San Francisco, April 2, 2011 - Marvel’s Head of Television Jeph Loeb announced casting for two of the company’s much anticipated anime series, IRON MAN and WOLVERINE, at its WonderCon panel today in San Francisco to the delight of fans in attendance. Both series will premiere on G4 in July 2011.

As the exclusive US TV home for the series, G4 will air IRON MAN and WOLVERINE along with the BLADE and X-MEN anime series later this year. The network will premiere an exclusive clip from WOLVERINE on Wednesday’s Attack of the Show at 7 pm ET/PT.

First up, let’s talk about Darren Aronofsky deciding to back out of directing The Wolverine. I’ll admit, I’m pissed. When news broke, I definitely felt the sting. As a short hairy Canadian myself, I was rather displeased with my countryman’s first solo film, as it didn’t seem to know its head from its ass. The prospect of Aronofsky coming in to direct the sequel was certainly appealing. The fact that 20th Century Fox was actually going to film in Japan for a year was also encouraging, as the studio’s been accused of being real cheapskates when it comes to some of these films. But between the devastation in that country and news of Aronofsky’s departure, it didn’t take long for fans to go into full-on nerd rage, and blame Fox for everything. Seriously, to read some of the comments online, it’s like the fans blame Fox for the tsunami and earthquakes. They’re going scorched-earth on those movie executives, once again falling back on the whole “FOX sucks at everything” rhetoric that I just feel is getting old.

I’ll give points to Fox just for considering Aronofsky in the first place. And while the likelihood of them replacing him with a less talented director is certainly high, why is it completely unfathomable that the replacement might end up being someone with a solid enough track record to make a good movie? Why is it so unfathomable that Fox might not be the great evil we all liked to think they were back in the early to mid 2000s? For all this talk about the directors who won’t work with them ever again, or gave up filmmaking because of them, what about all the decisions they made that would imply some acknowledgment of the fan disapproval they’ve dealt with in the past few years? Putting out Machete despite Grindhouse’s commercial under-performance back in ’08, looking at the clusterfuck they created with the Alien vs. Predator movies, and deciding to focus on rebuilding those franchises individually; Predators was an admirable follow-up to the original, and Ridley Scott is back to direct Prometheus, taking place within the Alien universe.

I’m not saying you can’t hate 20th Century Fox, but it’s the blind hatred to the point where anyone with a different opinion is accused of being a plant for Fox or just won’t accept the truth as y’all see it, it just becomes annoying to talk to some of you folks. When you won’t even allow for the slightest possibility of anything other than Fox just going out of their way to make a movie terrible, when you can’t even wait for a new director to be announced before declaring, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the movie will suck, it’s just a whole lotta bitchin’ to me!

Surprisingly though, I think there’s actually more bitchin’ going on in regards the to Wonder Woman costume for the upcoming NBC series. To be fair, there’s a lot about this show that sounds profoundly stupid. As for the costume itself, there are a lot of comments about it looking cheap, it actually makes Wonder Woman look trashier than if she had no pants!, blah, blah, blah, yakckety-schmackety! Honestly, were the pants a darker shade of blue, and the boots red, I’d have zero problem with the costume. It’s immediately recognizable as Wonder Woman, I’m sure there’s a budgetary concern with the material and however many duplicates of the costume they’ll have to produce for both actress and whoever her stunt double is (you know, the shit I doubt half the fanboys even consider), and I’ve changed my opinion on many a costume I originally thought to be atrocious when presented in a similar context as this new WW costume (strong lighting and a stark white background), that ended up looking decent when filmed under the right circumstances.

I think the biggest problem with Wonder Woman is that quite honestly, it took a long time for the character to become what she is in the comics today. I’d say it took her a good 30 to 40 years before she became a character worth taking seriously (**cuts hand and gleefully dangles it in shark-infested water**). And while a lot of fans are still mad that a full-on movie hasn’t gotten off the ground yet, there’s still that stigma of not wanting a female to headline a major action film, it rarely pans out. I’d love to see it happen, but it often doesn’t. We’re gonna need more than one significant action/adventure hit, not based on a pre-existing property, starring a female, before Warner Bros. even tries to put out a Wonder Woman movie. And if the series is as bad as most are convinced it’ll be . . . . y’all will watch that shit every week, until it’s canceled, just to bitch about it, anyway!!!

