“All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy”
So, I had another post lined up, but I had to push it aside to let the world know about a show that they should be watching:
In case it’s not apparent, this is gonna be a “comic post”, so only about 2 of you reading are gonna understand it, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldnt try. Now, back to the show.
So, Wolverine and the X-Men. I didn’t want to believe it either. I’m going to go out on a limb, though, and say that it’s probably the best cartoon of the past 12 years (NOTE: For those keeping score at home,I’m dating back to Batman Beyond. Ben10 isn’t as consistent as it should be, while I never liked Justice League as much as people said I should have). It’s even better than the original Fox Kids X-Men. Yeah, I said it.
To fully understand why it’s so good, you have to understand the failings of past X-Men shows. The original cartoon pilot, Pryde of the X-Men, is almost perfect. It’s a snapshot of the team of the time, but it also featured the “core” team, AKA everyone who starred in that kickass arcade game. The thing even had Dazzler! The only real error of that pilot was that they made Wolverine Australian. Other than that, it holds its own against any other cartoon of the time, and seems like it would have been pretty true to the source material. It’s biggest “fail” was that the series was never produced. Oh, and they called him “Mag-NET-o” (without the long “e”).
Next, we have the Fox Kids show. Yes, everyone knows it’s awesome. Unfortunately, the same thing that was a boon for the Pryde show was a shortcoming for the FK show: the team is a snapshot of the team at the time. Most people would say that wasn’t a bad thing. After all, the show debuted in 1992, around the time of the launch of “Adjectiveless” X-Men #1, which sold 1,000,000 copies. It’s true: I have a retailer-only hologram to prove it. So, the franchise was clearly at the height of it’s popularity. Not bad for a series that spent half of the Seventies reprinting older stories just to stay afloat.
Despite the “required” members, like Wolverine, Cyclops, and Storm, you also got the fan favorites, such as Gambit, Rogue, and Jubilee. It’s funny to watch that thing now because the first question I ask myself is “Where the Hell is Jubilee these days?” Sure, I know the answer, but it just goes to show how dated that lineup is. The problem with the makeup of the team is that the show was really striving to adapt classic X-Men stories, such as the Bishop/Cable dynamic, The Dark Phoenix Saga, and even Days of Future Past, yet most of the team wasn’t even present for most of those classic events. The Dream Team of 1992 hadn’t been assembled at the time of the franchise’s most iconic storylines. So, you were left with Gambit and Beast being shoehorned into roles that didn’t fit. Or, you had Xavier and Jean around with nothing to do.
Xavier has 2 purposes in the X-Men franchise: he’s the father figure, and he has a rich history with Magneto. When that gets stale, they make him disappear (as the team works best without a father figure), and he comes back with the ability to walk. That is, until the use of his legs is taken away. It’s as cyclical as the seasons. Recently, in the comics, they’ve tried to come up with a 3rd purpose: Xavier’s secretly an asshole, and his motives weren’t purely on-the-level or altruistic back when he first created the team. It’s not that far-fetched, but it’s a bit “too little, too late”. Nothing quite like “dancing between the raindrops of continuity” when storylines get a bit weak. So, he really shouldn’t have been present for that show, as he also wasn’t present for most of those important storylines. Jean shouldn’t have been in that show either, if for no other reason than the fact that no one has known what to do with that character *since* the Dark Phoenix Saga. Whenever you have a reboot/reimagining of the X-Men, Jean is merely present as you wait for the inevitable appearance of the Phoenix. Once that’s done, her usefulness is over. The show lasted 5 seasons (the last of which featured animation so poor it looked like someone’s high school project), and is considered a classic. I’m not trying to take anything away from it, but Batman: The Animated Series is a classic. X-Men is like really good karaoke: it might be really good, but it still ain’t the real thing.
The less said about X-Men: Evolution the better. Sure, I know there are people out there who like it, but I don’t feel that it ever really grasped the notion of the X-Men. Sure, it had characters who looked like, and shared the names of, popular X-Men, but I didn’t feel it ever really “got” it. Not that it didn’t have it’s high points. After all, it introduced Wolverine’s “sister”, X-23, and it put the creative team of Kyle/Yost on the map who now not only write for the comics, but also are behind the new show, Wolverine and the X-Men. Again, the main problem with Evolution is the cast. The whole “some X-Men are gonna be students while some are gonna be adults” doesn’t work. Don’t keep some X-Men as adults, while de-aging others. If you want that concept, make it The New Mutants, and have the few adult X-Men leading some younger kids at the academy. Plus, it was always weird to me that the show aired on a network owned by the competition (The WB, aka Warner Bros, the corporate parent of DC Comics). I almost felt like the show sucked out of spite, like notes and suggestions were coming down from the network just to screw it over.
