Marvel Comics gives fans a segue into the world of X-Men ’97 before the highly anticipated show debuts.
The 4-issue X-Men ’97 comic book miniseries is set to lay the groundwork for the upcoming show, which itself is Marvel Studios‘ long-awaited sequel to the classic 1990s cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series. These comics are meant to bridge the gap between the new series and the first, showcasing what characters such as Jubilee, Wolverine and the rest of the X-Men have been up to in the interim. Created in conjunction with the showrunners, the series perfectly represents a nostalgic blast from the past.
X-MEN ’97 #1 (OF 4)
- Written by STEVE FOXE
- Art by SALVA ESPÍN
- Cover by TODD NUACK
- On Sale 3/27
The X-Men ’97 Comic Reunites the X-Men ’92: House of XCII Creative Team
The writer of the series is Steve Foxe, who has notable experience with the franchise. He worked on titles like Dark X-Men and X-Men ’92: House of XCII. The latter explored the mainstream comic books’ “Krakoa Era” status quo, but amid the cast of characters from X-Men: The Animated Series. Conversely, those aforementioned comics were also drawn by Salva Espín, who’s returning to collaborate with Foxe. Conversely, the cover art is handled by Todd Nauck. When discussing X-Men ’97, the writer of the series had this to say:
“There’s a very good chance I wouldn’t be writing comics today if not for the impact X-Men: The Animated Series had on me as a kid — heck, the voice actors from the show are still the voices I hear when I read the comics today! Getting to reunite with my X-MEN ’92: HOUSE OF XCII collaborator Salva Espín on this official prelude to X-Men ’97 has felt like a bucket-list project a lifetime in the making, and Beau [DeMayo] and the rest of the ’97 team gave us a fantastic runway to come up with our own original tale that feeds right into what viewers will get to experience in the new season.”
X-Men ’97 Returns to the Marvel Animated Universe
Long before the MCU, there was the “Marvel Animated Universe”. This collection of shows made several classic characters iconic among young viewers and transformed the X-Men franchise into a mainstream success before the live-action Fox X-Men movies. X-Men: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series were the staples of the shared universe, and they notably adapted recent elements from the comic books. These included characters such as Cable, Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, Venom and Carnage.
X-Men: The Animated Series has remained the premiere adaptation of Marvel‘s merry mutants. This was due to how accurately it brought the comics to the small screen, with classic tales from writers such as Chris Claremont utilized as the basis for the series’ plots. There had previously been attempts to continue the show’s story in the comic books, but X-Men ’97 will be the true, official continuation of its continuity, and thus, the continuity of the Marvel Animated Universe.
X-Men ’97 premieres on Disney+ in early 2024.