By Ned Jordan
Disney continues the Marvel Comic Book Collection series of the X-Men
animated series from the early 1990s with the simultaneous release of Volumes 3
and 4. In spite of Disney's recent acquisition of Marvel, both DVD releases
still feature the Marvel label prominently with Disney's participation kept
decidedly low-key. It will be interesting to see if this is the last Marvel DVD
release that won't prominently feature the Disney logo front and center.
Volumes 3 and 4 each feature 14 episodes on 2 discs, and are divided to
evenly spread the episodes between each volume rather than to divide them based
on their original broadcast season. I don't know how the order corresponds to
the original order of broadcast, but the episodes are ordered to provide a
cohesive overall narrative and I think that only diehard fanboys would have any
issues with the episode order in each volume if they've indeed been changed for
the DVD release. I'm not sure why you would want to buy Volume 4 without buying
Volume 3 unless you had a fondness for one particular episode over all others (Morloc
Christmas, anyone?) and so this review is covering both volumes at once. This
also begs the question as to why the two volumes weren't simply issued as a
single release, but I'll leave that one as a matter to be debated in the forums.
This series originally aired in the early 1990s as Saturday morning
entertainment for kids. As such, the animation is about on par with other such
series in the genre, which is to say simply adequate in most cases and
occasionally poor. Don't be fooled by the DVD covers which feature some great
looking artwork - the animation contained within is strictly low budget caliber
stuff. Cheap animation aside, the series does receive high marks for its
faithfulness to the X-Men comics' grand story arc and the personalities of each
character as established in the comics is carried through to the animated
series. The dialog has a tendency to drop into action genre cheesy clich
one-liners, but the central themes of prejudice, fear of the unknown, and
acceptance of the differences that make people unique are solid and drive the
majority of the storylines. Kids will enjoy the action and adults, at least
those who are or once were comic fans, will appreciate that the stories are a
bit more sophisticated than those in most animated series. It's also nice to see
an animated series that will actually provoke thought in kids instead of simply
numbing their minds. Fans of the comic will also appreciate the number of
characters who eventually make an appearance in the series in addition to the
regulars of Rogue, Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Gambit, and Jubilee, although
personally I could do with a lot less Jubilee.
Volume 3 consists of the following episodes:
- Savage Land, Strange Heart (1)
- Savage Land, Strange Heart (2)
- Obsession
- Dark Phoenix: Dazzled (1)
- Dark Phoenix: The Inner Circle (2)
- Dark Phoenix: The Dark Phoenix (3)
- Dark Phoenix: The Fate of The Phoenix (4)
- Cold Comfort
- Orphan's End
- The Juggernaut Returns
- Nightcrawler
- Weapon X, Lies and Videotape
- One Man's Worth (1)
- One Man's Worth (2)
- Courage
Fans will appreciate the Dark Phoenix saga with its battle to save the mind
of Jean Grey, the appearance of Iceman and Nightcrawler in their own episodes,
and the Wolverine back story revealed in Weapon X. The Juggernaut is also of
particular interest in that the X-Men must work to save the life of an enemy.
Volume 4 contains:
- Proteus (1)
- Proteus (2)
- Sanctuary (1)
- Sanctuary (2)
- Beyond Good and Evil (1)
- Beyond Good and Evil (2)
- Beyond Good and Evil (3)
- Beyond Good and Evil (4)
- Have Yourself A Morlock Little Christmas
- The Lotus and the Steel
- Love in Vain
- Secrets, Not Long Buried
- Xavier Remembers
- Family Ties
The first disc is dedicated to multipart episodes including Beyond Good and
Evil which begins with another interrupted Cyclops and Jean Grey wedding attempt
that eventually leads to a major showdown with Apocalypse. The second disc is
particularly interesting because Rogue, Wolverine, Dr. X, and Magneto are all
forced in one way or another to confront long-buried secrets from their pasts, a
definite treat for fans of the comic.
With both discs what you see is what you get - there are no special features
or other content outside of the episodes themselves.
Final Rating:
