much time to grow and develop that the core cast of mutants has reached an exceptional level of depth. But the villains always seem to fall short, always feel a little silly, a little shallow. I think it's endemic of the X-Men in general, and not just Whedon's run.

As for the idea of the Danger Room gaining consciousness, I actually think it's a wicked idea. But Whedon's execution of the concept just made me grimace.

THe danger concept was good at first, because she was so devastating to the team. Then we find out she can't kill, so you already know that no matter what she does, she won't attempt to kill the X-Men. If she does, it would only be through some other villain she's teamed up with.
 
I put astonishing - was kinda surprised I was the only one to. But it's real close and I'd have a hard time faulting either run. Both have real good story each arc all tying together and holding it in place. Astonishing is very much sequel to new x-men so maybe it's just like standing on the shoulders of giants. I'm finding it difficult to justify why i prefer astonishing cuz any point i make is true of both....I just liked it more.
 
This isn't even close.

New X-Men. Astonishing is basically fanfiction based on New X-Men.

Both are better than every other X-Men run though.

Exactly right.
 
Terrific poll, Tog.

I gotta say - ASTONISHING X-MEN is the trump here. Firstly, it doesn't suffer from the continually changing artists that Morrison's NEW X-MEN run did. I love Frank Quitely and Chris Bachalo, Igor Kordey was fine as was Phil Jiminez - but the continuous changes made it hard for me to get immersed. The other problem with NEW X-MEN is that it's more convoluted than ASTONISHING X-MEN which reads as the best movie trilogy ever type of thing.

NEW X-MEN may be more innovative/revolutionary, but ASTONISHING X-MEN is far more iconic and entertaining.

Plus... it was pretty innovative. #1 came up with, hands down, the best concept for the X-MEN since their exception - a "cure" for the mutant genome. It's a perfect idea for them and no one had ever gone there. It was such a good idea that it was immediately used for X3.

ASTONISHING X-MEN trumps this for me, no question. If I had to sit down and re-read one of those runs right now, it would be the Whedon/Cassaday.

That said, these two runs are pretty much the best X-runs ever, as others have said, and a testament to the stupidity of retconning Morrison's run.
 
That said, these two runs are pretty much the best X-runs ever, as others have said, and a testament to the stupidity of retconning Morrison's run.

:sure:

Chris Claremont/DaveCockrum/John Byrne/Paul Smith/John Romita Jr disagree with you.
 
Terrific poll, Tog.

I gotta say - ASTONISHING X-MEN is the trump here. Firstly, it doesn't suffer from the continually changing artists that Morrison's NEW X-MEN run did.

NEW X-MEN may be more innovative/revolutionary, but ASTONISHING X-MEN is far more iconic and entertaining.

Plus... it was pretty innovative. #1 came up with, hands down, the best concept for the X-MEN since their exception - a "cure" for the mutant genome. It's a perfect idea for them and no one had ever gone there. It was such a good idea that it was immediately used for X3.

ASTONISHING X-MEN trumps this for me, no question. If I had to sit down and re-read one of those runs right now, it would be the Whedon/Cassaday.

That said, these two runs are pretty much the best X-runs ever, as others have said, and a testament to the stupidity of retconning Morrison's run.
I...I agree with you!! :shock:

While Claremont and the others had their great stories back in their day, Morrison really kicked up the notch with his run.

That said, I enjoyed Whedon/Cassaday's run more. The whole run had me more excited about it more than it with Morrison.

But yes. In the end, these two runs is what X-Men should always be about. Awesome stories with great art and writers daring to change the quo and succeeding.
 
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New X-Men



Proj said it best. Astonishing was nothing but an X-Men fanfic.


Now, I disagree that the x-books are bad as a whole, but I admit, I wear my mutant colored glasses. The recent Brubaker and Carey runs were great IMHO.
 
I disagree about the fanfic feel, but that's minor. I mean, even if I felt it, hey, it's some great damn fanfic then. :p

Now, I disagree that the x-books are bad as a whole, but I admit, I wear my mutant colored glasses. The recent Brubaker and Carey runs were great IMHO.
I have your back on this 110%.
 
I put New X-Men.


Carey's X-Men was fantastic. Not a fan of Legacy, but Adjectiveless was awesome.

Carey's run was my favorite run in a LONG time, and I'm not ashamed to admit, Bachalo just made it heaven to me.
 
While Astonishing is probably second for me on favorite X-Men runs ever, New X-Men is just... wow. And the only thing I ask of you all was there a single person who saw the ending coming for that? I mean Magneto hiding among them as Xorn was possibly the greatest reveal in comics. Which is why I hate how Marvel just swept it under the rug and said it didn't happen. Astonishing was great, but New X-Men was the pinnacle of X-Men comics. Oh and Fantomex=awesome.
 
Xorn being revealed as Magneto was the WORST thing about it. It never made sense and Marvel was right to retcon the killer drug addict dead Magneto.
 
Xorn being revealed as Magneto was the WORST thing about it. It never made sense and Marvel was right to retcon the killer drug addict dead Magneto.

Wait....



what?


The master of magnetism using his head to infiltrate his former best friend's school, to manipulate everyone into the race war he's been calling for for the last 30 years is less believable than...


Introducing a whole new "real Xorn" and having the old Xorn being his like powered zombie brother, hopped up on drugs pretending to be Magneto who is pretending to be Xorn?
 
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Wait....



what?


The master of magnetism using his head to infiltrate his former best friend's school, to manipulate everyone into the race war he's been calling for for the last 30 years is less believable than...


Introducing a whole new "real Xorn" and having the old Xorn being his like powered zombie brother, hopped up on drugs pretending to be Magneto who is pretending to be Xorn?

No, I didn't say it was less believable than what we ended up with, but it was unbelievable and was revealed without any possibility of anyone guessing Xorn could be Magneto, which makes it a bad reveal.

And what Morrison did to Magneto was just ridiculous and needed to go. Introducing a second Xorn was also stupid and totally unnecessary for the retcon we got, I'm not forgiving that, but it wouldn't've had to happen if the original idea wasn't so stupid to begin with.
 

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