X-Men comic features 'Astonishing' artist

Comics are expensive. The average price for a single 22-page issue can run you anywhere from $2.99 to $3.99. That makes those comics seem awfully thin for the green you're shelling out.

Now, what if that $2.99 book not only contained an engrossing story but had some of the most impressive artwork you could find in any comic being published today? Maybe that price wouldn't be so bad since you're collecting something that is a pleasure to look at.

Marvel's "Astonishing X-Men" teams one of the busiest writers in the game -- Warren Ellis -- with the Italian art sensation Simone Bianchi. The squad over at Comic Book Resources have an interview with the artist and more samples than I can show you here at Modern.

I caught Bianchi's work over on the ongoing "Wolverine" series. It was violent, vivid and not so realistic that I disconnected. That's the knock some fans, myself included, sometimes hang on the brilliant Alex Ross whose work is so real it can cause a subliminal cancellation of the comic storytelling experience.

I am an X-Men fan from the earliest days of my life and there are so many key moments in the series' history that I define by not only the storyline of the time but also the visuals on every page every issue.

I remember artists Dave Cockrum, John Byrne, Paul Smith and Jim Lee. When this run on 'Astonishing' is done, I may love or hate the story but I can say I will definitely recall Simone Bianchi's artwork.

Check out the interview here and if you can't afford those individual issues of "Astonishing X-Men" stay on the lookout for the inevitable collected paperback sometime next year.


Images courtesy Marvel Comics