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Comic Book TV

X-Men: The Animated Series Season 1 Rewatch!

February 3, 2023 by Ben Johnson Leave a Comment

October 31, 1992 was a formative day in my childhood. More than just a Saturday, more even than Halloween on a Saturday, October 31, 1992, meant the premiere of FOX Kids’ new cartoon about the X-Men. Now, I can’t say that 7-year-old me had ever actually read an X-Men comic book, but thanks to the release of the X-Men arcade game earlier that year – which I had spent many an hour playing at my local movie theater – I had at least a passing familiarity with several of the characters and their powers. So, primed to see this world I’d spent so much time side-scrolling through in animated form, I plopped myself down in front of the TV that Halloween morning and as soon as I heard the opening bars of that indelible theme song, I was hooked.

From that moment on, I was an X-Men obsessive. I bought the action figures, I played as many of the video games as I could convince my parents to buy (shout out to X-Men on Sega Game Gear!), and of course, I continued to treat X-Men: The Animated Series as appointment viewing for the rest of its 5-season run. For me, like for many other ‘90s kids, these animated versions of the X-Men – their designs, their voices, the sounds their powers made – were the definitive versions of the characters, and they remained so even as, during high school and college, the Internet and a delightful antique contraption called a “CD-ROM” allowed me to explore the uncanny mutants in the comics themselves.

And now, many (many) years later, my nostalgia and love for X-Men: The Animated Series persists. It would seem I’m not alone, either, as Marvel Studios is set to release sequel series X-Men ‘97 later this year, 31 years after that pilot episode aired. In preparation for that highly anticipated revival, I thought 2023 would be a great time for a recurring feature looking back at the original series. Given the often serialized nature of the series, rather than deep-diving into any particular episode – fellow CBH writer Austin Gorton has already done that wonderfully – I want to discuss the show on a more holistic level, exploring one season each month with a few questions in mind.

  • What is the overarching narrative of each season?
  • What are each year’s standout moments and characters (both heroes and villains, series regulars and guest stars)?
  • Where did the writers of each season look for inspiration from the comics, and how faithfully (or not) did they adapt those stories?
  • How successful were the show’s completely original choices?

So without further ado, let’s dive into the inaugural season of X-Men: The Animated Series. Cue that theme song!

[Read more…] about X-Men: The Animated Series Season 1 Rewatch!

Filed Under: Comic Book TV, Featured Tagged With: animated x-men, X-Men

X-Men: The Animated Series – The 30 Greatest Episodes For 30 Years

November 30, 2022 by Austin Gorton Leave a Comment

On Halloween in 1992, Fox Kids debuted the first episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, a cartoon adaptation of the best-selling comic book characters. The series would go on to run for five seasons and 76 episodes across six years. While never the critical darling that was the Batman animated series (which itself launched just a few weeks prior) and often plagued with animation and production issues, X-Men: The Animated Series was nevertheless beloved by a generation of fans, who appreciated its keen understanding of what makes the core cast and the concept of the X-Men so captivating and an ability to smartly adapt the often byzantine X-Men comic book stories in a way that both worked in the new medium but still stayed true to the heart of the stories.

I was eleven when the series debuted, and about six months into my burgeoning comic book/X-Men fandom. Seeing these characters I’d already grown to love depicted on my TV for the first time only further cemented my fandom. Between the comics, the trading cards, the action figures, and this series, the X-Men were deeply embedded in my life in a way that has never entirely gone away. The series is far from perfect — the animation never reaches the heights of the Caped Crusader’s contemporary show, Cyclops is entirely too square, Storm’s lengthy pronouncements every time she uses her powers gets old, fast — but there remains something charming in those rough edges, and there’s no denying the creators involved gave it their all and truly respected the source material, as well as the fans love of it.

To celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary, here is my ranking of its thirty best episodes. Note, I am ranking these based on episode, not story, so each chapter of a multi-part arc (which the series featured regularly) must be worthy of inclusion on its own to make the list! [Read more…] about X-Men: The Animated Series – The 30 Greatest Episodes For 30 Years

Filed Under: Comic Book TV, Featured

30 Years Later: The Best of Batman The Animated Series

June 24, 2022 by Amandeep Singh Virdi Leave a Comment

The perfect unit of Batman in BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

This year marked the 30th anniversary of Batman: The Animated Series. It is, undoubtedly, the best adaptation of Batman in any media outside of comics. Its influence over the legacy of Batman, and the superhero genre in general, is undeniable.

The art deco style that Gotham City is rendered in not only gives the show this pulp quality that ties it perfectly with Batman’s influences, it has become synonymous with how Batman fans perceive Gotham City. Alan Burnett, one of the producers on the show, described the show’s look as “dark deco.” Paul Dini, who not only served as the story editor on the show but also wrote some of its best episodes, described it as “what if the 1939 World’s Fair had gone on another sixty years or so” and it really does feel that way. The world of Batman: The Animated Series is a world where supercomputers and rocket cars can co-exist with black-and-white TV screens and rotary dial telephones.

[Read more…] about 30 Years Later: The Best of Batman The Animated Series

Filed Under: Comic Book TV, DC Reviews, Featured Tagged With: Batman

Peacemaker Premiere Review: A Hell Of A Debut!

January 20, 2022 by Ritesh Babu 2 Comments

https://i.imgur.com/wRQsbuI.png

Spin-offs can be a tricky business. Is it too much? Is it diluting what was in the original material? Is it lesser than said material? Was it worth it? A lot of questions immediately pop up. That’s twice as true when you’re dealing with a spin-off built around resurrecting a dead character. And very specifically, a character whose death was central and pivotal to the original material in question. So there’s a number of questions, but also, ultimately, just one:

Does it work?

I’m happy to report that, at least for my money,  Peacemaker absolutely does.

But before we dig into that, let’s consider what all brought us here a moment. [Read more…] about Peacemaker Premiere Review: A Hell Of A Debut!

Filed Under: Comic Book TV, Featured Tagged With: dc, peacemaker

Daredevil Season 3 – A Fearless Search for Purpose | Darecember #4

December 29, 2021 by Matt Draper Leave a Comment

For Matt Murdock, Daredevil is the reason he was put on this earth. A dark figure of justice that tips the scales when no one else can. But what is the meaning of that purpose when justice seems impossible to find?

After 2 seasons and a crossover miniseries, the third season of Netflix’s Daredevil is a collision course between the crushed, often overwhelmed forces of good and the growing forces of evil, embodied in a climactic clash between Daredevil and the returning Kingpin. This is the battle between corruption and justice, mercy and condemnation. But these battles draw us to a central question – why are we here on earth and what is the purpose of our lives? [Read more…] about Daredevil Season 3 – A Fearless Search for Purpose | Darecember #4

Filed Under: Comic Book TV, Featured Tagged With: Daredevil

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