Now, we have Wolverine and the X-Men on Nicktoons. When I first heard of this show, I thought it was a terrible idea, mainly because Wolverine is more overexposed than young starlets’ panties over the past 5 years. Plus, I didn’t like the concept: Wolverine leading the X-Men. You know, I’d be all about a cartoon just featuring Wolverine, where we learn about his past and he goes on solo adventures, kinda like his comic series. But the notion that Wolverine was going to lead the team just seemed like exploitation of a brand. It was the comic/cartoon equivalent of “David Ruffin and the Temptations” – we know you’re the star, but you don’t have to be so egomanical about it. It’s clear that this was meant to position him for the theatrical release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, so I kinda gave Marvel a pass. Then, I really thought about it, and it’s not that far-fetched of an idea, especially if you’ve seen X2: X-Men United. In that movie, Wolverine proved himself an effective leader when he had to help those kids get away from Striker in the mansion. Sure, he’s a reluctant leader, but he really steps up to the challenge when forced. Fortunately, this is the Wolverine that we see here. He’s been given a mission that he doesn’t want, but he realizes someone’s gotta do it. For those who don’t know the set-up for the series, here we go. If you look closely, you’ll immediately realize why I love this concept now:
When the show begins, the team is already exhibiting classic behavior, doing their thing in the Danger Room. You’ve got your Colossus/Kitty dynamic, you’ve got the playfulness of Nightcrawler, and my personal fave, you’ve got the Scott/Jean/Logan love triangle. Plus, for an added bonus, it looks like Logan’s finally winning that battle (I always felt Cyclops was too insecure for a relationship with Jean, especially when it’s clear that she wants the bad boy. She may tell herself she needs the stable, predicatible guy, but she wants the rebel). Everything’s going fine until the mansion is attacked by unseen forces that appear to be targeting telepaths. So, in a flash,Xavier and Jean disappear to parts unknown. Cut to one year later, Wolverine is roaming the country, trying to leave his past behind, when forces from Senator Kelly and the Mutant Registration Department drag him back into the game. He feels that the war between mutants and humans is brewing but the team has disbanded over the past year, and he’s got no allies. He realizes he’s got to get the band back together. After the pilot, each episode is pretty much consumed with the idea of him finding another former member of the team and convincing them to come back. It’s odd to see him in the the recruitment role, but he handles it effectively. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that most of them don’t need much convincing : they had just figured the team was no more, so as they see signs that it’s being reformed, they’re usually more than willing to come back.
The strength of the show is the cast. If you look at the image above, the core team consists of Wolverine, Beast, Nightcrawler, Shadowcast, Storm, Cyclops, and Emma Frost. That’s the beauty of it: it’s hint of the old and a hint of the new. The Emma Frost addition to the team has been a pretty controversial aspect of the comics over the past few years, so it’s such a bold move that they’d add that dynamic to this new show. Also, the characterization of some of the team members is so spot on for what they’re trying to accomplish: it’s a cross section of all of the working concepts from the various incarnations of the team. The character design of Toad, “double agent” Rogue, Logan winning Jean, and black Nick Fury are from the Ultimate Universe, brooding, unshaven Cyclops is from X-Men: The Last Stand, Wolverine’s basic mood is from X2: X-Men United, and Xavier’s primarily out of the picture, as he was for most of the good “616” storylines. Instead of trying to retell stories that have been told, retold, and retconned in the past, the show focuses on new stories that still capture the essence of the franchise. You still have Senator Kelly, Bolivar Trask, Magneto, and Sentinels, but you’ve also got the concept of the Registration Act thrown in for good measure.
Even if your favorite member isn’t on the team, you still might see them: Gambit popped up in Episode 5 in what may have been his best onscreen characterization EVER (and a better accent than the 90s Gambit; thanks, Phil Lamarr!). Pixie and Sammy the Squidboy showed up in Episode 6, as Nightcrawler fought against Mojo’s pirates. Angel is the team’s money man, while Forge keeps the Blackbird running. We even saw Boom Boom, Dust, and Rockslide in the pilot, as Wolverine and Beast liberate the MRD cells. This show is great because it makes use of all of the toys in the frachise without being bogged down with the idea of “So, when should we bring in the Phoenix Saga?” Sure, they still have time to fall into that trap. After all, they’ve only aired 7 episodes in America, so I might be lamenting the show’s downfall 2 seasons from now. At the moment, however, the show captures the strengths of the X-Men franchise, while also showcasing Wolverine as an effective leader, which is something that many fans haven’t had the chance to fully embrace. Anyway, why are you even still reading this? Head over the Nicktoons.com, watch the episodes, and see for yourself.
