I tried to go into Ghost Box with low expectations. I knew that it just couldn't live up to Joss Whedon's consistently entertaining run, and the artwork wasn't going to be like John Cassaday's. Still, Ghost Box left me feeling disappointed, not just because it's not as good as the first four volumes in the series, but because there are some moments that really show potential. It just never really lives up to that potential. Simone Bianchi's highly detailed art style seems to have left readers divided, and I'm no exception. There are moments when it's really beautiful, especially on some of the double page spreads. At the same time, it doesn't always work. Some of the outfits and hairstyles adorned by the X-men look ridiculously dated. This is especially true when the characters are dressed in civilian clothes. I was also not a fan of Storm's battle lingerie outfit (which, you can tell from the character designs in the back, comes complete with a thong!). On a less superficial level, Bianchi's artwork doesn't seem suited to fight scenes at all. The angles he chooses can often be hard to follow.Warren Ellis's writing is also pretty uneven. There are some fascinating moments, like when Cyclopes and Storm lament over how complicated things have become since the early days. At the two issues which explore parallel universes are pretty cool. Unfortunately, the main storyline fluctuates between confusing and just plain dull. Also, there are some moments with the dialogue is just plain weird, such as the several panels when the X-men discuss the fact that Cyclops is okay with swearing now.Astonishing X-men: Ghost Box may have it's moments, but the uneven story, dialogue, and artwork ultimately misses the mark. I'll probably grab the next collection or two from my library, but if it doesn't shape up, I'll be moving on to better things. Set after the events of “House of M” where all but a couple hundred mutants were wiped out by Scarlet Witch’s curse “No More Mutants”, and after the events of “Second Coming” when the first mutant, Hope, was born after the curse, “Ghost Box” is about parallel worlds affected by Scarlet Witch and their desperate attempt to enter our world to survive. Ghost boxes are gateways to other universes and the X-Men set out to find, and destroy, the few remaining ones before the deranged rebel mutant Forge can set in motion plans for a secret war and an apocalyptic solution. You won’t find a bigger Warren Ellis fan than me but this book sucked. The story is so slow, boring and confusing. The X-Men talk about parallel universes (always a headache inducer) then talk pseudo-tech stuff (always forgettable and meaningless) then talk mutant genetics (zzzzzzz) before fighting some villain you’ve never seen before, defeating him, and then going back to talking about those three same subjects. Again and again and again. Before they encounter Forge and then more talk about parallel universes... you get the idea. Despite a full 8 issue book, I’m still not 100% what ghost boxes are but I do know that I don’t care about them and never want to read about them ever again. I will say this about Ellis, he does what Bendis, Aaron, Hickman and Fraction collectively failed to do in the last Marvel Event, “AVX” - he gives Cyclops a personality. Cyclops in this book not only talks like a real person with actual characteristics but also seems relatable and - god almighty! - likable. Maybe that’s why this is called “Astonishing” X-Men - that’s a hell of an accomplishment right there. I really didn’t like Simone Bianchi’s art. It’s muddy, dark, and hard to look at. All of the pages have this washed out quality to it, everything kind of bleeds together on the page, one dark tone into another, so it’s hard to make out what’s going on in certain scenes. It might’ve helped if the colours were turned up a bit but I still thought Bianchi’s pencils were too thick for this to be effective. While Ellis has written these similar kinds of stories in his “Planetary” series, it just didn’t work in the X-Men universe. Bad art, even worse story, but with some interesting characterisation and sparkling moments of dialogue from Ellis, overall “Ghost Box” is a poor follow-up to Whedon/Cassady’s masterful run on this series and is definitely one of Ellis’ lesser efforts.
What do You think about Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 5: Ghost Box (2008)?
If you read this book, I recommend skipping the short comics at the end.
—Jamiemgeraghty
an awesome little scifi tale.. love where Ellis takes these characters.
—pixie_loves_you
The end of this volume completely traumatized me.
—maria
