X-Men: Season 1 - Episode 8: 'SpykeCam' (2001) - TV Episode Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

When I was a kid I was one who instead of collecting sports card, ended up trading comics & comic trading cards... My top 2 favorites of the Marvel stuff that I have in the collection that I still have, is, 'Wolverine' & 'Sabretooth' (For a brief time I would have said, 'Cyclops'... But that was only for a brief time...)

But you know those two are probably two of the most bad ass characters from both sides of the aisle that have ever exited!

And having these two guys in the latest episode of, 'X-Men Evolution' is largely why I am going to say that this episode is probably my favorite episode of the series... Of course there are other reasons, but I have to admit that they are pretty bad ass!

Sabertooth going to war with Wolverine!

Now this episode, which stars: Meghan Black (Elf), Neil Denis (RoboCop Alpha Commando), Michael Donovan (Captain N: The Game Master), Noel Fisher (Red), Zahf Paroo (Firewall), David Kaye (Fido), Scott McNeil (Conan: The Adventurer), Kirby Morrow (Class Of The Titans), Maggie Blue O'Hara (Finley The Fire Engine), Venus Terzo (Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog) & Kirsten Alter (Chaos).

Now the episode tells the story of how when Spyke (Neil Denis) gets a video camera for a school project, problems begin to ensue...

You see Spyke ends up being somewhat careless with the thing, and where as it shows Xavier's Academy, the camera itself ends up falling in to the hands of one of the X-Men's biggest threats at the time... Sabretooth (Michael Donovan)!

'Sabertooth' going up against, 'Rogue'!

And in the end, Sabretooth intends to settle up with his ole friend, 'Wolverine', and come for a visit that no one at the school will ever forget!

In the end, besides the fact that this episode has some of my favorite characters from the, 'Marvelverse' in it, it also has a nice on the edge of your seat element... (A thing that has up to this episode, mostly has been missing.)

So in the end folks, if you want to see a truly fun episode of a great animated TV series, check this out, I think you might find that you quite enjoy it!

X-Men: Evolution: Season 1 - Episode 5. 'Speed And Spyke' (2000) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_330" align="alignright" width="220"] Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]

The one thing so far that I have to say that I really don't understand about, 'X-Men: Evolution' is the fact that characters like, 'Jean Grey', 'Cyclops' and, 'Nightcrawler' are considered to be High Schoolers, but, 'Wolverine' & 'Storm' are adults? I mean they are all supposed to be roughly about the same age in just about any other form of media that has to do with the 'X-Men'...

Regardless though, this series so far is pretty good, and Season 1 - Episode 5: 'Speed And Spyke' (2000) is good example of this!

Written by: Bob Forward (The Super Mario Bros. Supershow), Rick Ungar (Mutant X) & Directed by: Gary Graham (Kung Fu Panda). Starring: Kirby Morrow (InuYasha), Scott McNeil (Conan The Adventurer), Venus Terzo (Da Vinci's Inquest), Maggie Blue O'Hara (CardCopters), Christopher Judge (Stargate: SG1), Neil Denis (RoboCop: Alpha Command), Christopher Gray (Fear), Brad Swaile (Mobile Suite Gundam 00), Kirsten Alter (Juno), David Kaye (Up), Richard Ian Cox (RV), Noel Fisher (Battle Los Angeles) & Colleen Wheeler (The Tall Man).

Now this episode is an interesting one... Not particularly good, not particularly bad... But if season 1 has been about Proffessor Xavier (David Kaye) & Magneto (Christopher Judge) recruiting for their perspective sides in the upcoming battles... Then one thing that should stand out real nicely is the fact that this episode has to do with both sides recruiting their newest members!
In the case of Professor Xavier and the, 'X-Men' their next team member is, 'Spyke'...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Spyke (Neil Denis) & his arch-nemesis being recruited on to different sides of right and wrong![/caption]

Now Spyke (Neil Denis) is the nephew of Storm (Kirsten Alter), and has been trying to recruit Spyke to join the Xavier Institute for awhile... So much so that ultimately she will bring in Jean Grey (Venus Terzo) & Cyclops (Kirby Morrow) to try and talk him in to it!

What finally gets him to sign up, is when after being blamed for breaking in to lockers at his school, (something that his enemy, 'Quick Silver' (Richard Ian Cox) had been doing, and had taken off when the cops showed up, leaving Spyke as the fall guy.)

