The hiring of Joss Whedon to launch of Astonishing X-Men in 2004 was an interesting move by Marvel for a lot of reasons. This was Marvel’s 2ND attempt to reinvigorate the X-Men, after Grant Morrison, who we just spent some time talking about. The run almost feels like a counter-argument to much of what Morrison set up - and Marvel wanted to disavvow. This was not the first time a TV/film writer had penned a popular comic - Joss Whedon (pre MCU/Avengers) had a really loyal following from his runs on much loved shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the critically acclaimed, but quickly cancelled Firefly. And while Whedon picks up on many of the threads Grant Morrison established, he UNDOES more than a few of them as well, and adds his own trademarked quippy take on superheroes, young female leads, drama, and dysfunction. Throw in one of the most disappointing alien species, and you’ve got a semi-fresh, mostly fun, often familiar take on the X-Men. But hey, it's got Kitty Pryde!