Astonishing X-Men 22 NM Joss Whedon John Cassaday 1st print Breakworld Wolverine

Description

Astonishing X-Men (2004 3rd Series) #22B

Published Oct 2007 by Marvel.

Variant Cover. Written by JOSS WHEDON Pencils and 50/50 Covers by JOHN CASSADAY ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ The X-Men are on the run on Breakworld. Can they keep the warlords of Breakworld from killing Colossus? If his life means the destruction of an entire planet, SHOULD they save him? Part 4 (of 6) 32 PGS.

Emma Frost puts herself at the mercy of Danger, who finds that her programming allows her to jeopardize the X-Men but not deliberately kill them. Danger was previously able to goad Wing into killing himself, but none of our heroes here are similarly inclined. Emma makes Danger a mysterious offer that we don’t get to hear, and Danger changes teams, taking Scott Summers and Emma to reunite with the stranded S.W.O.R.D. squad.

In Aghanne’s secret hospital, Kitty Pryde and Peter Rasputin engage in some pillow talk about the transience of happiness. Then they leave and find Scott and the others.

Beast and Brand give up on their mission to find the planetary base below the orbital weapons platform; they return to the team as well. Brand reveals a big retcon about Lockheed the dragon.

The reunited X-Men steal a transport ship and fly into orbit to check out the moon containing the giant missile aimed at Earth.

Scott distracts an approaching squad of enemy Starfighters by hopping in a smaller vessel which comes under fire, leaving him to die in the vacuum of space.

Beast and Brand’s failed mission was basically just filler to give them some alone time and a chance to spin their wheels while the other characters did things which contributed to the mission. At least the two of them get some fun dialogue along the way.

Before Scott leaves for his suicide mission, there’s a very strange page with some non-sequitur dialogue about “Leviathan,” a term we’ve not heard at all in this series so far. What can it mean…

It’s a nice touch that Scott’s dying thoughts are not of his current squeeze Emma, but of his lifelong love Jean, and his longtime mentor Xavier, with whom he is currently estranged. Emma is right; we really don’t ever escape our “parent programming”.

Near mint, 1st printing. Check description for more pictures.