Just in time for the holidays! We’re excited to introduce computer keyboards and mice featuring your favorite Marvel characters! Our Keyscaper keyboards and mice will add some flair to your desk and sufficiently solidify your geek cred.

The keyboards are available in wired and wireless versions and the mice are wireless to boot! All are PC and Mac compatible and feature a super simple plug and play connection.

One of the most exciting things about these products is that they’ll be in stock on December 16th! So if you’ve been looking for the perfect holiday gift for the comic book fan in your life, look no further.

Just in case that’s not geeky enough for you, we’ve also got two styles for the Star Trek fan at TFAW.com.

These keyboards and mice will go pretty quickly, so you’ll want to get your pre-order in soon to ensure you get your choice of these great products.

What do you think of these products? Got any questions about them? Go ahead and let us know below.

DARK AVENGERS #11: Sigh. I just have a soft spot for the Molecule Man, I’m sorry guys. And I really think Bendis has hit his groove with this title, mixing his patented naturalistic dialogue with action, perfectly complemented by Mike Deodato’s moody art. Plus, in this issue, we get some painted pages by Greg Horn, and I don’t know the last time I saw interior art by the guy, but it looks great. This is a great looking comic, lots of fun, and I’m going to be a little sad to see it go (assuming it does, in fact, go after the upcoming Siege event).

DARK REIGN: THE LIST – AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: Adam Kubert draws an amazing Spider-Man (no pun intended), but I guess you wouldn’t expect anything less from the guy. First off, I’ll say its a smart move by Marvel to use Mr. Kubert on specials and short runs, rather than promising he can deliver a monthly book. That’s another win in Mr. Wacker’s column, in my book. And this book looks great. Reading wise, Dan Slott turns in another near perfect Spider-Man script, perfectly melding character moments, old-school fun, and good story. Except, and I’m going to get back on my soapbox now that we’re done with this “List” event… Basically nothing happens. In the grand scheme of things, I mean. The one List book that had a major event was The Punisher, which by all accounts was, I think, a high mark for Rick Remender, The Punisher, and Marvel in general. Not that every issue of The List needed to hold up to that standard, but I wish there was some sort of moving the story forward, that something had happened. There is a minor victory for Peter Parker towards the end of this book, and its a nice moment, but honestly, is Parker leaking a video on the internet really going to show up as a plot point in any other book?

It’s frustrating, because I would really, really like ASM: The List to be the biggest and baddest part of this mini-event, but it just can’t be, because… You can’t have Spider-Man win that big. Spidey can’t actually reveal Norman’s true villainy to the world, because that would mean Spider-Man was revealed as a world-wide hero. There’s ways around that, sure, but Spider-Man works best when everybody hates him. So he can’t win that big, he has to win, but kind of lose. And he can’t kill Norman, because he doesn’t kill. Plus, we got to save that for Siege, right? My point is, as a fan, I still think of Osbourne as Spider-Man’s villain, and I feel like Spidey needs to take him down, but given the character, and the layout of the Universe, that just can’t happen. So instead, I’m frustrated.

Anyway, great looking issue, solid read, if you want some pretty Kubert art, pick it up.

DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH #5: This title is growing on me, but veeeery slowly. Not to sound like a broken record, but considering you’ve already got Deadpool and Headpool in the book, it seems unnecessary and repetitive to even include the Deadpool double narration boxes. I’d rather just see those two bicker and be done with it. I also like how The Gisch is filling out the supporting cast with fun riffs on previous DP continuity. I’m curious to see where this goes after this arc, and hopefully, it can forge its own way, and move out of… Way’s… shadow.

INCREDIBLE HULK #604: You know that feeling when you take a deep breath and let it out, and how relaxing and refreshing that is? That’s what having Greg Pak back on the Hulk is like. A breath of fresh air, or at least air you’ve breathed before that feels fresh again. Or something. Anyway. Banner, Skaar, and Warbound vs. The Leader? What’s not to love? Pak keeps adding his own take to the Hulk mythos, and shows why he’s the best writer of the character since Peter David. Love this series, pick it up.

MIGHTY AVENGERS #31: Dan Slott and Christos Gage bring it all together to end out the best arc of this title in a good long while. Classic Avengers action, classic avengers moments, great fun shout outs and good actions pieces. My only caveat is that the art seems a little crowded, but that’s a quibble when its so much fun to just see heroes being heroes, and all working together to save the day. Fun.

