Astonishing X-Men #25-30 and Ghost Boxes #1-2 (2008-2009)

How do you follow up what might be the most brilliant run of X-Men ever? Not like this.

On paper, having a sci-fi genius like Warren Ellis script a story with Simone Bianchi on art sounds exactly right. Sadly, the execution was only “Ellis mediocre,” by which I mean it was better than what most could do but not close to being Ellis’ best work.

The team discovers a different kind of mutant, one built in a Chinese lab using genetic material from an alternate reality that can be accessed via a “ghost box.”

They have to get help from SWORD to track down the lab.

The punch line is that Forge was behind the manufactured mutants, and he did it because he didn’t feel appreciated. Seriously. That’s essentially his motive.

Forge and his “new mutants” all die in the end. Only Forge will return, so he’s not dead. But I think Ellis intended him to be dead.

The main story arc had a several-month long hiatus, during which time a two-issue series came out. The issues had short stories about alternate realities spinning from the main story. There was some nice Alan Davis art there.