Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3: Torn
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artist: John Cassaday
Unbelievable character arcs for Shadowcat, Emma Frost, and Cassandra Nova in a single story...
Ranking: 5 stars
Character development and evolution is an important aspect for stories in any medium, and I've mentioned in the past that I feel comics handle it in their own unique way. Unlike novels, where a character's development is limited to a specific number of pages, it's an ongoing process in comics. The stories and characters have no ending planned for them, which allows different writers and artists to contribute something to these characters throughout the decades of their runs. However, while the lack of a planned ending increases the risk of convoluted continuity and poorly written stories, when handled by a good writer, the development comes naturally and helps to expand upon the mythos of the characters. This brings us to Joss Whedon, who as I mentioned in my review of the first ASTONISHING X-MEN volume, is a writer whose strength lies within the interactions and dialogue between characters. Not only does this writing style allow the characters to act like real people, but it also can contribute to the development of multiple characters in a single story arc, which is why the third volume of ASTONISHING X-MEN, TORN, is quite easily my favorite of Whedon's run. After the incidents with Ord and the mutant cure, as well as the Danger Room becoming a sentient being, an eerie calm has shrouded the Xavier Institute. With no significant threats having occurred recently, the X-Men have been less active, and have devoted more time to both the school and their personal lives. But a new enemy soon appears in the form of one of the team's own members, Emma Frost. Shown in the previous volumes to have been working with mysterious figures behind the scenes, her compatriots are revealed to be none other than the Hellfire Club, a elite group of evil mutants that she was once affiliated with, as well as Cassandra Nova, Xavier's twin sister who is bent on destroying everything her brother has built. With the individual members of the team immersed into their own private situations, the Hellfire Club and Cassandra are able to catch the X-Men off guard and take them down with little effort. With the X-Men defeated, the Inner Circle's plans are revealed as they soon find the containment box that the X-Men used to previously imprison Cassandra Nova's physical body in. With the rest of the team incapacitated, and only Kitty Pryde left to face the entire Inner Circle on her own, will the X-Men be able to defeat the combined threats of Frost, the Hellfire Club, and Cassandra Nova, or will the Inner Circle succeed in releasing Nova's body back into the world. Although I've enjoyed Joss Whedon's run on ASTONISHING X-MEN throughout, TORN stands as my favorite story arc for the entire series for both it's memorable character arcs, and it's suspenseful tone. As I mentioned earlier, Whedon's talent for writing believable dialogue not only gives depth and realism to the fantasy setting the X-Men live in, but it also allows for the development of multiple characters at once. Development of a single character is a difficult task on it's own, but writing a story where more than one characters evolve is a feat that takes incredible skill to accomplish. Fortunately Whedon shows no error in accomplishing this, as he is able to develop characters solely through their dialogue exchanges with other characters, and through facing struggles on both a fantastical and social level. This talent helped contribute to the success of his work on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and THE AVENGERS, and now he has done it again for the X-Men, as TORN features interesting story arcs for each of the X-Men's members. The two character arcs that stood out to me the most were the ones for Shadowcat and Emma Frost. Shadowcat, aka Kitty Pryde, has quite possibly now become one of my favorite X-Men (maybe even more than Wolverine). Having originally been the youngest and most inexperienced member of the team, Kitty has been forced to mature faster than any other X-Man. Now an adult, Kitty is no longer the shy teen unfamiliar with mutant life, but a strong, independent young woman who seeks to help other young mutants that are struggling to accept their mutant gifts. I was always drawn to Kitty's struggles as they allowed me to relate to her, as she was all adolescents are forced to mature in the face of adversity, allowing the reader to immerse themselves into her shoes. Whedon utilizes this aspect of Pryde's character by focusing on her as the main protagonist, and in TORN, allows Kitty's relationship with Colossus to blossom further than before. In the GIFTED arc, she discovered that Colossus, a member of the X-Men who was thought to have died, was in fact alive and being experimented on by Ord to develop the mutant cure. With Colossus back on the team, he and Kitty not only reconcile their old romance, but also take it to the next stage. The romance between Kitty and Colossus