TV Review: X-men Evolution Season 2

The Lowdown: A re-imagining of the popular comic and film franchise, X-men, where the title characters are de-aged into teenagers in a high-school setting.

The Review: Here I am back at it again with more X-men Evolution. Since the first season kiddied up the X-men concept and castrated the complexity of the X-men world and it's characters, it left me wary on how the show would progress. Would it continue in it's cutesy direction that only a pre-teen could love or would it grow a pair of balls and satisfy the child, the teen, and the adult audience?

Well, in short, X-men: Evolution season 2 is a huge, gigantic step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it takes most of the season to make that step. It's understandable, and was a good decision to slow burn the dark tonal shift. This shift plays into one of the major themes of the season, HIDDEN IDENTITIES. In the Evolution world, mutants are largely hidden and most of the X-men can hide amongst the regulars. There's quite a few episodes that play into the non-exposure of mutants and it's one of Beast's struggles during this season. By the time the season comes to it's excellent conclusion (the last three episodes), you can see all the little nuances tying together.

But before I get ahead of myself, heck I almost jumped into my hopes and impressions for season 3, let me jump back to the beginning of the second season. The whole season takes on a fresh slate feel. Although the Brotherhood and X-men fight (again!) in the early episodes, it doesn't seem as stale. Why, you may ask? Because this time around it's not just about recruitment, and heck they only fight once (motivated by the main theme mentioned earlier) in the early part of the season, most of the rest is just petty arguments. It makes sense, because of the age group of these mutants, they're less likely to be involved in constant super hero team clashes. It didn't mesh well in the season before, and the season before made it occur in almost every single episode.

Also, from the very beginning, Xavier's school has a larger population of mutant students, making it seem like an actual school instead of a superhero bootcamp. There are a ton new mutants that often take supporting roles in many of the characters. Some are takes on the classic New Mutant series (Cannonball, Magma), one is a classic X-character (Iceman) and my favorites are takes on the X-factor team (Rahne/Wolfsbane and Madrox/Multiple Man). There's others that make constant cameos and this is one thing that really livens up and freshens up the series from the get-go.

Another reason why this season is better is simply the writing is crisper, this time around the high-school concept is only a backdrop instead of consuming the series every episode. The stakes are often larger, although small-scale enough for teenager mutants to deal with, and the adults take more important roles throughout but are less dictating and more subdued in their manipulation (speaking specifically of Mystique and Magneto). The children also engage in very high-school things, they act like teenage kids, they have crushes, they often engage in pranks, and they are underdeveloped in their ability to handle emotion. The romantic subplots become another huge theme and also are better parts of the series, they really add little nuances, and slowly develop like real relationships. The chemistry between the character is much more spot on and the fight sequences have improved as well. (As an aside: For animate, Nothing has been able to top the amazing fight choreography of the Spectacular Spider-man series, WOOO!)

Of course the season is fantastic, it's still got kiddified plots, but they're handled much better than before. Outside of a few dud episodes, the season is solidly above average, sometimes good, but not anywhere near great or fantastic. Some plots are still rather boring, and the series is rather tied to the high-school concept limiting the depth and complexity that the plots can have. But when the series hits its stride near the end of the season it really hits its stride. Those last 3 episodes (Hex Factor, Day of Reckoning Part 1-2) are the best three episodes of the season (along with On Angel's Wings). And frankly the ending of the season makes you glad you stuck around because the tone of the show completely changes to a more mature, dark feel.

OVERALL: It's a solid season that's a rather fun adaptation, but still can be rather dull at points. Lots of bonus points for the pre-finale episode and finale two-parter. It's a barnburner that makes you excited for things to come.

** 3/4 out of *****

TPB Review: X-men: Chidlren of the Atom

by: Joe Casey, Steve Rude

Collects: X-men Children of the Atom 1-6

Premise: The beginning of the X-men. Before they were a team, before they were a class, they were just hiding. Professor X scours around for teenage mutants to build his vision and his school.

Review: Using a retro look and a retro writing style, Joe Casey takes the year-one style initiated in Frank Miller's Batman masterpiece and applies it to the first X-men team.

I finished X-men: Evolution Season 1 a few weeks ago, and honestly this is miles ahead with a very similar, albeit not nearly as lengthy, extended, and serialized concept. If you've ever wanted to see teenage X-men, this is the place to get it.

You're going to see Frank Miller's name pop up in this review alot because this tpb really does harken back to his year one concept. While Frank Miller's book was about a couple of characters (Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon), this is about a team of five plus their leader, plus villains, plus supporting characters not inherent in the X-men mythos.

There's an FBI angent who plays a straight man not sure what or who to believe but begrudgingly helps Professor Xavier throughout the book because Xavier is out there to help kids. He's there to be an outsider point of view, basically supposed to represent the reader, being exposed to the mutant world for the first time. It's a cute idea, but it's been played so many times through so many different mediums. Yet it continues to work. Here it feels a little more unnecessary than usual and more like a plot element, but that may be a result of my familiarity with the x-men franchise.

