Dear readers, who amongst us has not been reveling in the wave of X-Men nostalgia these past few months? From the premiere of X-Men ‘97 to the Fall of X and the new From the Ashes era, X-Men fans have been on the receiving end of a barrage of content. Lest we forget the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, with Hugh Jackman returning to play Logan. I’ve been following all the headlines for the AIPT Newsletter (sign up here!) and it’s been a lot to keep track of.
When I saw that Marvel would be collecting the comic adaptation of X-Men: The Animated Series, I knew I had to give it a read and what I found within this first collection was pleasantly surprising. The first volume, “Feared and Hated”, collects the first eight issues of 1992’s X-Men Adventures from writer Ralph Macchio and artists Andrew Wildman and Chris Batista.
Within these pages are faithful adaptations of the early episodes of X-Men, so faithful in fact that the original script writers are credited throughout, such a nice touch. Macchio’s adaptations retain the accessibility and humor of the original series while also feeling a bit more mature in parts. The differing opinions and approaches to humanity the X-Men have are emphasized here as well, which makes this comic feel more akin to the ongoing, mainline Uncanny X-Men.
Andrew Wildman’s art (issues #1 through #6) is a major standout in this collection. Often, animated series adaptations will attempt to mirror the look of the source material but will lack the charm animation brings to the table. However, in X-Men Adventures, Wildman emulates Jim Lee and other ’90s contemporaries. His layouts are dynamic too, panels often taking up 80% of the page and our heroes in iconic, powerful poses.
Marvel Comics
The X-Men are rendered with great detail, they’re muscular with really expressive faces. Although, for some reason, in basically every panel, every character’s mouth is wide open! I suppose it’s to represent them conversing with one another but it comes off as a strange, aggressive choice. It doesn’t take away from the achievement of the art in the early issues though.
I’m sure in 1992, X-Men Adventures was meant to get fans of X-Men: TAS into comic shops but in 2024, it’s a little harder to imagine who this collection may be for. For $14, this digest-sized collection is a great value for younger readers who may want to get into comics. If the collection were oversized and packed with extras, I could see justifying a nostalgia-buy for all those ’90s kids who are in their 30s and 40s now. But at this point, if you haven’t read X-Men yet, you should just seek out the source material!
Purely from a content perspective, “Feared and Hated” is a great time capsule of 90s nostalgia presented in an accessible, high-quality format.
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