SDCC 2008: Wolverine and the X-Men

With the nature of the lines that day, I decided to attend the "Sarah Silverman" panel (which was entertaining in and of itself) and already be in the room for the premiere of the new animated X-Men series, "Wolverine and the X-Men"

As IGN (spoilerish) reports in its recap: " At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel unveiled it's latest revamp of an X-Men animated series, answering the call of the fans of the '90s series with the next mutant saga, Wolverine and the X-Men. The cartoon is due out on Nickelodeon next year, but for now, those in attendance were treated to the first three episodes as everybody's favorite mutants fought the good fight with one of the world's most popular comic characters helming the team."

The series is done by the same folks who brought us "X-Men: Evolution", which started out weak and then became a great show in seasons 2-4. The creative team admitted that "X-men: Evolution started light, but [with "Wolverine and the X-Men"] we launched right in." They said they were able to create a show with very little network interference.

For those wondering, there is a reason why the show is called "wolverine and the X-Men"; Wolverine is forced into a leadership role after a series of tragic and time-bending events. There are nods to many classic X-Men storylines along the way - featuring familiar x-concepts like Genosha, "Days of Future Past", the Massachusetts Academy, the Brotherhood and more.

Each episode is stand-alone, but is part of a larger-tapestry storyline, much like the X-Men comic book series. The creative team mentioned that the first season will comprise 26 episodes, and "about 21 of them" are driven by the continuity of a large season one epic.

The White Queen is used to good effect in the storyline, even touching on the current Scott/Emma relationship in the comics. She's a mysterious character who join the X-Men for reasons that may not be entirely altruistic. The show deftly combines her defining character moments to create a very intriguing character.

The show also features some elements of the X-Men movie lore, like the close bond shared by Wolverine and Rogue... As well as hints of a Iceman/Kitty Pryde relationship. The Wolverine/Jean/Cyclops triangle is also evocative of the X-movies.

The first three episodes were very solid, and used many characters from the comics, including Rusty, Boom Boom, Dust, Domino, Toad, Avalanche and many, many others. This may be the best, most-loyal adaption of the X-Men franchise. X-fans should be pleased!