Sunday, August 2, 2009

Astonishing X-Men #30

This is the final issue of "Ghost Box". All I can say to that is THANK GOD!!! This was easily one of the worst X-stories I've ever read. The writer for this travesty is Warren Ellis. Jeez, I don't know what Warren was thinking here. I know he's a good writer, but he just totally missed the mark with this storyline. For me anyway. Maybe I'm crazy and this was actually a great storyline... Nah!

-The X-Men meet with Forge and discover that yes, he has indeed gone insane(like I have after having read this storyline!). Forge explains that he created new mutants to replace the ones who were lost during M-Day. Beast counters that all Forge has created were monsters, which prompts Forge to rant and rave for a few panels about how he had to create new mutants to defend this dimension from the mutants who were arriving from an alternate dimension.

-Forge brings in some of his monstrosities and the X-Men slowly begin to realize that Forge has a mutant power inhibitor hidden somewhere around them. Forge tells the X-Men to follow him and when they do they realize that Forge has managed to create a Ghost Box of his own. Forge explains that instead of allowing the alternate dimension mutants to attack, he is going to send his pseudo-mutants into their dimension in a preemptive strike. Forge decides that he'll send the X-Men away as well.

-While Forge is having his big, dramatic evil moment, Armor's phone rings, and she tells Forge the call was for him. Forge takes the call and on the other end is Agent Brand, who tells Forge if he doesn't cease and desist, she'll destroy the entire mountain with a laser beam from her satellite.

-Forge(being crazy)refuses to listen to reason, and instead CONTINUES his evil speech. By now Wolverine has deducted that Forge hid the mutant power inhibitor in his prosthetic leg and Wolvie lops Forge's fake leg off. In return, Forge opens the Ghost Box and orders his phony mutants to throw the X-Men in. Beast takes Armor's phone and places it on top of the active Ghost Box and tells Cyclops that they should leave immediately. The team begins to retreat and Forge reveals that it was Storm's marriage to the Black Panther that drove him insane.

-By this point a huge metal hand begins to emerge from the Ghost Box and the X-Men rush back into their plane and get in the air just as Brand fires her laser into the mountain headquarters of Forge, obliterating the entire base.

-This issue ends with Beast explaining that the laser not only destroyed Forge's base, but that it also entered the Ghost Box, destroying the invading mutants entire world. And on that happy note this storyline mercifully ends.

Wow... What more can I even say here. This story was just terrible. I'd love to hear from somebody who actually enjoyed this storyline so they can point out something positive, because I can't find anything positive at all. I'd easily call rate this among the ten worst comic book stories I have EVER had the misfortune of reading. I just can't find a single good thing to say about this storyline. Well, that's not totally true I guess. Although the story was painfully bad, Simone Bianchi's artwork was top notch. For a score I'll give this issue a 2 out of 10. I almost can't believe a writer of Warren's caliber was behind such rubbish. Yuck!

4 comments:

  1. What was so bad? If you don't point out actual flaws, and instead keep finding ways to say, "This comic was bad," it's not much of a review.

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  2. OK. The bottom line is, in MY opinion, this comic was bad! I didn't like this entire storyarc. The story just never grabbed me. It was slow and plodding, and making Forge into the villain seemed forced. To me! Maybe you liked it, and if you did I wish you'd point out what you liked, that way when I reread this storyline I may have a better appreciation for it. The dialogue was bad(was it necessary for Armor to constantly repeat every joke?)and the characterizations of the characters were off(since when does Cyclops say "F***ing"?). I didn't enjoy THIS particular storyline. Most of the time I enjoy Warren's work(Nextwave for example). This time I didn't. But like I said, that's just my opinion, like it or not.

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  3. No worries. I just wanted more clarification. I, as well, didn't like the arc. It seemed like he changed his mind halfway through. And poor Forge got the same treatment as Bishop: easy, crazy villain ruining a hero's history.

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  4. Weird, from your initial comment I thought for sure you liked this arc! Yeah, I was really disappointed with the treatment Forge was given in this storyline as well... He deserved better than the "spurned lover goes crazy" treatment, especially since he's been broken up with Ororo for so long. I wonder who's the next X-Man we'll see inexplicably turning evil!

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