Astonishing X-Men #10

A MAN CALLED X pt IV

Written by Charles Soule
Penciled by Aco
Cover by Aco
Published Apr 4, 2018

   As the blackbird zips over Scotland, the X-Men know they’re getting close to Proteus. Drawing nearer, they spot dragons and finally arrive at Fetters Hill. Proteus has remade the area with the unfiltered desires of a people with infinite wishes, setting them all up for an epic battle. 

The people of Fetters Hill are some freaks...

   Without warning, the plane is pilfered with arrows, sprayed with dragon fire and begins to lose altitude. Rogue crash lands it and thanks to Psylocke, the crew is encased in a psychic bubble. The don’t get much of a break though. An army of knights on horseback along with dinosaurs attack them and force them into a dangerous fight.

Old Man Logan has bone claws in some books, but not all.

   The disruption interferes with Proteus maintaining the wall around the city, but just as quickly as the fight began, the troops suddenly stop. The ground however begins to quake and the powerful mass swallows the X-Men up. X asks what it is he’s doing, and Proteus explains that on the Astral Plane, everything was shaped by the Shadow King. Here he’s allowed the same energy to be shaped by a village, eventually constructing a macabre garden.

What a weird garden.

   Proteus asks X if his dream is still for humans and mutants to live in peace. It is, but this isn’t what they would have chosen. Proteus disagrees and with plans of letting his garden grow, the remaining earth below him explodes... What will happen next? We’ll have to wait to find out as this issue is left to be continued.

And thus ends the 11 page comic book.

   This series intrigues me. It almost exists in a standalone universe where Charles Soule is free to pick an all star team. The problem though is that it’s far better than both X-Men Gold and X-Men Red, and at the very least on par with X-Men Blue. This is odd to me. With all due respect to Marc Guggenheim and Tom Taylor, Charles Soule writes circles around them. This series remains the bastard stepchild with no stability at artwork. It’s just too good and deserves more respect. I give this one a 10/10.

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