is quite easily one of the biggest controversies among the Marvel editorial staff. While Chris Claremont wanted to portray them as a couple, this did not suit well with the then editor-in-chief, Jim Shooter. He disapproved of their romance as Kitty was 14 years old at the time while Colossus was 19. The decision to split the two up is one that has caused me to hold contempt for Jim Shooter (despite having enjoyed his work in SPIDER-MAN: BIRTH OF VENOM). I hated this decision as I had enjoyed Kitty and Peter as a couple. I felt they had great chemistry together, and while I understood Shooter's issue with their age difference, Claremont had an underlying theme that he wanted to convey. Claremont wanted to show that love doesn't need to conform to the standards set by society, and while that would've been a great message to relay to readers, Shooter ended their romance by having Colossus fall in love with another woman (A DECISION THAT I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR!!!). But with ASTONISHING X-MEN, Joss Whedon not only brings the two back together (Kitty now being in her twenties), but has their romance burn brighter than before. Not only was it extremely satisfying to see the two finally be together after being delayed by editors for over twenty years (even Wolverine comments on this by saying " `Bout time" when he sniffs Kitty and Colossus who had consummated their romance the previous night; a fourth wall break that always makes me laugh), but it is one of the main reasons why I will always hold Joss Whedon in high regard. Emma Frost also undergoes interesting development in this volume as well. Having been the former White Queen of the Hellfire Club, Emma had joined the X-Men after losing her students in the Massacre of Genosha. Despite now being a member, Emma still behaves in sinister manners, as in Grant Morrison's NEW X-MEN, she took advantage of Cyclops' conflicted feelings over Jean Grey, beginning an affair between the two. While her selfish actions, as well as her snobbish, upper-class attitude, can make it easy for her to come across as a b**** to readers, I always felt that writers handled her character well. While does act like a b****, her snobbish attitude is foiled by her sophisticated and educated background, and she often makes sarcastic jokes that I find absolutely hilarious (and I usually hate upper-class, rich jerks). In TORN, the reader discovers that she harbors deep guilt for the deaths of her former students in Genosha. She was there when the sentinels attacked, but her inability to protect her students has caused her to develop survivor's guilt. The reader is able to feel Emma's regret as a survivor as it is linked to her affiliation with the Hellfire Club and Nova, but I won't give away any more as it involves major spoilers for the story. Another aspect about TORN that made it stand out amongst the other ASTONISHING X-MEN arcs, was it's suspenseful atmosphere and tone, which can be solely contributed to the presence of Cassandra Nova. I highly enjoyed her role as a villain in Grant Morrison's NEW X-MEN, as she was not only one of the most powerful foes faced by the X-Men (she was the one who had the sentinels annihilate Genosha, and she was able to take possession of Xavier's body), but had so much build up and mystery that payed off well. When it was revealed in TORN that she was not only still alive, but also working along-side the Hellfire Club, I was more interested than ever in what was going on in the story. When you have a threat as big and as powerful as Cassandra Nova, the reader is compelled to go further into the story as they want to see how the heroes are going to be able to overcome a threat like her. By having Cassandra Nova as a major villain in the story, Whedon was able to prevent me from putting the book down, as character development is more compelling when they are forced to face a threat of significant magnitude. TORN is easily the best that Joss Whedon's run on ASTONISHING X-MEN has to offer. The story is driven by the development of characters like Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost, who undergo their own unique story arcs, and their evolution is aided through the inclusion of an antagonist that gives the reader a feeling of fear and suspense throughout. Writing a story where characters develop and still making it compelling and believable is a difficult task to accomplish, but Whedon's extraordinary talents allow him to do so with little margin for error. Readers enjoy seeing characters that they know and love evolve as their story progresses, and Whedon understands this like it's second nature. Whether it be BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, THE AVENGERS, or ASTONISHING X-MEN, Joss Whedon's gift for character development shines throughout all mediums. "Character development is what I value most as a reader of fiction. If an author can manage to create the sort of characters who feel fully real, who I find myself worrying about while I'm walking through the grocery store aisles a week later, that to me is as close to perfection as it gets." -J. Courtney Sullivan
