Astonshing X-Men #23

[selenak]

And yet again makes me very happy. Firstly, a word about the new mystery set up for the finale. Hank and Brand (Hank, you do protest too much about still being paired up with her, you know you want her) find out that the Colossus relief, while made of ancient stones, was carved by modern weapons and reads like an instructions manual. A plan, not a prophecy, says Hank to Emma later, and Emma wonders who could have planted it but then is distracted by the big event of the issue. Also, at the start of said issue, you have Aghanne and Dafi (and btw, continue to be glad that Joss gives us individual sympathetic Breakworlders) talk about the Augurs. Kruun, we hear, slaughtered them back in the day before Aghanne, then not yet an outcast, pointed out the usefulness of their gift. Hmmmm. Right now, I suspect both Augurs and Brand - my favourite ruthless Agent can read and speak the language, as she demonstrates to Hank, and I wouldn't put it past her to set a complicated prophecy up in order to take out an alien race she considers a threat to Earth. But she'd need the cooperation of the Augurs, since the Colossus prophecy wasn't just produced by the stone relief but confirmed by every Augur. Why would the Augurs do that, if it's not true, since such a thing would go against their own people? Well, if their goverment used to persecute and slaughter them, you have some motivation going on.

But of course, the main event is Scott Summers going through with a plan that depends on himself a) dying, b) getting captured and resurrected, and c) getting tortured for a while. The only other character written by Joss Whedon who'd do something crazy, masochistic and yet inspired like that I can think of is Mal Reynolds. Though the telepathy mission briefing thing is actually from the s7 BTVS episode Showtime, but I'd argue it's far better set up here; a lot of us had guessed that at least Scott and Emma were in telepathic communication in the relevant scene last issue, and Emma linking all the others to Scott has been shown several times in AXM, for example at the start of the Dangerous arc. You could figure it out. But Kruun didn't. And I feel just the slightest bit smug because I had predicted since Torn that Scott would end up/be revealed to be in full control of his powers in this arc, after that trip through personal hell back in Torn. Also, you have to admire Joss & Cassady for the way they use Scott's power in AXM. They use it very sparingly, and the impressiveness rises accordingly - with the two big scenes being the one versus the Sentinel back during Dangerous, and now this one, which is just flat awesome. And makes complete storytelling and character sense, which is not always the case in X-Men comics.

Scattered observations and more questions:

- I'm starting to get worried about Kitty. There is quite the emphasis on the Breakworld substances affecting her badly, she and Peter have made up, and now she's making sympathetic overtures towards Emma - is she set up for a death?

- this being said, the Kitty/Emma scene demands a follow-up where Emma is the one trying to talk to Kitty; also, their conflict has been a subplot from Gifted onwards, so I really think there will be some kind of resolution

- I doubt they'll go through with the Breakworld-destroying instructions manual, though obviously that's what we're meant to assume; partly because I suspect Brand and the Augurs as the origin, see above, and partly because Jean Grey as Dark Phoenix aside, destroying worlds really is a no for X-Men. But between Hisako and Logan saving civilians from execution, Kruun freezing a lot of same to their death in order to capture Hank and Brand in the previous issue, and Aghanne & Dafi's talk, and now Kruun & the prison taken out by Scott, I'd say the revolution could be about to start. (The storming of the Bastille, anyone?)