Wolverine and the X-Men

It's been a few years since the last X-Men animated franchise. It's a bit hard to follow in the footsteps of the original series, and these days, Marvel has improved their quality of work (compare "Daredevil" & "Elektra" to "Ironman" and "The Incredible Hulk"). The only word to describe the series, so far is..."WOW". The animation is quite spectacular and they've integrated a lot of the original characters, people you only had a glimpse of in "X-Men: Evolution", so that the series becomes fun to the people who have been X-Men fans for most of their lives. Even to those who aren't aware of the storyline can have a lot of fun watching this series. The plot develops well, leaves you hanging onto your seat wondering, "Oh Lord, what now!". The characters are reminiscent of the original series, like the voicing and such - you can actually HEAR the difference in their accents and speech patterns. One of the best parts is that because of "X-Men: Evolution" and the live action movies, and we have forgotten that the X-Men were full, mature people, this series puts things back in perspective. They're adults, fully developed in their powers and thrust into our world. You're there, watching and anticipating the next characters to make their appearance. My advice? "You will be surprised." Take a joyride, immerse yourself all over again in the saga, keep the original storyline in the back of your head, but leave your mind open and clear. Because the way this series has started, I don't think anything is impossible....

I caught a screening of the first three episodes of "Wolverine & the X-Men" at this year's Comic Con and although my expectations for the series were quite low, I found myself pleasantly surprised. I shouldn't give away too much, but I will say that despite being aimed primarily at children, "Wolverine & the X-Men" deals with some adult issues that will make the show appeal to an older audience while still being appropriate for the little ones. The violence is kept to a minimum, though the action is still exciting. Despite the numerous action sequences, there are plenty of moments of humor so things never get too overly serious. Thankfully, the the jokes aren't corny. They are actually quite funny as opposed to a lot of the jokes in X-Men: The Last Stand. I have to admit I can't remember if anyone on the Comic Con panel mentioned if "Wolverine & the X-Men" is supposed to exist inside the continuity of any of the live-action films, though there were several references to live-action films being a bit of an influence on the show, especially in terms of how the excellent voice work is done. Like the films, the main story is relatively faithful to the comics. The characters look similar to the way the characters are drawn in the comics with some understandable changes. Those who are fans of the comics or just fans of the movies shouldn't be disappointed. Based on what I've seen...8/10. This is the best superhero cartoon in a long time.

What has happened to Marvel TV cartoons?? On the DC side, excellent reimaginings of Batman, Superman and the Justice League have been plentiful with so, so many substandard versions of Spiderman and X-Men based on Manga for Generation 'Teen'. The recent 'Next Avengers - Heroes of Tomorrow' was better but again for a younger audience in my opinion.

I don't need to see a bunch of kids reenact adult X-Men situations where there's no risk. This series bodes much better, feeding off the 80s X-Men series. Yes, there are some serious plot problems having Wolverine lead but they're addressed in the right way where many X-Men don't want to follow him.

Fantastic, and well overdue.

When I first heard about this show, I was as you can guess, very excited and it did not fail to live up to expectations. The X-Men (who consists of Wolverine (duh), Cyclops, Storm, Forge, Iceman, Kitty, Beast, Rogue, Emma Frost, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler) are handled very well in terms of characterization. Sure, some things have obviously changed but this is good change. They have taken the X-Men in a totally different direction as compared to X-Men (TAS) and X-Men Evolution. Basically, Professor X is in some kind of coma but is also in the future, which at the time, is being dominated, by Sentinels and it is up to the X-Men (in the present) to stop that future from happening. Neat, huh?

Wolverine and the X-Men, is in my opinion, a more-serious take on the X-Men. The stories are deeper and go in to explain some of the character's origins i.e. Cyclops which is always nice to see as opposed to the comics. The action sequences (if you can call them that) are good and certainly entertaining although I feel as if sometimes, they are a little repetitive if you know what I mean. I would say Magneto is the main villain throughout season one although they also have to battle the Brotherhood on more than one occasion and on those rare occasions, each other. Season two, however, will focus on Age of Apocalypse. I also hear Deadpool will be making an appearance.

Although Wolverine and the X-Men, is undoubtedly entertaining and has its fair share of funny moments, I prefer X-Men (TAS), mainly because Wolverine was not in the spot-light all the time and the chemistry between characters was fantastic! I just love them. Scott is such a boy scout. I also think the Phoenix saga was in a way, handled better seeing as it lasted for longer. Nevertheless, Wolverine and the X-Men is still thoroughly entertaining and I cannot wait for season two. Watch it. You won't regret it! 8/10.

'Wolverine and the X-Men' is a new animated X-Men series that manages to surpass its predecessors thanks to some solid writing and refreshingly unique but surprisingly accurate portrayals of all the mutants. 'Wolverine' also succeeds in telling a more mature, straight forward storyline without all the cheese and convoluted plots and sub-plots from 1992's 'X-Men: The Animated Series.' Also gone is the teenage cast from 'Evolution.' 'Wolverine' sports a mostly adult cast of characters and mutants, giving a more appropriate take on the X-Men and their universe.

'Wolverine' plays it smart by not spending so much precious time expounding and explaining away the very basic, common knowledge that most people already know when going into an X-Men series: Why it is the X-Men exist, their purpose, and the reason for this conflict that exists between regular humans and evolved humans with special powers. Instead of explaining the same axioms again for the umpteenth time, 'Wolverine' rightfully assumes you possess basic knowledge of the X-Men universe and focuses on its own story.

The plot unfolds early on as the X-Men are assaulted by an unknown force, causing the disappearance of Professor X and Jean Grey, and leaving the Xavier Institute along with remaining team members in shambles. After an ordeal Wolverine faces, he moves to reunite the X-Men to solve the mystery behind the attack. Having seen up to the tenth episode myself, there's been a healthy balance of action and plot development within each episode. The action scenes are fun and inventive, with clever and unique usage of the mutant's powers. There's also the subtle and not so subtle humor in 'Wolverine,' some of which is very well done and wouldn't be out of place in a feature length movie.

Perhaps what's most interesting about 'Wolverine and the X-Men' is the attention given to some of the more unfamiliar characters who are often overlooked, or underdeveloped in prior series. You never know who will show up in an episode of 'Wolverine,' whether that be from the X-Men universe or perhaps even another Marvel license. Also explored in greater detail is the inherent ambiguity between some of the various characters and factions. Are they friend, foe, or are they simply misunderstood? These are questions you'll find yourself asking of both the familiar and the unfamiliar in 'Wolverine and the X-Men.'

Finally, the production values are all quite good, and the voice cast deserves a mention for their work. Excellent voice work all around, with proper inflections and careful avoidance of hammy overacting. The only one area I would fault 'Wolverine' in is the animation, of which I am a huge lunatic when it comes to fluidity of motion in animation. Simply put, more fluid animation would have worked wonders for several of the action sequences. Still, I don't want to disparage it too much as it's pretty typical of what you'd expect from an animated TV series, or kid's cartoons. However, what is not so typical is the overall quality and ease of viewing of the show. It's the best animated X-Men yet and it's an absolute shame it hasn't appeared on American television yet.