I love 90's superhero comics. I love the classic animated series featuring Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman. But I've never seen “X-Men: The Animated Series,” and with the popular show just making a comeback on Disney+ this week in the form of “X-Men '97,” my oversight is clear. It became clear.
I've heard so many great things about my favorite 90's cartoon, X-Men, but I've never made the time to watch it myself (but it was on my list, I swear) ). Step by step, “X-Men '97” hit Disney's streaming service this week to rave reviews, and a strong recommendation from a colleague threw me into the mix.
Part of me felt that it would be foolish to watch what is being proposed as a continuation of the 90's series without having watched the original series first, but another part of me felt that I simply wanted to consume the shiny new show so I could participate in fostering online conversations — yes, my lizard brain is easily manipulated.
In the end, the first episode of X-Men '97, because by the time you've read all 76 episodes of the original show, you've probably seen spoilers for the revival on social media. I decided to give it a chance. .
It may not come as a shock if this turns out to be a pretty unwise move, but to X-Men '97's credit, the show is designed to be easy to understand even for newcomers. uses smart storytelling devices.and could still follow largely of the first episode.
Meeting the X-Men
Watching the first episode of X-Men '97, “To Me, My It was about understanding the relationships between a cast of powered mutants.
It's not that I don't know anything about “X-MEN.” I've seen all the X-Men movies, so I know all the big actors. Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm are all familiar, and although I had never encountered a shift-forming morph before, the show quickly showcased their powers.
The problem is that in X-Men '97, it's clear from the start that these characters have a long history with each other. Jean's concerns about raising a baby in the X-Mansion and Scott's struggle to deal with the burden of leadership in Charles It would have meant more to me if I had. The couple — we hear their wedding will be seen on the original show — over 70 episodes of television.
The sarcastic interactions with Gambit, the relationship between Wolverine and Jean/Scott (the trio is depicted in a love triangle in the movie, but I didn't get that vibe here), and Beast's position on the team are all great. That was the element that wasn't. I also have trouble landing.
Even if you watch X-Men '97 completely cold, you'll still feel at least a little of that fact. And I must stress that it is not a failure of the show. This is a revival of a fan-favorite comic, and it's completely unreasonable to expect a project like this to completely abandon its roots. But newcomers will understand, but not fully understand, the history shared by this crew of superhumans.
Sunspots save the day
“X-MEN '97” recognizes the stories that came before it, while still trying to be accessible to newcomers. This is done, at least in the first episode, by the introduction of a new character, Roberto da Costa, aka Sunspot.
The episode begins with Roberto being captured by an anti-mutant organization known as the Friends of Humanity. Cyclops, Storm, and the X-Men rescue him in stages and bring him back to the X-Mansion to find out what he knows about the Sentinel technology the thugs were using.
In Roberto's case, X-Men '97 has the perfect audience surrogate. Instead of previously established characters spouting contrived exposition-filled dialogue to each other, all the setup new viewers need can be focused through Roberto. This is a clever, if not entirely original, solution to the onboarding problem.
Of course, Roberto doesn't get much of a chance to develop his own character since he spends most of the first episode getting people talking, but I wonder if that will happen throughout the first season of the show. .
go back to the past
I enjoyed the first episode of “X-Men '97,” but the cliffhanger ending had me itching to hit the “play next episode” button. Plus, I've heard even better things about episode 2, so I feel a strong urge to continue the series. But in return, I'm going to show some self-control.
I'm grateful to the showrunners for working so hard to make X-Men '97 understandable and enjoyable for those watching it for the first time, but the inclusion of Sunspot was a big part of my experience. I feel that the viewing experience will be much richer. We were given a deeper understanding of the dynamics between the core cast of the upcoming show.
Looks like we have some homework to embark on for 76 episodes. Perhaps if I can clear my schedule for a few intensive viewing sessions over the next two weeks, I can catch it all up before “X-“. Men '97' season 1 finale will be released in May.