Joss Whedon, the creator of the television series BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and ANGEL, lends his writing talent to a reinvention of the ever-popular mutant superhero team, the X-Men. This full-color graphic novel comprises the first story arc of a new comic-book series, issues #1 through #6 of ASTONISHING X-MEN. Under the joint leadership of lovers Emma Frost and Cyclops (Scott Summers), the X-Men and teaching staff of Professor Xavier's school for mutants now consists of Wolverine (Logan), Beast (Hank McCoy), and Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde).

A number of unresolved issues (including the death of Scott's wife Jean Grey and Emma Frost's previous career as a notorious supervillain) have caused tensions among the team to run fairly high. And that's before a mysterious alien named Ord begins attacking them, and a geneticist announces she's developed a "cure" for mutants, an option that seems attractive to at least one of the X-Men. Artist John Cassaday maintains a careful balance between photo-realism and heroic ideal in his depiction of the characters, and a skillful use of tone and color indicates the prevailing mood of each scene.