Joss Whedon

It took four years to produce 24 issues, but most fans agree that Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s run on Marvel’s flagship mutants was worth the wait.

With Astonishing X-Men #24, hitting stores Wednesday, Whedon (TV’s “Buffy”) and Cassaday (Captain America) will be putting the finishing touches on their collaboration with the end of “Unstoppable,” an arc that sees the team still stuck in the middle of a contentious Breakworld. (Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1, shipping in February, will be their last effort on the title.)

For the 411 on the big finale, we turned to X-editor Nick Lowe for a quick ’n dirty Q&A.

WIZARD: Astonishing #24 is the end of the “Unstoppable” arc. Is this the last we’ll see of Breakworld?

LOWE: It’s not over after #24! The story continues in Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1. But as for Breakworld, who knows if it’ll exist after the story?

It’s been roughly a year since the arc started. Is the finale worth the wait for fans?

Oh, yeah. No one likes that it has taken this long, but it is certainly a labor of love. Issue #24 is going to shock people, and the Giant Size is amazing.

Is anyone going to be left behind?

No one is left behind, but not all will make it home.

Will Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men be a stand-alone entry, or will #24 end on a cliffhanger?

#24 will have a cliffhanger. And [it’s] a doozy!

What do you think is the biggest surprise in the issue?

Nothing I can reveal here, [but] someone kills my favorite S.W.O.R.D. character.

What does writer Warren Ellis have planned for the beginning of his run with #25?

Crazy sh**. The first two scripts are in and they are badass.

What’s the biggest bit of unfinished business for the new creative team of Ellis and artist Simone Bianchi?

There isn’t much unfinished business. Astonishing is a really great cohesive whole. It begins, it ends. It’s awesome.

How would you sum up the Whedon/Cassaday run?

This book fights with Ultimates for the best book of the decade. It’s a bloody fight, but we all win. It is the tightest storytelling with the best combination of writing and art that I can remember.