NOMAD: GIRL WITHOUT A WORLD #3: As nice as it is to see Sean McKeever back at Marvel, working in high school (where he excels), this just isn’t grabbing me. It ain’t bad, by any means, its a well crafted comic book, but I guess I just don’t care enough about Rikki Barnes yet. Ah well.

PUNISHER #11: Tony Moore and Rick Remender working together is a-okay with me. And this Frankencastle storyline gets to an insane, over the top start, as you might expect. Love it.

REALM OF KINGS: Abnett and Lanning have one of the most complex, yet easy to follow road-maps for their cosmic books I’ve ever seen. And it all kicks off in spectacular fashion in this one shot. I thought they couldn’t take the action and danger to another level. I think I was wrong. Love these books, love the direction of them, and I love the focus that’s happening throughout. Great stuff.

REALM OF KINGS INHUMANS #1: On the other hand… There’s a killer last page to this issue, but otherwise, it’s one of the more snooze-worthy Inhumans mini-series in a while. Granted, the characters are in a place where they’re all miserable, and for the first time in a long time, they have a real status quo that can’t immediately be broken, but it feels like the backbone of this cosmic universe has moved on to Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy.

THUNDERBOLTS #138: Jeff Parker makes his debut on the title, and while I love the Parker, this won’t knock anyone’s socks off. However, he continues the feel of the past few issues well without missing a beat… I’m just looking forward to him maybe blazing his own path. And maybe bringing in a few A-Listers. It feels like this title needs a new mission statement, and soon.

WAR MACHINE #11: The little title that could keeps chugging along, and though I THINK it’s canceled already, Greg Pak has made a fascinating uber story that has done a lot to build up Rhodey’s character, and define his supporting cast. It’s too bad this won’t be around in the long term, because in Year Two, it feels like it could have gotten quite good.

WOLVERINE WEAPON X #7: I’m totally loving this storyline, with Logan caught in the world’s most disturbing lunatic asylum, scared and fighting for his life. Sure, it’s not the most original story of all time (it’s been done in Buffy, for one), but I’m completely caught up in the mystery, and can’t wait to find out how Wolvie ended up there. Kudos to Jason Aaron for turning in another solid arc.

X-MEN LEGACY #229: Speaking of little engines, I still don’t get what this title is about (other than secretly The New Adventures of Rogue and Gambit), but Mike Carey, as always, chugs right along with a solid story that pays tribute to Generation X, one of the much beloved, much forgotten pieces of X-history past.

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Do it for Barry. Do it for Hugh. Do it for Logan. http://healthcareforamericanow.org/

I get a little spoilery when I gush, so watch out. (And ew.)

Like Future Imperfect, Peter David’s inspired “What If?”-like digression during his run on The Incredible Hulk, in which he introduced one possible future where Bruce Banner outlived all the other Marvel mainstays by giving in to his dark side and becoming The Maestro, Old Man Logan is a digression into another possible imperfect future. It also involves the Hulk, as well as several other heroes, villains, and next-generation shades of gray, outliving the old world and the old ways. And, of course, it involves Wolverine, aka Logan, in what I think should go down as one of the great character-defining stories involving the old Canucklehead.

And in case you weren’t aware, Millar and Marvel have done more with this mini than just tell an awesome What If: Wolverine story. Old Man Logan actually ties directly to Millar’s other two recent Marvel projects–the enjoyable 1985 and his ambitious year-long run on Fantastic Four, which introduced the characters currently in the spin-off book Fantastic Force.

Old Man Logan is the only must read of that bunch, but I think it is admirably creative on the writer’s part to think outside the panel box like this and craft three stories simultaneously that are all bigger than themselves. The reader wasn’t beholden to any one story to understand or enjoy the rest, but if you happened to read all three like me, you got an enhanced experience. (So, thanks for that, MM.)

So what do you think–was Old Man Logan the book of the week? Could it be the best series of the year? Would you buy a “Lone Wolv’ and Hulk-Cub”  sequel that filled in the 20+ year gap between this and the characters’ reappearance in Fantastic Four?

