At least it was free
Picked this collection up in hardcover form when my shop was having a buy two get one free sale on hardcovers. I wanted to get caught up to where I started reading Astonishing in monthly form - Monstrous/Meanwhile. In a way, the constant delays that plagued Astonishing X-Men have been a mixed blessing. While the book had to cede the flagship title spot back to Uncanny X-Men, it had the luxury to develop stories that fit in the cracks of the other books. So this story, it appears, occurs before the events that drive Beast away from the X-Men again. (I'm still catching up in the trades, but I think it was the re-founding of X-Force) So most of the book focuses on the very tense relationship between Beast and Cyclops. The plot was OK: someone is using Hank's M-Day research to bring back dead Mutants. They're kinda zombies, but not in the classic sense. Anyway, it's mostly forgettable. The whole point of this story arc is Cyclops vs Beast. Even the usual witty Abigail Brand banter is muted. What salvages this book for me is the villain. While he can come across as a bit whiny, I think he makes an excellent point that both puts the mutant situation in the Marvel U in perspective and is also a little fourth-wall meta. It also works well in the pre-Schism X-Men where, yeah there are only 198 mutants left (give or take), but they aren't being actively hunted like they were in the early days or now post Schism.
Is the ending enough to justify the price? Frankly, I'd say you're best off buying it used or heavily discounted as it doesn't really add much to the X-Men mythos.
