Jim Lemoine
Mar 20, 2002, 01:08 am
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xmenevo04.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/xmenevo04t.jpg" align=left alt="X-Men: Evolution #4"></a>Reviewed by: Jim Lemoine, darkkelf@earthlink.net
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Am I Blue
Kurt Wagner does some soul-searching as we’re introduced to the four new members of the animated X-Men.
Written by: Devin Grayson
Art and Colors: Udon with Long Vo, Charles Park, and Saka of Studio XD
Lettered by: Sharpefont's Randy Gentile
Associate Editor: Brian Smith
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
X-Men: Evolution continues to be one of the most pleasant surprises in my monthly reading stack. I dug into the first three issues with low expectations; after all, how good have animated-series-tie-in books ever been? So far, each issue has surprised me with outstanding art and an excellently crafted story by the very talented Devin Grayson. Happily, X-Men: Evolution’s string of successes continues into the fourth issue.
The fourth installment focuses on Kurt Wagner, the fuzzy blue-elf known to X-Fans everywhere as the oft-amazing Nightcrawler. Since this issue shows us some of his early days at Professor Xavier’s school, we never get a chance to see his origin. This decision, I assume, was made because it’s been covered in the animated series. As somebody who’s never had a chance to watch the TV show, I was a bit disappointed by that. While reading the issue, I constantly found myself wondering things like, “Was he hunted down by an angry mob here, too?”, “Is he still German?”, and perhaps most importantly, “Was he still raised in the circus?”
Not having seen the cartoon, I’d have to guess that this version of Kurt had a more normal upbringing. In the Marvel Universe that we’re all familiar with, Kurt is known as a cheerful extrovert, a movie buff, and a swashbuckling gentleman. It’s easy to see from his early life how this personality was established: he was an oft-beloved circus performer whose adventurous daydreams were formed by a love for sneaking into rural German cinemas to catch the great pirate movies of yesteryear. The Kurt we’re presented with in X-Men: Evolution seems to have retained only the gentlemanly aspect of his basis. This Nightcrawler is an introspective introvert, and something of a philosopher. Not having been raised showing off his demonic appearance in the circus, young Kurt is terrified of what will happen if his true visage is seen.
Indeed, the theme of this issue is Kurt’s struggle with his own self-concept and insecurities. Since he’s so different from the Nightcrawler we’re used to, this took me a while to get used to. But then, if you read with the understanding that this is a young blue boy who wasn’t raised to be proud of his appearance, the storyline makes perfect sense.
Believe it or not, there’s a reason I typed that long semi-psychological spiel you see above. There are very few comic books out there where you can really see disparate human psychological issues at work. These issues, like insecurity, arrogance, and frustration, are very difficult to capture in a comic medium but are what leave us with a true feeling of empathy for the characters we read about. For Devin Grayson to accomplish this at all, and what’s more, to do it in an animated tie-in series, is simply brilliant.
Which isn’t to say that the issue is perfect. The dialog tended to be hit-or-miss for me as I was reading it. For instance, I have trouble with "pretty-insecure-himself" Scott Summers comparing Kurt’s skin color and body type with a mascot, as he does on the second page of the issue. When you take into account the fact that Kurt seems to be pretty new to Xavier’s, then Scott must not know him very well. It strikes me as out of character for Scott to make a comment as petty and potentially hurtful as that. Similarly, Kitty’s exclamation of “Over my dead vegetarian body!” seemed forced, and Kurt’s outburst in yoga seemed a bit too much of a plot device.
On the other hand, when the scripting was good, it was great. Kurt’s little insights throughout the issue were especially enjoyable to me. It’s about time somebody asked why Rogue isn’t only her super-hero code name, but also her first and last name! Scott’s response that it was “the same reason Jean’s always Jean” led Kurt to the inevitable response, “… now that you mention it, why is that?” Little moments like this throughout the issue almost reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld, and made Nightcrawler the most fun-to-read character I’ve seen in X-Men: Evolution yet.
Yet another issue passes without the X-Men fighting a huge mutant menace. Oh, sure, there was an appearance by the Toad in #3, but by and large, the series has focused on showing us what these X-Men are really like. It’s an amazing and wonderful experience to read any comic book that doesn’t depend on some cheesy super-villain battle to keep you interested. The fact that this is a cartoon adaptation only makes this focus on character and great stories more admirable.
One final word about the story: Kurt’s final solution to the dilemma, “What are you at home that you can’t be at school?” is brilliant.
As to the art, Udon again wows us by conveying immersion within a true animated environment. The backgrounds are rendered beautifully, and little details throughout the story show that they put some time into making it right. For instance, watch Nightcrawler’s hands while he uses the image inducer. Two pairs of fingers on each hand are always stuck firmly to each other, since in reality Kurt only has two fingers and a thumb. The X-Door in the Danger Room was pretty cool, too.
But then again, nobody’s perfect. It seemed to me like sometimes characters would go from looking perfect to looking a bit sickly. Take that profile of Cyclops on page 4, or that panel of Kurt teleporting in the Danger Room, or that picture of mopey-Kurt in the Professor’s office… there were a lot of instances throughout the issue where the characters just didn’t look right. Still, there were some great moments to offset these odd ones, like the picture of Kurt cowering in bed, or the scene where Cyclops stares lovestruck at Jean.
Oh, and the cover. Gorgeous cover. Especially the part with Rogue.
Iin conclusion, I have to say for the fourth month in a row that X-Men: Evolution is surprisingly good. This issue, and this series as a whole, shouldn’t be discounted by the serious X-fan as some kind of ‘kiddie’ book meant to appease the youngsters. X-Men: Evolution is an outstanding look at our favorite mutants, month after month, and #4 was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed this issue’s spotlight on my favorite character, and I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes the X-Men.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html)
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Am I Blue
Kurt Wagner does some soul-searching as we’re introduced to the four new members of the animated X-Men.