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #606: The Black Cat returns! This isn’t a spoiler, because it’s in an ad in every Marvel comic. And, you know, the cover. Anywho. I’m kind of getting repetitious with beating the “Spider-Man is as fun as it has ever been” drum, so here’s one particular aspect of this issue I found surprising in a negative way: it felt like a big step backwards for the Black Cat. Not that I don’t love the her and Spidey romance issues (creepy roof-sex aside), but she’s grown a LOT as a character in the intervening years, and doesn’t really deserve to find herself back with Spidey, yet again. Yeah, weird, I know. Other than that, relatively fun issue, but also a slight step down from the creepiness of Van Lente’s excellent Chameleon arc, and the gang-busters over-sized #605.

ANITA BLAKE, THE LAUGHING CORPSE – NECROMANCER #5: This preview had, without a doubt, the longest file name I’ve ever seen.

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #28: Though this series continues to be good, it’s suffering from what a lot of books get after the main purpose, and the main creative team move on… This used to be the backbone of the Marvel U, and I used to recommend it to anyone who wanted to know what was going on in Marvel comics. It was a great refresher, good character stories, and great art, issue after issue. It still has most of that, but it’s no longer the backbone, it’s more of a, I don’t know, what’s an unimportant bone? The skull? Well, anyway, the series is still reflective of what’s happening in the Universe at large, but it no longer seems to be effecting it. I’m curious to see whether this title will stick around in the long run.

DARK REIGN: THE LIST – X-MEN ONE-SHOT: As a gigantic fan of John Byrne’s work on Alpha Flight and the Fantastic Four, there’s a page in here that absolutely killed me and ripped my heart out like nothing else I’ve read this week. Beyond that, Matt Fraction turns in a reliably solid story directly following off the Utopia cross-over, and though I usually swoon over Alan Davis’ work, this was not my favorite issue he’s ever done. And in the larger view, I’m finding that this List event, while a solid series of comics, is not really delivering the lasting change that was promised. Like most of Norman Osborn’s projects, its all spin.

DARK X-MEN: THE CONFESSION ONE-SHOT: I would contend that this issue goes in the exact opposite direction of what you’d expect to happen. I’d also contend that maybe this is a good thing. And for those of you expecting big action, well… It’s called the Confession, not the Explosion. Nice one, Zalben.

ENDER’S SHADOW: COMMAND SCHOOL #1: All of these series so far are very, very good, but the books about Bean are a step above. I wouldn’t say this issue is necessarily a good jumping on point, but both of the Command School books are far more focused than the Battle School books. Makes me want to read the actual novels, and that’s a compliment.

FANTASTIC FORCE #4: Two points about this: 1) I wonder if, in Hickman’s book, when Ben and Johnny visit Nu-Earth, this series will be referenced at all, and 2) Last page has the most ridiculous, over the top thing Wolverine has ever done in the entire history of published Wolverine comics. This is not hyperbole.

FANTASTIC FOUR #571: The promise of last issue’s final page is fulfilled, if not in full, then at least in satisfying fashion. Plus! Though we’re pretty much focused on Reed(s), everybody else’s dialogue reads far more smoothly than it did last issue. Also! I’m really starting to think this series is not taking place in our main universe. Not going to say why, just my pet theory. Prove me wrong, Hickman. Prove me wrong. Or prove me right, either way is fine.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #18: Every single time I get sent an issue of this, I think Marvel has started publishing Gargamel comics, but that’s probably only weird to me (they abbreviate its title as “GARGAL”). And I know you’re all interested in file names, but on to the review of the issue: this series is darn good and fun. This issue, in particular, reminds me of a certain Bill Murray movie (if you said “Operation: Dumbo Drop,” you would be wrong), and is much lighter than the last issue in tone and execution. And I’m curious, more than anything, to see what the long game here is, and how it will play out. That’s enough to keep me on for the long haul.

IMMORTAL WEAPONS #3: The best thing about this series is that each issue has its own look and feel to it, as each one focuses on a different Immortal Weapon (hence, you know, the title). While this is my least favorite of the three so far, that still means its heads and tails above most comics, and Iron Fist fans should be picking this for Duane Swierczynski’s back-ups alone.

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #135: Every issue of this series is a fabulous adventure that deserves to be collected and read over and over. When people ask what the best comics of the first decade of the century were, they’ll fondly recall Pak and Van Lente’s classic run on Incredible Hercules. If you’re not reading it, you might as well give up reading comics. This is also not hyperbole.