Well Quick Silver isn't exactly one to work with a team himself, but Magneto really wants him on his team and works with his minion, 'Mystique' (Colleen Wheeler) to help bring Spyke and Quick Silver together for a final confrontation (believing that Quick Silver can have this final confrontation, that he could potentially end up being happy with becoming a member of Magneto and his group...)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Quick Silver maybe down, but he surely isn't out![/caption]

In the end, this episode was just plan old fun... I mean plot wholes aside, I just have to say that this episode was just fun... Not edge of your seat fun, but if your looking for something fun to watch on a lazy afternoon, this one is worth it!

http://youtu.be/tOFRJhXsFMk

X-Men Evolution. Season 1 - Episode 4, 'Mutant Crush' (2000) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"] Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

The truth is, is I can't imagine that Hollywood will ever really use any of the elements that were created in the cartoon, 'X-Men Evolution'...
That is a shame, because the truth is, is A: This series is an awful lot of fun, B: This also has an interesting concept for a potential eventual reboot movie series... But also C: There is an element that I kind of felt has been missing from other, 'X-Men' series, either on TV, or in the movies, and that is the character, 'Shadowcat'...

I know it might seem like an insignificant detail that I am putting to much attention on... But the truth is, is, 'Shadowcat' in the comics (at least at one point), played a fairly substantial role, and that is one of the larger reasons why I fell like, 'X-Men Evolution' is so awesome, including Season 1 - Episode 4: 'Mutant Crush' (2000)!

Written by: Katherine Lawrence (The Secret Of Mulan) & Directed by: Frank Paur (Spawn). Starring: Meghan Black (Elf), Vincent Gale (The Final Cut), Maggie Blue O'Hara (CardCopters), Scott McNeil (Conan: The Adventurer), Kirby Morrow (Class Of The Titans), Brad Swaile (Mobile Suit Gundam 00), Venus Terzo (It), David Kaye (Happy Gilmore) & Michael Dobson (Action Man).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="380"] The X-Men team as they will come to be in season 1...[/caption]

You see, this first season seems to tell the story about the recruitment drive between mutant kind, between the side of good and working for Professor Charles Xavier (David Kaye) and his desire to get the world willing to work side by side with mutants... And Magneto (Christopher Judge), whose interest is to go to war and subjugate regular humans... Well this episode tells of the pitfalls of the new potential recruit, 'Fred 'Blob' Dukes' (Michael Dobson).

Now at first Dukes is in Texas as a sort of sideshow at one of the big monster truck shows there... During this time both, 'Wolverine' (Scott McNeil) & Jean Gray (Venus Terzo) are kind of watching the show and waiting for the right moment to strike... The problem is, is so is, 'Mystique' (Colleen Wheeler)... The problem is, is Mystique has gotten to him first, and has gotten him in to her School...

When he gets there though, the hot headed mass of muscles ends up freaking out at just about half of the School... That is until Jean Gray befriends him...

And now with this dangerous hothead interested, it will be up to the, 'X-Men' to stop this mass from taking his interests for Jean to dangerous new levels!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="459"] Can you say, 'new BFF'?[/caption]

What can I say, this episode is not out of the ordinary, but the truth is, is this episode is just plain fun... And if you check it out, you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/7Z7chBBJx1o

X-Men: Evolution: Season 1 - Episode 3: 'Rogue Recruit' (2000) - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

You know there is this perception with a lot of people that if you watch Cartoons, yet you are an adult, that there is something wrong with you... Yet if you watch certain animated movies like, Persepolis (2007), that everything is A-Ok... Why is that?

Well I can't really say for certain but my suspicion is the fact that if you watch cartoons that you are in some way childish and immature... But if you watch animated movies like, Persepolis that you are cultured and sophisticated... I suppose that could be true if you derive the same type of enjoyment with cartoons as an adult that you did as a kid... But being a fan of animation in both the cartoon and animated form, but no longer (and not since I was a kid), wanting to be Batman anymore, I gotta say that it seems like some one who would say that watching cartoons as an adult being childish and immature, while watching animated movies like, Persepolis, is a little bit of a double standard!

I mean I think that it is great to watch old X-Men cartoons, in some respects it is almost like seeing the comics coming to life!

And that is just one of the reasons that I found X-Men: Evolution: Episode 3: 'Rogue Recruit' so interesting!

Written by: Simon Furman (Transformers: Beginnings) & Directed by: Steven E. Gordon (Terminator Salvation). Starring: Kirby Morrow (Fringe), Scott McNeil (Eve Of Destruction), Venus Terzo (Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog), Maggie Blue O'Hara (Living With The Dead), Christopher Gray (RoboCop: Alpha Commando), Christopher Judge (Stargate SG1), Meghan Black (Edgemont) Brad Swaile (Dragon Ball Z) Kirsten Alter (RV), David Kaye (Up) & Colleen Wheeler (Cabin In The Lake).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Rogue is about to learn the truth about where she really should be![/caption]

Now this is one I am talking about! What I mean by that, is this is the episode features the entrance of another classic X-Man, 'Rogue' (Meghan Black) in to the mix!