Written by: Devin Grayson
Art and Colors: Udon with Long Vo, Charles Park, and Saka of Studio XD
Lettered by: Sharpefont's Randy Gentile
Associate Editor: Brian Smith
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
X-Men: Evolution continues to be one of the most pleasant surprises in my monthly reading stack. I dug into the first three issues with low expectations; after all, how good have animated-series-tie-in books ever been? So far, each issue has surprised me with outstanding art and an excellently crafted story by the very talented Devin Grayson. Happily, X-Men: Evolution’s string of successes continues into the fourth issue.
The fourth installment focuses on Kurt Wagner, the fuzzy blue-elf known to X-Fans everywhere as the oft-amazing Nightcrawler. Since this issue shows us some of his early days at Professor Xavier’s school, we never get a chance to see his origin. This decision, I assume, was made because it’s been covered in the animated series. As somebody who’s never had a chance to watch the TV show, I was a bit disappointed by that. While reading the issue, I constantly found myself wondering things like, “Was he hunted down by an angry mob here, too?”, “Is he still German?”, and perhaps most importantly, “Was he still raised in the circus?”
Not having seen the cartoon, I’d have to guess that this version of Kurt had a more normal upbringing. In the Marvel Universe that we’re all familiar with, Kurt is known as a cheerful extrovert, a movie buff, and a swashbuckling gentleman. It’s easy to see from his early life how this personality was established: he was an oft-beloved circus performer whose adventurous daydreams were formed by a love for sneaking into rural German cinemas to catch the great pirate movies of yesteryear. The Kurt we’re presented with in X-Men: Evolution seems to have retained only the gentlemanly aspect of his basis. This Nightcrawler is an introspective introvert, and something of a philosopher. Not having been raised showing off his demonic appearance in the circus, young Kurt is terrified of what will happen if his true visage is seen.
Indeed, the theme of this issue is Kurt’s struggle with his own self-concept and insecurities. Since he’s so different from the Nightcrawler we’re used to, this took me a while to get used to. But then, if you read with the understanding that this is a young blue boy who wasn’t raised to be proud of his appearance, the storyline makes perfect sense.
Believe it or not, there’s a reason I typed that long semi-psychological spiel you see above. There are very few comic books out there where you can really see disparate human psychological issues at work. These issues, like insecurity, arrogance, and frustration, are very difficult to capture in a comic medium but are what leave us with a true feeling of empathy for the characters we read about. For Devin Grayson to accomplish this at all, and what’s more, to do it in an animated tie-in series, is simply brilliant.
Which isn’t to say that the issue is perfect. The dialog tended to be hit-or-miss for me as I was reading it. For instance, I have trouble with "pretty-insecure-himself" Scott Summers comparing Kurt’s skin color and body type with a mascot, as he does on the second page of the issue. When you take into account the fact that Kurt seems to be pretty new to Xavier’s, then Scott must not know him very well. It strikes me as out of character for Scott to make a comment as petty and potentially hurtful as that. Similarly, Kitty’s exclamation of “Over my dead vegetarian body!” seemed forced, and Kurt’s outburst in yoga seemed a bit too much of a plot device.
On the other hand, when the scripting was good, it was great. Kurt’s little insights throughout the issue were especially enjoyable to me. It’s about time somebody asked why Rogue isn’t only her super-hero code name, but also her first and last name! Scott’s response that it was “the same reason Jean’s always Jean” led Kurt to the inevitable response, “… now that you mention it, why is that?” Little moments like this throughout the issue almost reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld, and made Nightcrawler the most fun-to-read character I’ve seen in X-Men: Evolution yet.
Yet another issue passes without the X-Men fighting a huge mutant menace. Oh, sure, there was an appearance by the Toad in #3, but by and large, the series has focused on showing us what these X-Men are really like. It’s an amazing and wonderful experience to read any comic book that doesn’t depend on some cheesy super-villain battle to keep you interested. The fact that this is a cartoon adaptation only makes this focus on character and great stories more admirable.
One final word about the story: Kurt’s final solution to the dilemma, “What are you at home that you can’t be at school?” is brilliant.
As to the art, Udon again wows us by conveying immersion within a true animated environment. The backgrounds are rendered beautifully, and little details throughout the story show that they put some time into making it right. For instance, watch Nightcrawler’s hands while he uses the image inducer. Two pairs of fingers on each hand are always stuck firmly to each other, since in reality Kurt only has two fingers and a thumb. The X-Door in the Danger Room was pretty cool, too.
But then again, nobody’s perfect. It seemed to me like sometimes characters would go from looking perfect to looking a bit sickly. Take that profile of Cyclops on page 4, or that panel of Kurt teleporting in the Danger Room, or that picture of mopey-Kurt in the Professor’s office… there were a lot of instances throughout the issue where the characters just didn’t look right. Still, there were some great moments to offset these odd ones, like the picture of Kurt cowering in bed, or the scene where Cyclops stares lovestruck at Jean.
Oh, and the cover. Gorgeous cover. Especially the part with Rogue.
Iin conclusion, I have to say for the fourth month in a row that X-Men: Evolution is surprisingly good. This issue, and this series as a whole, shouldn’t be discounted by the serious X-fan as some kind of ‘kiddie’ book meant to appease the youngsters. X-Men: Evolution is an outstanding look at our favorite mutants, month after month, and #4 was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed this issue’s spotlight on my favorite character, and I heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes the X-Men.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xnone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html)