INCREDIBLE HULK #602: People have been saying my critical faculties towards Hulk comics have been compromised since I wrote Hulk Team-Up (still on sale at comic book stores everywhere!). But if that were true, would I say that Incredible Hulk is back, and as good as it’s ever been? That the pairing of a de-powered Banner, and a finally starting to have fun Skaar is enjoyable, high action, smart comics? I mean yeah, I guess I would. But that doesn’t make it any less true.

MS. MARVEL #45: This arc may have gone on about one issue too long (it’s starting to feel a leeeeetle flabby), but damn if Brian Reed hasn’t taken Ms. Marvel to a new level, breaking the character down and making her completely unique and worthwhile.

NEW AVENGERS #57: Okay, remember earlier when I was complaining about things not mattering in Avengers books? This matters, for one character in particular, and the Marvel U at large. One of Bendis’ tightest, punchiest arcs on the book so far, full of fun moments, danger, and great character work.

NOVA #29: This issue is an ever-so-slight comedown from the great War of Kings tie-ins, but if you’re looking for old school comics at their best, look no further. I’ve never been a fan of the cosmic stuff, but I’m a fan of good comics, and Abnett and Lanning have made a believer out of me.

SPIDER-WOMAN #1: That’s weird… This motion comic barely moved at all.

UNCANNY X-MEN #515: A great character issue for Cyclops fans, showing probably the most realistic reaction to a big event I’ve ever read in a comic in a while. Also, a killer last page, but then, we all knew it was coming. Right?

WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #19: “Wah, wah, wah. Comics are expensive. Wah, wah, wah. I can’t buy comics without having to buy a thousand other comics to understand what’s going on, so I won’t buy comics. Sniff, sniff. Everything is so dark, why aren’t comics fun anymore?” Hey crybaby: Wolverine First Class is an easily accessible, super fun comic book series for readers of comics new or old. This one comes with a fabulous Skottie Young cover, and only cost $2.99. Peter David writes (you like him, right?), and Dennis Calero draws (you DEFINITELY like him, right?). Game, set, and match, a-hole.

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #40: I really, really hope that this Romulus stuff pays off by revealing the mastermind behind everything is Remus, King of the Bird-People. But then, that’s only one of the many reasons I’m not writing Wolverine Origins.

WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN GIANT-SIZE #1: Goatse cover aside, this is a fun, big action conclusion to Millar and McNiven’s run on the title. And I’m going to reiterate what I’ve been saying all along: this is going to be a fabulous collection. Each individual issue, this one included, is like a light snack, with pretty much one major action beat per comic. But read as a trade, it’ll be a full, satisfying meal. McNiven’s pencils are cinematic, as always, and Millar writes cheeky action scenes like no one else. There’s one totally unnecessary Millar perversion in this issue, which must have seemed very funny at the time, but plays as just plain crass; though that shouldn’t stop you from picking this up. What might stop you is the back half of the issue, which is just a bunch of covers from the series, that, presumably, you already purchased. At $5 for an (albeit, over-sized) story, to throw in 20 pages of bonus material that will most likely appear in the upcoming trade collection is just a wee bit unfortunate.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #597 – Is this the best Spider-Man has ever been? I’m going to go out on a limb and say, “possibly.” Spidey goes up against the Dark Avengers, and it ain’t pretty. Joe Kelly knows how to ratchet up the danger to Pete, which he does quite well in this issue. And Marco Chechetto’s art is great, reminiscent of Phil Jimenez without feeling derivative. Plus, we get a clue about what’s going to go down in ASM #600, and it’s both blindingly obvious, and a completely fun idea. Can’t wait.

BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #1 – I want to ruin absolutely nothing about this book, because it came as a total surprise to me. It’s well written, well drawn, and you get a bonus “origin of Beta Ray Bill” reprint. Pick this up.

ENDER’S GAME: RECRUITING VALENTINE ONE-SHOT – I’m still having a hard time getting a handle on the Ender’s Universe, having never read the books, but holy crap, Timothy Green II’s use of light in the art in this issue is stunning. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite so cinematic in a comic book before. Whatever I think about the story and plot elements of these Enders books, Marvel is putting an incredible amount of talent on them.