Casey shows off all of the themes and the three core visions of the X-verse. It's X-men year one for goodness sakes so it's not too much of a stretch from the usual concepts. Xavier is there to build his vision of co-existence, Magneto builds a vision of mutant superiority, and William Metzger (a human) builds a vision of mutant oppression. It's the core X-men story and concept, and while outplayed, it wouldn't make sense if it it wasn't in this book.

Professor Xavier gets the most time as it really is his "baby," his vision, his team. Xavier is the driving force of this book and his plotting, his infiltrations, and his friendships that develop with the kids is intriguing to watch.

The actual team characters all get spotlights as they either attempt to deal with their powers and in one case, deal with the initial manifestation. Casey balances all of the characters and each of the charactes their chance to shine. While their characters aren't so well-developed, it fits because they're still in the prime developing stages, their still teenagers. Casey gets the most usage out of Scott Summers from the kids because he's got the most troubling past and situation. But each one gets their chance to shine. Hank McCoy is also a pleasure to watch and read in this book. In the end, it's a great sight to see them come together as a team.

As the surrounding world fears mutants because they don't understand this fear takes a violent reaction as William Metzger, a charismatic fellow, mobilizes misfit teens against the mutants. The core of the book is very classic X-men and the villain is no different. But here while familiar and in line with the core concept, it feels just a little too familiar. Metzger falls in line with the other charismatic violent humans: William Stryker, Robert Kelly, Trask. It's just another play on that type of character. Its not too much of a problem because its a realm where the X-men concept excels.

Again the art takes a nod to Frank Miller's Batman stories, who doesn't, as the television channels showing newscasts and other shows dealing with the "mutant crisis" is an homage to the newscasts in Dark Knight Returns. The book takes a retro look and it really feels like the 80's all over again, but yet the book's stays timeless. Steve Rude's does well with both the dark damp scenes, like Cyclops in the dark apartment, and the bright colorful scenes, like Jean playing with flowers.

The core is there, the characters are there, the themes are there, this is an X-men book through and through.

Final Thoughts: While this is the CORE X-men story, it's also not really new. While Batman: Year One was the core Batman story, it was really fresh and rather unexposed at the time, this X-men story isn't fresh. It's not fresh now in 2009 and I don't think it was fresh in 1999 when it came out, either. That said it is also the perfect introduction to the X-franchise for any new reader.

Final Grade: 8.0/10

TPB Review: The Walking Dead vol. 8

Made To Suffer

by: Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn

Collects: The Walking Dead #43-48

Premise: An apocalyptic zombie epidemic has swept the area, or the nation, maybe even the globe. Nobody knows how far and wide this epidemic reaches, why it started, or how to even stop it. This series follows a small band of survivors as they deal with the changing world around them. As the tag-line reads: "In a world of the dead, we are forced to finally start living."

Review:
This review contains very minor spoilers for many previous volumes, you have been warned!

As soon as Kirkman's premier comic book series The Walking Dead begins to get stale, Kirkman throws a wrench into the entire system, plot, and ongoing story changing the status quo. This volume is that wrench. Kirkman flips everything upside down in this fully-loaded volume.

The morality of the situation bleeds entirely into gray. Even though Rick's merry band of survivors are the ones we sympathize with, the other survivors are all really just regular people as well. The only one who transcends this grayness is the governor who is painted into a very by the numbers evil guy, he's THE bad guy and the cause for much of the pressing matters in this volume. There's a ton of symbolism towards the power of charisma, the power of fear, and the results of horrible dictatorship.

Speaking of pressing matters, this volume is gruesome, it's arguably the goriest it's ever been. But don't let that scare you, as Kirkman hide plenty of diamonds in this action-fest. Some of the bigger moments in here show you some very deep character developments. Also the whole thing shows you how involved the people are with each other, fighting each other, defending each other, and loving each other that they forget about the way of the world, the epicenter, the zombies. It's a really interesting strategy showing that that all these people are trying to escape but at the same time it's all they can possibly think about, but at the same time they become complicit in their salvation.

Kirkman still writes too much dialogue at times. But his plotting continues to be solid like a rock. His thematic relevance continues to be intriguing, this one showing the fight between people over resources, and the results of charismatic leadership (both good and evil). While the book's plot has shifted away from the horror of the zombies and towards the horror of human cruelty, it's still a horrific topic to deal with. War is still raw, bloody, and causes entirely too much strain on the human psyche, and Charlie continues to provide both the big bloody action set-pieces and his major strength in emotional reactions.

Final Thoughts: This is a must-have volume, it's got a ton of action, huge plot points, and a giant change in the status quo, if you're any type of fan you should pick this up. Although for newbies, I'd think the next volume would be a better start. Kirkman breathes new life into the concept and Charlie continues to bring the goods.

Final Grade: 8.5/10