Jim Lemoine
Jan 31, 2002, 12:50 am
{Originally posted at X-Fan 3.1 on January 26, 2002}
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xmenevo02.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xmenevo02t.jpg" align=left alt="X-Men: Evolution #2"></a>Reviewer: Jim Lemoine, darkkelf@earthlink.net
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Seeing Clearly
In a time before X-Men: Evolution's first episode, Charles Xavier recruits young Scott Summers and makes him Cyclops.
Written by: Devin Grayson
Art by: Udon, with Long Vo, Charles Park, and Saka of Studio XD
Lettered by: Sharpefont's Randy Gentle
Assistant Editor: Brian Smith
Editors: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
It's almost embarrassing to me how much I'm enjoying this book. After all, X-Men: Evolution is just the obligatory cheesy comic tie-in to the popular animated series, right? Those are always low-quality and short-lived, right? No real X-Men fan would dare to enjoy an out-of-continuity story like that, would they?
And yet, there it is. As a stand-alone product or as a cartoon promotion-engine, X-Men: Evolution stands out as a damn good mutant book in its own right, and I can't wait to see what else Devin Grayson and the fine folks at UDON have for us. These creators seem to understand totally what Casey and Claremont have forgotten: that X-Men is about protecting a world that hates and fears you. That people don't like the X-Men, and don't trust them. I haven't seen that simple theme conveyed as well as it is here in a long, long time.
The book takes us through the first meeting of Charles Xavier and Scott Summers, whose devastating optic beams have only recently manifested. The Professor offers Scott a home with him and the X-Men, and Scott quickly and easily agrees. Throughout the scene, we're treated to the reactions of the normal human beings in the hospital where Scott has been staying. Fear, disgust, and anger nearly radiate off the page. Through it all, Scott remains childishly kind and optimistic.
Enjoying this book does require a bit more of a suspension of disbelief than most other books would, but that's to be expected from a product aimed at a younger market, right? Still, I did have to grimace at some moments in the book, like Scott's continued unrealistic kindness to the people who hate him. Another such moment was seeing the X-Men's Blackbird, a huge supersonic jet, parked right outside the hospital. Storm, in full costume, stands right next to it. So much for secret identities and not freaking out the normal humans, right?
After returning to the X-Men, Wolverine takes Scott on a ride to show him his new school, Bayville High. In the car, Scott continues to act like a naïve child, and Logan reacts in the typical way I hoped he would: with rude cynicism. It's nice to see that the Wolverine in the Evolution world is pretty similar to our own Wolverine.
As they pass a bank, Logan comments about how it always gets robbed when the good guys are around. And sure enough, within a few panels, we find out that it's being robbed right now. Pushing the envelope of coincidence a bit here, Devin?
The duo proceed to foil the bank robbery, with Scott doing surprisingly well. The battle sequence is enjoyable and realistic, with outstanding art and believable storytelling. For instance, Wolverine gets shot. He doesn't 'miraculously' dodge all of the bullets, as he's sometimes known to do in other books. He gets hit, but he takes it, he stays tough, and he heals. This is the Logan we know and love.
Scott rescues a little girl from the bank robbers, and is met with hostility and disgust from her mother and the gathered crowd. After being insulted, shoved, and punched, he's still polite and tells the humans that he's "sorry if I scared you". Again, anyone taking all of that and still being polite and smiling is very hard for me to believe. But maybe I'm a cynic.
The book ends with a sneak peek at Jean Grey, foreshadowing her recruitment next month. It's the middle of the night at the Grey home, and objects are flying recklessly through young Jean's room. Her parents look on helplessly as Jean screams "Make it stop!!!" Great writing here. Grayson is doing a better job than almost anybody of showing what it would really be like to be a mutant.
Overall, there are only some slight reservations to calling this a top-notch mutant story. Professor X and Wolverine are written exceedingly well, and the humans' reactions to the X-Men are perfect.
The art is similarly excellent, once again. UDON have certainly proven themselves to be the masters of bringing the feelings of television animation to the comic book page. From the digital background 'paintings' to the crisp animated characters themselves, this book gives you the impression that you're watching an incredibly well-animated cartoon. However, I do have one complaint about the art, and that's UDON's interpretations of the buildings, rooms, and hallways that the characters occupy. All are plain and unrealistically feature-free. There are no medical apparatus, pictures, or posters, on the walls of the hospital. Everything is barren. There are no paintings or photographs on office walls, nor are there any posters or other decorations in young Jean Grey's room. After you notice the fact that everything's so plain, it starts to make you wonder why.
