Although I was a huge fan of Whedon & Cassiday’s run on Astonishing X-Men, the current run in my opinion has just been borderline ‘meh’.  I’m a big follower of Warren Ellis, so when it was announced he would be taking the reigns of this title with the uber-talented Simone Bianchi, I had nothing but high hopes that they would continue to make this book one of (if not the best) X-Men title at Marvel.

Turns out, I’m now only picking this book up for the art.  While the story for the past two issues has been so-so, there have been quips of dialogue between Armor (my new favorite) and Wolverine that have made me laugh out loud.  The dialogue can only keep my frustration at bay for so long, before I eventually come to expect a better story from Ellis that what he’s dishing-out right now.

Simone Bianchi’s art on the other hand, is nothing short of spectacular.  When he was doing the Wolverine vs Sabertooth run with Loeb (see Wolverine #50-55), I certainly wasn’t picking up the book for the story.  Not by a long shot.  His art is so detailed, yet so smooth that it’s the perfect dose of eye-candy for a comic with a large cast such as X-Men.  I feel that his work is so unappreciated, that he should be getting more work than just covers.  He’s a Marvel Exclusive, for crying out loud!  Don’t let his talent go to waste!