{"id":9440,"date":"2024-04-08T09:29:27","date_gmt":"2024-04-08T13:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/superherospeak.com\/wp\/?p=9440"},"modified":"2024-04-08T09:29:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T13:29:27","slug":"review-x-men-97-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/superherospeak.com\/wp\/review-x-men-97-1\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: X-MEN ’97 #1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>X-MEN \u201997 #1<\/strong>
\nStory: Steve Foxe<\/strong>
\nArt: Salva Esp\u00edn<\/strong>
\n36 pages, $4.99<\/strong>
\nMarvel Comics<\/strong><\/p>\n

What It Is: The \u201cOfficial Prelude\u201d to the Disney+ revival of the \u201990s show that got a whole generation of kids into comics. Sure, X-Men #1 (1991) sold eight million copies prior, but that was the pinnacle of the speculator bubble\u2014multiple covers, newsstand distribution, and collectors buying stacks of issues as investments. But even that unfathomable and inflated number (I still trip over copies when back issue diving), is nothing compared to how many kids came to the property via weekday afternoon cartoons. Also? That comic sucks. And the show was lots of fun.<\/p>\n

The Good: The characters sound like themselves\u2014Beast\u2019s pontificating, Gambit\u2019s \u201cdis\u201d and \u201cdat,\u201d etc., etc. We hit all those familiar beats\u2014a danger room scene, Logan and Cyclops at each other, Jubilee wanting to be treated like a full member of the team. The melodrama.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s gorgeous, too. The proportions and weight of the characters all feel right, and the clean, open-line style is reminiscent of the cartoon without being entirely slavish to it. The Matt Milla colors especially pop, in a cell-shaded, faux-animated sort of way, with good depth in the panels. It\u2019s a bright, vibrant funny book.<\/p>\n

Structurally, it jibes with an episode of the show. The main action gets wrapped up and the next, larger threat is teased.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s good synergy to have this out (nearly) at the start of the new season of the show, however one of the benefits of the original cartoon was that it was like a second draft for the overly convoluted (ahem, Claremont) comics of the time, tweaked and streamlined for kids, and also for anyone ignorant of comic book continuity. Not good or bad here in this book, merely an observation.<\/p>\n

The Bad: A lot of talking. Too much talking. Ten extra pages of story and it\u2019s mostly wasted on dudes standing around gabbing, Let\u2019s throw some more punches. It\u2019s comics\u2014there\u2019s no budget. Show off them powers.<\/p>\n

Some of the action reads static on the page\u2014now would be the place for some light special effects or blurs. The cartoon, as poor as the animation could be, at least in those early seasons, really moved and captured the bombast of then current comics, in a simplified style.<\/p>\n

On the credit\u2019s page there\u2019s the perfunctory, \u2018Created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby,\u201d which we all know to be true and appreciate, of course. But this version of the team\/book? We\u2019re missing a few key names here. Len Wien. Chris Claremont. Dave Cockrum. John Byrne. Jim Lee. A little thank you would be nice.<\/p>\n

The Score: 7 out of 10 capes<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Further Reading: A year ago Marvel released X-MEN ANIMATED ADAPTATIONS OMNIBUS which has forty issues from the mid- to late \u201990s. Nostalgic for other \u201990s animated stuff? DC recently released a BATMAN ADVENTURES OMNIBUS. They were the best monthly Batman comics thirty years ago, and they\u2019re still a blast. Cheaper trade paperback versions are still in print as well.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

X-MEN \u201997 #1 Story: Steve Foxe Art: Salva Esp\u00edn 36 pages, $4.99
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