• Astonishing X-Men #54 Preview

    Marvel have released a 5 page preview of next week's Astonishing X-Men, starring Northstar.

    ASTONISHING X-MEN #54
    Marjorie Liu (W) • Mike Perkins (A)
    Cover by PHIL NOTO
    • Susan Hatchi reveals her connection to the X-Men, and why she’s so intent on their destruction.
    • How long can the X-Men survive in her prison, even without the nanobombs circulating through their bloodstream?
    32 PGS./Rated T+ ...$3.99




    Comments 19 Comments
    1. rplass's Avatar
      rplass -
      What's with that all black page? For $3.99 it would be nice to have, oh, I don't know, PICTURES AND WORDS. Dear comics: Readers want pictures and words. Thanks. Love, your dwindling fanbase.

      And didn't we do this before?



      And that black border around the other three pages is insane. It looks like back when I was in school and needed to cheat by making a 3 page paper into a 5 page paper by adding in huge margins all around. 40% of those pages are completely black (yes I measured it).

      Oh, well, at least Northstar is in it! Yay!
    1. Le Messor's Avatar
      Le Messor -
      rplass... I don't want to see that kind of complaint unless it comes from me!

      s'rosly, I look at that; two colours, most of them black, and remember why I'm constantly whingeing about comics' colouring (and movies').
    1. Flightpath07's Avatar
      Flightpath07 -
      This positivity is positively making me feel giddy!

      btw, in agreeance.
    1. Alphan East's Avatar
      Alphan East -
      Quote Originally Posted by rplass View Post
      What's with that all black page? For $3.99 it would be nice to have, oh, I don't know, PICTURES AND WORDS.
      I agree. However, remember when we all paid money for this... and loved it !!!

    1. Flightpath07's Avatar
      Flightpath07 -
      Actually, there were LOTS of pictures in John Byrne's AF # 6. Great ones, too. It was the colorist who messed it all up by going monochrome.
    1. DIGGER's Avatar
      DIGGER -
      I think Snowbird was in the middle of a contract negotiation and was demanding a pay per panel raise. Due to the belt tightening at the time, that just wasn't possible.

      DIGGER
    1. Le Messor's Avatar
      Le Messor -
      Is it just those preview pages that're so black, or the whole book?

      ~ Le Messor
      "Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with."
    1. Phil's Avatar
      Phil -
      I'd imagine it's just the opening pages, used to give an artistic sense of the tight, claustrophobic conditions.
      It works for me, I like it.
    1. Flightpath07's Avatar
      Flightpath07 -
      Quote Originally Posted by Phil View Post
      I'd imagine it's just the opening pages, used to give an artistic sense of the tight, claustrophobic conditions.
      Perhaps the artist should request a bigger cubicle?
    1. rplass's Avatar
      rplass -
      Alpha Flight #6 had a cover price of $0.60, not $3.99. And those white-out pages told a story, one that you could follow, and had captions, thought bubbles, lots of words and panel arrangements; etc - it was more than just a blank page with a tiny speech bubble in the middle. Totally different. We look back now on those few pages as a bold experiment in sequential art, and the famous "all-white" issue (in reality it was just 5-6pg of white panels) has a special place in Alpha Flight history and comic book legend. I doubt in 26 years any fans will be looking back at that black page from Astonishing X-Men #54 with awe and wonder. It's just a waste. I'm always going to see it as "this is what's wrong with comics" instead of a clever use of negative space.
    1. Le Messor's Avatar
      Le Messor -
      Quote Originally Posted by Phil View Post
      I'd imagine it's just the opening pages, used to give an artistic sense of the tight, claustrophobic conditions.
      It works for me, I like it.
      That's cool. I'm somewhere in between; don't hate it, could be sold if I ever read the issue, but not loving it either.

      I also feel like it would work better, though, if all comics these days didn't feel cramped and claustrophobic to me.
      That's one of the problems; things that could work in one case being used in every case; so when you see the part where they should work, they just look unoriginal now.

      ~ Le Messor
      "Irregardless of that, my skepticism runneth over."
      ~ George Grayson
    1. Phil's Avatar
      Phil -
      There's an exclusive look at #55 over at Newsarama: http://www.newsarama.com/php/multime....php?aid=47576
      No J-P in the panels so I didn't think it was worth an article of it's own.
    1. rplass's Avatar
      rplass -
      I agree. Any web page without Northstar in it or related to Alpha Flight in some way is a huge waste. The entire Internet should be about Alpha Flight.
    1. Flightpath07's Avatar
      Flightpath07 -
      Quote Originally Posted by rplass View Post
      I agree. Any web page without Northstar in it or related to Alpha Flight in some way is a huge waste. The entire Internet should be about Alpha Flight.
      Wait...you mean there is MORE to the internet than this site?!!
    1. Le Messor's Avatar
      Le Messor -
      There are stories of such things, but I don't believe a word of it.
    1. Alphan East's Avatar
      Alphan East -
      Quote Originally Posted by Flightpath07 View Post
      Wait...you mean there is MORE to the internet than this site?!!
      My kids think I'm weird because I actually check this site more than my Facebook page.
      I know... they should think I'm weird for more reasons than that.
    1. Le Messor's Avatar
      Le Messor -
      My kids think I'm weird because I keep talking about them behind their backs and posting about them online...
      It'd be less weird if I actually had kids.
    1. Phil's Avatar
      Phil -
      Lettered preview of #55 at http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...eview&id=13960

      Again, no Northstar apart from the cover so I haven't Article-ized it.
    1. rplass's Avatar
      rplass -
      Northstar's in #56 as well and I'm VERY happy with the appearance. Finally, someone knows how to utilize super-speed.