I was a huge fan of the X-Men during the 80's - Chris Claremont really knew how to weave a superhero soap opera and the art by Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, Paul Smith and others was always a treat. I do feel that the X-Men became a victim of their own popularity though, as more and more spinoff titles were added. Eventually, there were so many characters, crossovers and and plot lines to keep track of that I finally gave up on following them altogether. Every once in a while a new creative team I liked would come on board and I would check out one of the flagship titles again - but they were never able to capture the same magic. That changed when Joss Whedon and John Cassiday gave us Astonishing X-Men. With a streamlined cast and firm grip on the characters, it was the best X-Men title I had read in years. I only wish they had stayed on the series longer. Whedon's comic work here gives me confidence in the upcoming Avengers movie which he wrote and is directing. The trailer released this week definitely has some Whedon-esque lines!