FANTASTIC FOUR #567 – Why? Why must this book be so pretty, and yet so dumb. So unrelenting dumb? So incredibly dumb, it hurts my brain to think about. I love Mark Millar. I love his big, silly over the top action set pieces. And Bryan Hitch’s art is classic. But I wish it wasn’t tied to stories so stunningly un-original, they feel like something I came up with at age ten after reading comics, then playing with my action figures in the yard. “No, Doctor Doom isn’t the bad guy! This He-Man action figure is the real bad guy! And the only one that can stop him is… Rodimus Prime!” Sigh.

GENEXT: UNITED #2 – While reading this issue, I was thinking about the differences between Claremont’s approach to this, ostensibly the future of the X-Men, and X-Men Forever, which you could easily call the past of the X-Men. And he’s taking entirely opposite approaches to the two titles. Where X-Men Forever (and granted, this is based on one issue) feels like it’s purposely going against what would have ACTUALLY happened in issue #4 of X-Men back in the 90s (and will only go further against it from there), GeneXt is almost stubbornly not pushing the idea of the X-Men forward. And just in case it isn’t clear, I’m totally cool with that. This was a review of X-Men Forever, right?

LOCKJAW AND THE PET AVENGERS #2 – Ms. Lion is the most important new character in the Marvel Universe. I’m glad I said what we were all thinking.

PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX #71 – There’s nothing terribly wrong with this issue in particular, other than the fact that it’s a Punisher MAX comic not written by Garth Ennis. Oh, and the Punisher spends the entire issue doing absolutely nothing except squinting his eyes and wondering if anything is wrong. Which is what we all want out of a Punisher comic, right? Frank Castle thinking real hard like?

UNCANNY X-MEN #511 – Love this comic, love what Matt Fraction is doing with it, love some of the plot twists, do NOT like the rushed, ambiguous conclusion. YOu should pick it up anyway, though. It’s original, fun X-Men stories, and how long has it been since we had those. Forever. X-Men Forever.

WAR OF KINGS: SAVAGE WORLD OF SKAAR ONE-SHOT – If you like War of Kings, and also like Skaar, you are one of the ten people in the very small Venn Diagram of comic book readers who will by this book. Congratulations, I hope you like continuity headaches.

WOLVERINE #74 – I can take or leave the first story in this book, which plays exactly like each of the fifteen thousand Wolverine one shots that have come out over the past month. But the second story continues to be one of the best Wolverine stories… Ever. No joke. And the Wolverine/Spidey relationship continues to be totally delightful, even if it smacks of “hey, let’s take the two most marketable characters at Marvel, and put them together to make money I MEAN GOOD STORIES.” Anyway, it should be a law somewhere that only Jason Aaron is allowed to write Wolverine comics.

X-FACTOR #44 – Layla and Madrox together totally creeps me out. That’s all I’ve got.

[Via]

The second time the X-Men saw anything other than the pages of a Marvel comic book was in 1992 on Fox Saturday mornings. Let us fondly remember the half hour 1989 X-Men special, Pryde of the X-Men as the first. [Pause for silence.] Marvel’s second attempt was a noble and modest attempt at trying to bring Marvel’s convoluted and complex mutant saga to television. In many ways they succeeded.

What was enjoyable out of the series was the dark and heavy tone, and the timely stories that reflected many classic X-Men stories such as The Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past, and Storm and the Morlocks. It also reflected the X-Men stories that were running through the comics that were being released at the time. Characters like Cable, Bishop, Omega Red and their relevant stories like the Legacy Virus and the Phalanx Covenant found their way on TV eventually. It was a fun time to be an X-Men fan both as a reader and a TV watcher. Stand-alone episodes like “Mojovision” worked as a distraction to an otherwise heavy series and it never strayed away from the relationships, the outer space stories, or the X-Men Traitor subplot. Give it credit, it wasn’t dumbed down to a younger audience by any means.

The animated series did a better of developing the characters than any of the movies which were all made to make Wolverine (and Magneto) look like bad mothers and succeeded in doing so, but so many of the other characters are given any real justice. Here, Storm actually looked and acted like the regal character that she is, The Dark Phoenix Saga actually worked in this format. And I think this was the first time I really felt Mystique was properly handled, and became the template for her movie counterpart.

