X-Men
Let’s go, bub.
Ep. 201 is live!
It's a new year and a new season of Yesterdaze! In an act of hubris, I've decided to kick Season Two off with gusto! Stemming from our patron Brett a.k.a. Bert James picking Spider-man: The Animated Series, I made the decision to cover every animated Marvel series from the 90's. This seemed like a fine idea, especially seeing as how January has five Mondays. However, this also meant jamming eight properties into five weeks. Let it never be said that I don't appreciate a challenge. In that spirit, let's kick off season two with the first episode of Make Mine Marvel Month, and dive right into X-Men: The Animated Series. The X-Men debuted on Saturday October 31st in 1992, making for one hell of a Halloween weekend. We were treated to five seasons of this 90's gem, consisting of 76 episodes. The show owes its existence to two factors. First, the debut of Batman in 1989 kicked off a superhero resurgence/gold rush headed into the 90's. The success of Batman naturally led to Batman: The Animated Series on Fox Kids, as well as execs looking for the next spandex clad cash cow. Speaking of Fox Kids, the second factor for the show getting off the ground owes its green light to the often mentioned, and frankly legendary, Margaret Loesch. No stranger to the X-Men franchise, Maragaret was the executive producer for Pryde of The X-Men, which was Marvel's first attempt at a pilot for the merry mutants. A true believer in the initial pilot, Loesch would champion for an X-Men series until she was named head of Fox Kids, at which point she said "go."
X-Men on Fox was prime appointment television for us every Saturday morning, and we were eager to consume every minute of the show. This should come as no surprise as Marvel had already started to dominate the 90's with their first series of Marvel Trading Cards, essential currency on most playgrounds. Additionally, Marvel was starting to really show up in the toy aisle. Toy manufacturer Toy Biz, who will come up a lot this month, came off of their Batman & DC Superheroes toy lines/licensing deals strong with their Marvel Super Heroes line of action figures in 1990. Toy Biz branching out and having an X-Men centric subline on the market in 1991 only served to set the table further for our collective fervor for X-Men once it hit the airwaves in 1992.
What we couldn't suspect at the time is just what '92's X-Men would kick off, let alone the overall effects and influences this show would have for years to come. In hindsight, I offer that the only negative thing most could have to say about this series was its fifth season. Season five is infamous for its shift in animation quality, and it should come as no surprise; the show was originally contracted for four seasons, many of the players involved started moving on to the next gig once contractual obligations were over. Fox, however, wanted to squeeze just a bit more juice, hence season five. Outside of that, this show managed to follow a method proven by MOTU and GI Joe, delivering entertainment we couldn't get enough of along with cross-media promotion and a bevy of products. From a fondly remembered toyline to school supplies, amazing video games at home and in the arcade...if Magneto were real, he would revel in the dominance mutants had over humans. This iteration of the X-Men has proven so popular that they have their own little corner in the Marvel Comics Multiverse, and very soon we will be treated to a second round of the 90's animated X-Men when X-Men '97 debuts on Disney+. Additionally, mutants have officially entered the MCU, and in time...they will be getting fresh updates in Marvel's future cinematic phases. All the while, you better believe they're keeping a strong presence in the toy aisle, too.
Thank you for reading, and listening as well. I am truly excited to kick off the year with an epic fun-filled themed month. Make Mine Marvel Month continues next Monday as the boys and I discuss a programming block that is sometimes overlooked when recalling 90's Marvel animated fare...tune in, as we discuss The Marvel Action Hour, which saw Marvel mainstays Iron Man and Fantastic Four join the cartoon landscape of the 90s. We'll see you next week. -Derek
