‘X-Men ’97’ Review – Marvel Revival Series Is Peak Comic Book Storytelling

“Connection is a fragile treasure, one we sacrifice so much to maintain. Only to watch it break in a blink that changes your life forever.”

X-Men ’97 represents a return to a distant form for Marvel; one only concerned with telling a great story in every possible facet, blind to reservations and restrictive quotas. There is a calculated freedom about the project that makes watching it a wonderfully moving experience. It picks up right where the original show left off some 30-odd years ago, only out of step in that it takes the classic art style and tastefully modernizes it. Yet it still maintains the soul, encapsulating in that example exactly what sets this series apart: it’s all the best of what was and a fully realized vision of what could be. Utterly fantastic, down to every vivid frame.

The timelessness in ‘97’s presentation is the same sort that not only made the first show immortal, but that cemented comic books as a medium of storytelling all their own. The unashamed adaptation of comics into animation that matches the tone, energy, and downright nature, one-to-one, is astonishing. There is a power in simplicity, and ‘97 harnesses it to the fullest possible extent. Stories begin and end within the half-hour episodes, efficiently delivering self-contained narratives that find a way to impact every member of the team in one way or another.

The first three episodes play like a reintroduction to an extent, giving everyone some time in the sun in order to remind you of each of their proclivities and personalities, though it wastes no time in reviving the plot and rolling along once more. Cyclops and Jean Grey take center stage, with Wolverine and Storm playing strong second fiddles. We’re treated to a subtle tour of the school, sly exposition spilling in through the windows and off paintings on the wall. Once you’re reacquainted, the show sweeps off into the public limelight, rationing a steep reminder as to what the X-Men deal with for simply being different. Heavy-handed commentary aside, the themes are relevant, and to see them tackled in a Marvel project with precision and class is a treat. Again, this is a great story, built on believable characters and circumstances that call for more than mindless entertainment. ‘97 will have you in thought quite often, though the feeling is refreshing in a genre that has been bogged down with the lack of such challenges as of late.

That isn’t to say that there’s no fun to be had here. The high-flying battles of power and prowess expected of superhero releases nowadays are among the best of their kind, refined by an art style that allows for pretty much anything, and you can expect everything. Colors appear as weapons, glinting with pure momentum as they speed across the frame and through the hearts of all involved. Tufts of smoke in varied shades of gray plume from the aftermath, revealing both the damage done and the raw leftover energy of the exchange. It’s pure Marvel mania, distilled down into a fine essence that any fan could appreciate.

X-Men ’97 is everything Marvel should strive to be, even more so now that they’ve entered a new age of controversial releases and disgruntled audiences. This is the cure to the curse that has begun to plague comic book adaptations in recent years; a story of real importance and relation to humankind, reflected through the red lens of the X-Men and their vast array of compelling chronicles. If anything deserves your attention in the superhero space these days, it is without a doubt X-Men ’97. It’s a near-flawless endeavor in all manner of ways.

X-Men ’97 is currently available to stream on Disney+. New episodes will debut every Wednesday. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv3Ss8o9gGQ]