X-Men

I was in my early teens when I first saw this cartoon version of 'X-Men' on television and it was what ignited my long-standing interest in the Marvel universe. If there was ever a lesson to be learnt about what it is to produce a faithful, involving adaptation (be it from a comic or a book) this show was the perfect example as it managed to successfully transfer the characters and plots from page to screen without dumbing down or altering things for the sake of making them 'cooler'.

The cartoon focused mainly on 'X-Men' favourites including Cyclops, Jean, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Jubilee and, of course, Xavier. But there were also episodes involving characters in supporting roles such as Archangel, Bishop, Nightcrawler and Cable. In terms of villains, all the usual suspects of like Magneto, Sinister, Mystique and Apocalypse turn up at some point. Unlike the recent films, aimed at pleasing teenagers and casual cinema-goers, this series was more intent on depicting the characters properly so there is the same interactions as seen in the comics including the Scott/Jean/Wolverine triangle, the love/hate relationship between Gambit and Rogue and the sibling bond that Storm and Gambit share. It also wonderfully portrays Wolverine's darkly sarcastic side, which brings humour to the show.

While the films (and the childish 'X-Men: Evolutions') show the X-Men having rather calm, settled lives on the whole, this series gave a darker view of the universe, showing the team striving to do good in a world where much of humanity loathed mutants and saw them as the threat. It also tackled story arcs, like Onslaught, Dark Phoenix, Days of Future's End and Angel's transformation into Archangel, that appeared in the comic-verse in a way that retained the essence of the stories.

This was certainly one of the best cartoons to come out of the Nineties and still holds appeal to me even now that I'm an adult. In fact, I think a few of the time-travelling episodes would probably be a bit too complex for the usual eight- to twelve-year-old demography who watch Fox Kids. I'd highly recommend this to fans of the comics and those who enjoyed the films but felt they were too flat and want to see something that preserves the spirit of the comics.

I love everything about X Men. The animation is very detailed and atmospheric, and the character designs especially with Wolverine are quite sophisticated for the time. The action sequences, which never suspended disbelief and had some wondrous elements for kids and adults alike to savour, have a lot of fluidity in that regard. The music is wonderful as well, the intro is one of the coolest of any animated series of the 90s(and there were a lot) and the background scoring manages to be beautiful and haunting. The writing is intelligent, sometimes affecting and sometimes humorous, though any sense of conflicting emotions are equally convincing, while the story lines are daring and always interesting and the characters right from charismatic Wolverine, sexy Rogue to the appropriately antagonistic villains are very well-written and likable. The voice acting is always expressive and never felt stereotypical, bland or overdone. In conclusion, a superb series. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The X-Men animated series was a terrific try at bringing the ultra-popular comic book featuring mutant outcasts to the small screen. While the animation was amateurish and choppy at best, the voice over work was a particularly wonderful highlight. The stories were re-hashes of the plots from the comics' 30+ years in publication, and a few standouts included the Phoenix Saga, and its follow-up featuring the reconciliation between Scott Summers, alias Cyclops, and his father, the interstellar pirate/freedom fighter, Corsair.

Story: People known as mutants born with a superpower disability must try to persuade the humans that they are peaceful while they battle other mutants.

Production: Perfect

Main intelligence: 5. Humans are dumb because they are okay with the Fantastic 4 but are not okay with mutants.

Highlight: The story, battles, characters, this show did not have any limits. It was non-stop X-mening.

Should you watch this show?: Yes. If you like superheroes, the best animation, non-yokeness, non-cringefest then this is the show for you. It's the perfect show. If you are a fan of X-men and Mutants, there are plenty in this show to interact with. Almost every story from the comics were covered in this show.

Sadly, the shows that followed this perfect iCON was a step-down.

It's been a while since I last watched "X-Men," the animated series from the early 1990s, but I do remember that this is/was one of the greatest comic book superhero shows I ever watched during my childhood. I was a reader of the Stan Lee-/Jack Kirby-co-created X-Men comics for Marvel Comics as a child - along with Spider-Man, who remains my favorite superhero, and the two Marvel Comics titles formed the cornerstone of my fascination with comic book superheroes. The "X-Men" titles struck a personal chord with me as I got older because of how its world re-defined people's hatreds and prejudices against each other to accommodate people with mutant powers being discriminated against by the powers-that-be. Being a black American, I instantly related to the plight of the X-Men and any other mutant character who was the target of those who ultimately wished the destruction of anyone with mutant powers. That was ultimately the greatest element about the comics, and this incredible animated series. It's the reason why I grew to deeply appreciate Marvel Comics more than any other comic book publisher in the industry. "X-Men," "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," and "Batman: The Animated Series" were all the reasons why during the early '90s, I loved comic book superhero cartoon shows.

10/10