Astonishing X-Men #3

History

The series launched under Marvel's 'X-Men Reloaded' publishing initiative, which was designed to revitalize the franchise in the wake of Grant Morrison's experimental New X-Men run. Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada recruited Whedon — then best known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer — at a Comic Con, pairing him with artist John Cassaday, who had just wrapped an acclaimed run on Captain America. Whedon was granted significant creative freedom and deliberately kept the book isolated from large Marvel crossover events, a philosophy that gave the 'Gifted' arc and issue #3 in particular a self-contained, accessible quality. Colorist Laura Martin completed the core creative trio whose collaboration earned Cassaday Eisner Awards for Best Artist in both 2005 and 2006.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance (cameo) of Abigail Brand, the half-human, half-alien commander of S.W.O.R.D., created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday; she is unnamed in this issue and receives her full introduction in #6.
• First appearance of S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department), the extraterrestrial-threats division of S.H.I.E.L.D., as an organization — also unnamed in this issue.
• First appearance of Wing, an Xavier Institute student whose arc becomes pivotal when the Danger Room's nascent sentience later manipulates him into self-harm in the 'Dangerous' storyline.
• Issue is 'Gifted, Part Three' — the third chapter of the six-issue opening arc written by Joss Whedon with art by John Cassaday, colors by Laura Martin, letters by Chris Eliopoulos, and edited by Mike Marts.
• The issue stages the first Beast vs. Wolverine fight of the Whedon run, triggered when Wolverine wrongly suspects Beast of taking the mutant cure for personal use.
• Beast's analysis of the cure's serum in this issue foreshadows the arc's major revelation: the DNA used in Benetech's cure originated from Colossus, then believed dead since Uncanny X-Men #390.
• The entire 'Gifted' arc, including this issue, was adapted as a Marvel Knights Animation motion comic, released on iTunes in October 2009 and on DVD by Shout! Factory in September 2010; a prose novelization by Peter David followed in September 2012.
• The 'Gifted' arc's mutant-cure plot directly informed the storyline of the 2006 theatrical film X-Men: The Last Stand, and Whedon later stated he was unaware of prior 'cure' storylines in X-Men comics when he conceived it.

Full credits

Key issues in Astonishing X-Men

#1★

#1 Key event — Scott Summers

★

#4 1st appearance — Armor

Variants (1)