But X-Men’s animation style left much to be desired. Everyone had hulking bodies, blocky shading, muted colors, but everything did work together somehow. The voice acting was hit or miss. Rogue was downright over-the-top at times, Gambit was laughable, but Beast, Wolverine, and many of the villains like Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse were dead on. One final thing I despised about the series was that terrible theme song. It’s as if it was put together with no thought and sounded as if it were put together on a cheap electronic Casio keyboard. What happened to the jazzy, finger-snapping, and catchy tunes of the 60′s Marvel cartoons? X-Men’s theme is embarassing, compounded even more when you compare the X-Men series with what the WB was doing with Batman: The Animated Series at the time. No contest.

The series’ strength is in the storytelling and extracting the classic X-Men stories in grand fashion. The first two volumes (of four) have been released and run through the middle of the third season with the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Volume 1 (391 minutes)
Disc 1
Night of the Sentinels (Part 1)
Night of the Sentinels (Part 2)
Enter Magneto
Deadly Reunions
Captive Hearts
Cold Vengeance
Slave Island
The Unstoppable Juggernaut

Disc 2
The Cure
Come the Apocalypse
Days of Future Past (Part 1)
Days of Future Past (Past 2)
The Final Decision
Till Death Do Us Part (Part 1)
Till Death Do Us Part (Part 2)
Whatever It Takes

Volume 2 (368 Minutes)
Disc 1
Red Dawn
Repo Man
X-Ternally Yours
Time Fugitives (Part 1)
Time Fugitives (Part 2)
A Rogue’s Tale
Beauty & The BEast
Mojovision

Disc 2
Reunion (Part 1)
Reunion (Part 2)
Out of the Past (Part 1)
Out of the Past (Part 2)
The Phoenix Saga (Part 1)
The Phoenix Saga (Part 2)
The Phoenix Saga (Part 3)
The Phoenix Saga (Part 4)
The Phoenix Saga (Part 5)

Video: B-
Both X-Men volumes comes in a standard definition MPEG-2 video transfer in their original 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratio. There’s nothing bad here but nothing spectacular either. It’s saturday morning affair, but the colors are bright, contrast ratio is acceptable, and all around solid for throwing into your portable laptop or an up-converting blu-ray player.

Audio: B-
Nothing major has been done to the audio department except for preserving the original Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 soundtrack. There’s some nice left to right and right to left effects, but is what you expect out of a television show from the 90′s.

Extras: D-
Outside of trailers for the new Sony 3-D animated film, G-Force, Monsters Inc., The Black Cauldron, Morning Light, and Lost Season 4 on blu-ray there’s absolutely nothing of extra value which is a waste. I’m not expecting any commentaries but perhaps some small feature on working with the editors/writers of the comics at the time would have been nice. Perhaps some interviews with the creators who had some of their stories tapped for the television series could have been put together. It’s disappointing and lazy but it’s the best we’ll get.

Overall Shock Value: C+
If you can overlook the style choices, the 90′s X-Men cartoons still put forth a faithful and likable series. The stories built on one another, the effort felt epic, and outside of reading 40 years worth of comics, this is a good an X-Men experience as any. For longtime X-Men readers this was a great supplement, but I wonder how many new comic readers came out of this series. The usual dark and barrage of characters were hardly inviting to new audiences. But forget new readers, this series was for fanboys who eagerly awaited for their favorite characters to have their own spotlight (Alpha Flight anyone, or the Juggernaut; before he was hilariously bastardized on the internet). Depending on how deep your love for the X-Men goes, warts and all, the X-Men Animated Series on DVD is an affordable must-have for Marvel Mutant Zombies and DCU Haters.

Ernie Estrella

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an epic action-adventure game featuring a true-to-character Wolverine gameplay experience that takes gamers through and beyond the movie’s storyline. Set in a variety of vivid real-world locales, the title challenges players to hone their animal instinct as they uncover hidden dangers, hunt and defeat enemies, and take on seemingly insurmountable situations while discovering the truth about Wolverine’s tragic past. With razor-sharp adamantium claws unsheathed, the future X-Man enacts lightning-quick combat, evasive maneuvers, in-depth combo attacks, and an array of brutal finishing moves. Wolverine doesn’t just deliver massive damage, either – he also takes it, thanks to his mutant regenerative power that heals him in real time right before the player’s eyes.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is available for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS2, PSP and Wii.

Find out more HERE from the horse’s mouth.