|
X-MEN: EVOLUTION #1
"Lines in the Sand"
Recommended (8/10)
|
Marvel Comics
Writer: Devin Grayson
Artists: Udon with Long Vo, Charles Park & Saka of Studio XD
Letters: Randy Gentile
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
In general, Marvel has fallen way behind on cartoons and adaptations of cartoons when compared to DC. With X-Men: Evolution, they seem to be catching up. The cartoon, though not a favorite of mine, is an intriguing and different look at the X-Men that seems perfect to appeal to younger audiences, and the comic answers the one complaint I have had about the series, namely that the numerous changes are never really laid out for readers, so the status quo is hard to get a feel for. Grayson tells the story here of how the X-Men and the Brotherhood got started in the X-Men: Evolution
universe, and its a fascinating read because despite being familiar origins,
there are enough twists to keep things interesting. And the artwork? Well, let's
just say that so far, Udon Studios is living up to the positive buzz surrounding
them.
Any comics fan has probably read several different versions of the early days of the X-Men, but X-Men: Evolution has done a nice job of taking all of
that in a different direction by establishing the conflicts as more
high-school-based than worldwide, taking a cue from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Grayson plays nicely off of this dynamic, setting the first glimmer of the X-Men
idea, and the first meeting of any X-Men, as Charles Xavier and Storm. The first
X-Men were no longer Cyclops and Jean, they were Storm and Wolverine, and this
is an important difference.
One of the things that kids'
animation forces creators to do is to think of ways to minimize the violence,
and the choice to use school activities as a basis does that quite nicely. The
majority of the conflicts in this issue come about as discussions, conflicts of
philosophy rather than fists, and Grayson's writing is ideally suited to that
kind of work. I particularly enjoyed seeing her take on Xavier and Magneto and
their discussions, and seeing how their split developed in early days. It seems
clear so far that though they may wind up at war someday, for right now the
differences between the two factions of students is mostly philosophical,
learning how to war eventually for their cause.
I know that all of this
talking sounds like it might be quite boring, but nothing could be farther from
the truth, and that's down to the work of Udon Studios. Their work captures the
look of the animated series quite well, with the figures seeming to step off the
page against the more blended backgrounds. The work is beautifully colored,
particularly when energy of some sort (fire, air movement, electricity) is
involved. The folks at Udon also do some impressive storytelling, making various
changes in camera angle so that the storytelling never devolves into talking
heads.
Compared to New X-Men and X-Force, X-Men: Evolution is still a little too traditional, and
it's not likely to win fans amongst the larger majority of adult comics fans.
However, that's not its job, and the job it has, it gets done very well. As a
comic for X-Men fans or for younger fans of comics and cartoons, this is a great
entry-level book that is exciting and approachable, not to mention quite
beautiful.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
