Editor's Note: Astonishing X-Men #30 arrives in stores tomorrow, June 24.

"Ghost Box: Part Six"

This is a title that suffers from the "monthly" issue format, plain and simple. When spread out with months in between chapters, it is easy to lose track of the little things that Ellis and Bianchi have been doing with this story. Thematic elements get lost, visual motifs are forgotten, and the pacing is virtually impossible to judge.

I admit to giving in to all of the above. Although I loved the first two issues of this new creative team's take on Astonishing X-Men, I found myself losing track of the plot and which mutants were from an alternate world and which were created by Forge. While each issue was beautiful to look at, there were times when it was very difficult to understand just what was being represented, particularly during action sequences.

All of this is to say that I thought the "Ghost Box" story started strong, but faltered during the middle. For instance, the insertion of Forge into this story was awkwardly done, and I'm still not sure if all of the mutants our heroes ran into in China were Forge's agents or if some were from the Ghost Box. I would have also liked to see more of each of the exotic settings, as well.

But this month is the finale of the first storyline; a storyline that was augmented by two issues of short stories chronicling various alternate Earths that had contact with the Annexers, and I am pleased.

After reading through the issue once, I was happy with it. It does a good job of wrapping up the story and providing a definite and explosive ending, but I wasn't quite sure how it gelled with the rest of the series. As a single issue it's maybe the strongest one yet. The emotional resonance of the finale with all of the characters is strong enough to make this an above-average piece of work, and said finale is both absurdly comical and staggeringly violent at the same time.

If there are any weaknesses to really complain about it would have to be with the functionality of Bianchi's art. As I said earlier, it is beautiful, but as sequential storytelling it leaves something to be desired. Ultimately, I'm not sure if the sacrifice of clear narrative for distinctive visual stylings is an effective trade. But then again, there are moments in this book where the majesty of Bianchi's art really helps to support, and at times even elevate, the high-concept science fiction ideas that Ellis is bringing to the table.

Do me a favor. Before you read this issue, go back and re-read the series from Issue #25. Watch the story grow and develop and let the art wash over you. Notice how distinct each character's voice is. Take in the way Bianchi shapes the panels and moves the story across the page. Pay attention to the way the overall story moves from that first early morning as the team wakes up and begins their day like a family, filled with intimacy and clear affection. Enjoy the way Ellis almost casually begins laying the groundwork for the mystery of the unknown mutants and opens up the adventure, turning it into a world-spanning event. And then this month we are brought back, emotionally, to a room full of old friends, only this time something is very, very wrong.

Where we opened the story with love and comradery, we end with paranoia, feelings of inadequacy, hostility, and death. Nobody's hands are clean by the end of this story, and Ellis does a very good job of writing one of the most mature X-Men adventures in years, bringing to mind the emotional impact of the classic "God Loves, Man Kills" graphic novel by Claremont and Anderson, without sacrificing the mind-bending science fiction concepts that elevate a Warren Ellis story from the pack.

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