Cartoons willing to play around with the time-space continuum in a meaningful way are few and far between; narrow that down to cartoons aimed at kids and comic book fans alike, and the list only gets shorter. The original X-Men Animated Series did it and so does Wolverine and the X-Men. The concept plays an integral role in some of the more interesting characters having a chance to appear at all. After all, an X-Men series without Bishop would just be X-Men Evolution. And no one wants that. Not again. Wolverine and the X-Men comes to its conclusion (sadly, a permanent one) in this final DVD volume release. The main conflicts including Mastermold, the Phoenix, and various smaller character arcs come to a conclusion in a satisfying way that would have setup a really great second season.
At the end of the episodes in the previous volume, Jean Gray has finally been recovered but her consciousness is lost in a comatose state. Wolverine, Cyclops, and Emma Frost attempt to deal with her reappearance but, as always personalities clash and ulterior motives lead to a final encounter with a mysterious organization hell bent on controlling the power of the Phoenix. All of this coalesces just as Magneto and Mystique follow through on their plan to start a war with mankind using weapons of their own design: the sentinels. Meanwhile, in the future, Professor X, Bishop, and a collection of mutants attempt to rectify the mistakes of the past and put an end to Mastermold’s reign once and for all. The two storylines intersect courtesy of Xavier’s ability to project himself into the past to communicate with Wolverine the effects, if any, his actions in the present are having on the future as he lives it.
The use of two corresponding timelines (in the present and future) makes the cartoon an interesting exercise in non-linear storytelling, an unfortunate rarity in television. What makes this season closing of Wolverine and the X-Men additionally frustrating is that it’s also the series finale – just as *spoiler alert* the Age of Apocalypse storyline is clearly set to be the second season. *end spoiler* It would have been the most in-depth storyline involving Apocalypse any of the cartoons ever attempted and frankly, the cancellation of the series is a huge letdown because of it.
The animation style for the entire season was a good middle ground between the original series and the far too cartoonish X-Men Evolution. It took the best elements of both and combined them into a cartoon which, while certainly kid-friendly, definitely knew it would be sating the attentions of older X-Men fans as well. Rounding out the superior creative design of the show was the above par voice cast including Steve Blum (Wolverine), Jim Ward (Xavier), Nolan North (Cyclops), Fred Tatasciore (Beast), Kari Wahlgren (Emma Frost), Tom Kane (Magneto), Yuri Lowenthal (Iceman), and Tara Strong (Marrow). It’s really a fantastic collection of voice actors, and one that keeps getting used over and over in Marvel’s increasingly large collection of direct-to-DVD animated films.
What has to be said, and what I’ve stated as an issue with each and every release of this series, is that this is a shameful way to release a cartoon series. Fans shouldn’t be asked to purchase it piecemeal just to maximize a studio’s profit – they should have the chance to buy it all at once in one package right away instead of waiting for the far-off October 12th release date planned for the complete series (which will only be about $23 - compared to $10 for each of the 6 volumes). Let parents who get guilt tripped into a purchase buy the volume versions, but that release style should never be used as a replacement for a full season set. It can't come soon enough, and considering it’s now an orphaned season, I guess we should be thankful Marvel and Lionsgate are doing it at all (but not too thankful).
Fans will buy it, assuming they haven’t gotten impatient and just bought these volume releases as they became available.
DVD Bonus Features
The three masterminds behind the series, Craig Kyle, Greg Johnson, and Christopher Yost, offer audio commentaries on each episode. Besides that and a trailer gallery for other Lionsgate releases, that’s all you get for extras. No season or series retrospective. Sad day.
"Wolverine and the X-Men: Final Crisis Trilogy" is on sale August 17, 2010 and is not rated. Action, Animation, Comic Book, Sci-Fi. Directed by Boyd Kirkland, Doug Murphy, Nicholas Filippi, Steven E Gordon. Written by Craig Kyle, Greg Johnson, Christopher Yost. Starring Fred Tatasciore, Jim Ward, Kari Wahlgren, Nolan North, Steve Blum, Tom Kane, Yuri Lowenthal.
