While Messiah Complex blows the X-Men line wide open, it’s easy to forget Astonishing X-Men - a kind of living fossil, now in the 4th year of its 2-year storyline. Where the delays are coming from, it’s not clear. Whedon says he’s turned in all his scripts. Cassaday was recently able to take time out to draw an issue of Fallen Son. Whatever the reason, the rest of the line eventually got tired of waiting and moved on without them, and the title now stands as a reminder of a different time, awaiting the big finish in Giant Size Astonishing X-Men #1 that’ll at least help the nerdish among us slot it into continuity.

While it might seem a bit unnecessary to spend a paragraph criticising a book’s inexplicable delays, it has, at this point, reached the stage where I forget the plot between issues. That’s what’s known, in the business of comics reading as a Problem. I know that Whedon can write, and I certainly know that Cassaday can draw, so on that level it’s a good comic, but when the big twist in the issue relies on a character I don’t remember being introduced, and the X-Men’s mechanic for defeating them relies on a plot point I don’t remember being revealed, you have to wonder if something hasn’t gone a bit wrong somewhere.

Still, it’s not all doom - Whedon’s plot mechanics and dialogue are still some of the best in the business. The idea that the “missile” the X-Men were trying to stop isn’t a missile at all, but a giant, planet-destroying bulletis an idea that comes straight out of classic science-fiction, befitting the setting of this arc, and it’s an altogether unusual fake-out that had me guessing right up until the last page, like all the best revelations should. I couldn’t be more excited about the big finale coming in Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men, which promises to include all the major Marvel Universe players, as written by Whedon, so delays aside I can imagine that being fantastic. 

With one more issue to go, it sort of occurred to me that I should’ve done what I did with Ultimates and waited for the hardcover. This whole story will read many times better without massive between-issue delays, and the larger, glossier pages will do Cassaday’s art maximum justice. It’s too late for me, and I suspect that if you haven’t started reading it’s going to be pointless me giving that advice now, but perhaps we can all learn something that’ll come in useful when Ellis and Bianchi launch Astonishing X-Men: Second Stage later this year…

While it has to be said that Whedon’s first Buffy arc had its moments of greatness, the pacing did seem to struggle a little bit with the one comic, one episode format - something highlighted by Brian Vaughan’s second, superior arc.

That said, Whedon’s Issue #5 showed that he’s still the master of his own series, with it’s done-in-one story that managed to be the best thing to come out of Season 8 despite not even featuring the regular cast. Issue #10, another “breather” issue between arcs, is again penned by Whedon, and takes a similar format. The only difference is that this time, it DOES feature the regular cast. The art comes from Dark Horse Buffy Alumni, Cliff Richards, whose pencils are as good as, if not superior to Jeanty.

In traditional style, Willow and Buffy go looking for information on their latest foe, Twilight, from a demonic sage, while Xander finally gets to the bottom of Dawn’s ‘giant’ problem. It’s easily the best issue of the series so far, as well as being the sexiest. I try not to be lecherous but when the story involves Willow and Buffy trading sexual fantasies, it’s… difficult. Still, there’s much more to the plot than pseudoporn. We get a good bit of information on what Twilight is - the end of the age of magic. That’s definitely something bigger than we’ve seen before. Buffy’s fought Vampires, Demons, Gods, Men, the original Evil, and for season 8 Whedon’s come up with a fight that eclipses them all. Something that could shut down Buffy’s world forever.

In fact, one can’t help but stop and wonder if it’s even a foe at all. Willow seems to think so, given the pointed shot of her at the suggestion of the “death of magic,” but as a fan, I’m thinking back to Whedon’s Fray series and the implication that a Slayer, perhaps Buffy, finally banished all demonic activity from the planet. That certainly sounds like Twilight to me. The meeting with the demon predictably doesn’t go well, and Buffy and Willow face some uncomfortable truths about behaviour that both of them have been keeping from the other, establishing a rift that could lead them into a difficult situation.

As much as I dislike the character, it’s good to finally see Kennedy get a look in, and her absence is explained in a way that accomplishes the best of both worlds - it’s a good reason for her to have been gone, and a good reason to keep her gone as well! I know I’m happy.