But when all's said and done, it's an excellent effort and an excellent book. I recommend this highly for anybody who's looking for a fresh look at what the X-Men are really all about. Whether you like the cartoon or not, this series is proving to be an outstanding mutant book. Don't just discount this series as an out-of-continuity cartoon tie-in, because you'll be missing out on a fantastic series.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xmenevo02.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xmenevo02t.jpg" align=left alt="X-Men: Evolution #2"></a>Reviewer: Jim Lemoine, darkkelf@earthlink.net
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Seeing Clearly
In a time before X-Men: Evolution's first episode, Charles Xavier recruits young Scott Summers and makes him Cyclops.
Written by: Devin Grayson
Art by: Udon, with Long Vo, Charles Park, and Saka of Studio XD
Lettered by: Sharpefont's Randy Gentle
Assistant Editor: Brian Smith
Editors: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
It's almost embarrassing to me how much I'm enjoying this book. After all, X-Men: Evolution is just the obligatory cheesy comic tie-in to the popular animated series, right? Those are always low-quality and short-lived, right? No real X-Men fan would dare to enjoy an out-of-continuity story like that, would they?
And yet, there it is. As a stand-alone product or as a cartoon promotion-engine, X-Men: Evolution stands out as a damn good mutant book in its own right, and I can't wait to see what else Devin Grayson and the fine folks at UDON have for us. These creators seem to understand totally what Casey and Claremont have forgotten: that X-Men is about protecting a world that hates and fears you. That people don't like the X-Men, and don't trust them. I haven't seen that simple theme conveyed as well as it is here in a long, long time.
The book takes us through the first meeting of Charles Xavier and Scott Summers, whose devastating optic beams have only recently manifested. The Professor offers Scott a home with him and the X-Men, and Scott quickly and easily agrees. Throughout the scene, we're treated to the reactions of the normal human beings in the hospital where Scott has been staying. Fear, disgust, and anger nearly radiate off the page. Through it all, Scott remains childishly kind and optimistic.
Enjoying this book does require a bit more of a suspension of disbelief than most other books would, but that's to be expected from a product aimed at a younger market, right? Still, I did have to grimace at some moments in the book, like Scott's continued unrealistic kindness to the people who hate him. Another such moment was seeing the X-Men's Blackbird, a huge supersonic jet, parked right outside the hospital. Storm, in full costume, stands right next to it. So much for secret identities and not freaking out the normal humans, right?
After returning to the X-Men, Wolverine takes Scott on a ride to show him his new school, Bayville High. In the car, Scott continues to act like a naïve child, and Logan reacts in the typical way I hoped he would: with rude cynicism. It's nice to see that the Wolverine in the Evolution world is pretty similar to our own Wolverine.
As they pass a bank, Logan comments about how it always gets robbed when the good guys are around. And sure enough, within a few panels, we find out that it's being robbed right now. Pushing the envelope of coincidence a bit here, Devin?
The duo proceed to foil the bank robbery, with Scott doing surprisingly well. The battle sequence is enjoyable and realistic, with outstanding art and believable storytelling. For instance, Wolverine gets shot. He doesn't 'miraculously' dodge all of the bullets, as he's sometimes known to do in other books. He gets hit, but he takes it, he stays tough, and he heals. This is the Logan we know and love.
Scott rescues a little girl from the bank robbers, and is met with hostility and disgust from her mother and the gathered crowd. After being insulted, shoved, and punched, he's still polite and tells the humans that he's "sorry if I scared you". Again, anyone taking all of that and still being polite and smiling is very hard for me to believe. But maybe I'm a cynic.
The book ends with a sneak peek at Jean Grey, foreshadowing her recruitment next month. It's the middle of the night at the Grey home, and objects are flying recklessly through young Jean's room. Her parents look on helplessly as Jean screams "Make it stop!!!" Great writing here. Grayson is doing a better job than almost anybody of showing what it would really be like to be a mutant.
Overall, there are only some slight reservations to calling this a top-notch mutant story. Professor X and Wolverine are written exceedingly well, and the humans' reactions to the X-Men are perfect.
The art is similarly excellent, once again. UDON have certainly proven themselves to be the masters of bringing the feelings of television animation to the comic book page. From the digital background 'paintings' to the crisp animated characters themselves, this book gives you the impression that you're watching an incredibly well-animated cartoon. However, I do have one complaint about the art, and that's UDON's interpretations of the buildings, rooms, and hallways that the characters occupy. All are plain and unrealistically feature-free. There are no medical apparatus, pictures, or posters, on the walls of the hospital. Everything is barren. There are no paintings or photographs on office walls, nor are there any posters or other decorations in young Jean Grey's room. After you notice the fact that everything's so plain, it starts to make you wonder why.
But when all's said and done, it's an excellent effort and an excellent book. I recommend this highly for anybody who's looking for a fresh look at what the X-Men are really all about. Whether you like the cartoon or not, this series is proving to be an outstanding mutant book. Don't just discount this series as an out-of-continuity cartoon tie-in, because you'll be missing out on a fantastic series.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!