You see, Rogue is a down south girl from Mississippi where she is just about to come in to, 'contact' with her soon to be burgeoning mutant, 'Super Power'... That being when she touches some one she ends up draining some of their life force!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] And that boy touches Rogue, she definitely will leave a mark that he will never forget, and neither will she![/caption]

Well when she comes in to contact with the School jock and puts him in to a comma, her mutant power signals Cerbero (Sort of a mutant super computer.)  Because of this, Professor Xavier (David Kaye) and the other side end up sending representatives down to try and persuade her to join with them... The only problem is that since Mystique (Colleen Wheeler), tends to be more persuasive in these matters, it looks like Rogue will end up being left to her own devices for the time being!

Now the truth is, is that I do like this episode... even if it is not canonically accurate! (Ultimately in the comics Rogue ends up meeting up with the X-Men years later after doing many evil deeds (including sucking all of the powers out of a super hero!)

But never the less, it a fun episode and more then well worth the time!

http://youtu.be/7Z7chBBJx1o

X-Men: Evolution: Season 1 - Episode 2: 'The X-Impulse' - TV Episode Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

So far I have to say that I am pretty impressed with this series, I mean I haven't seen to many episodes yet, but the ones that I have seen I gotta say have been pretty awesome!

Admittedly it is true that unless you are a fan of animation then you might find this show to be a little infantile (probably almost exclusively due to the fact that it is a cartoon...) But if you are reading this review then I suspect you are like me, and are a fan of this type of stuff!) Anyway, so far this series has proven to be real nice addition to the, 'X-Men' world!

Although it is true that probably for the most part, I doubt the Hollywood would really utilize the information from this cartoon, it is cool... I mean you get a  glimpse in to the possible history of the, 'X-Men'  from their origin as Children... Which I haven't really seen in the movies (although there are elements that may slowly be coming together...) Also I have to admit that I never was able to find the X-Men origin comics, and so I never got to read about their true origins... And that is largely in my opinion what makes this show awesome!

Although I hate to say it... But as a follow up episode to the pilot, Episode 2 is pretty bland... But we will get in to that in a moment...

Written by: Greg Johnson (Planet Hulk), Rick Ungar (Mutant X) & Directed by: Gary Graham (Jungle Book 2). Starring: Kirby Morrow (Fringe), Scott McNeil (Eve Of Destruction), Venus Terzo (Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog), Maggie Blue O'Hara (Living With The Dead), Christopher Gray (RoboCop: Alpha Commando), Brad Sawile (Dragon Ball Z) Kirsten Alter (RV), David Kaye (Up) & Colleen Wheeler (Cabin In The Lake).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="580"] The X-Men as they were in season... This show just keeps getting better and better![/caption]

Now I hate to say it, but this episode was not the most inventive episode there is, and frankly not the most entertaining... but it does introduce, Shadow Cat (Kitty Pryde), and Avalanche (Lance Alvers) in to the mix... both of course being important characters in both the good and evil side of the X-Men Universe...

You see Kitty Pryde (Maggie Blue O'Hara) is a young high school girl who is just learning the scary fact that she is a mutant and not particularly happy about it especially when she ends up waking up one evening having phased through the floor and in to the basement of her house...

Now the unhappy, 'Kitty' and her parents are just trying to make the best of it when Cyclops (Kirby Morrow) and Jean (Venus Terzo) are asked to go and recruit Kitty to become the latest edition of the growing (X-Men) family... Of course non of them are particularly enthused by this...

But in the end things will change... You see Kitty is being pursued by a delinquent (and fellow mutant) by the name of, 'Lance  Alvers' (Christopher Gray) who will try to win her over to the dark side of the force and get her to try and break in and steal a test that he wants to sell!

If Cyclops, Jean and and her old (and soon to be new) families can get to her in time though, she will be inducted in to a a world that will change her life in a positive way forever!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="572"] Kitty Pryde is just one happy camper to become a mutant![/caption]

Like I said, this episode is not particularly inventive, the story line is not particularly original (it has been done many times over in both TV and the movies), but in all truth the best thing that I can say about this current episode is that it does take the story line in the right direction (even the older more well drawn X- Men cartoon from the 90s didn't have Shadow Cat in it... Which is a shame because she truly was an original, 'X-Man'!)

In summation, this may not be the best episode of the series, but stick with it, I doubt you will be disappointed... I know I haven't been!

http://youtu.be/7Z7chBBJx1o

X-Men: Evolution: Season 1 - Episode 1: 'Strategy X' (Air Date: November 4th, 2000)

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Like most kids that were born in the last 50 years or so, one of the things that I liked to do, (and still do to some extent) is to read comics! As a matter of fact, reading comics, collecting probably is where my interests in the animated cartoons and the movies comes from!

With that in mind, one of my favorite teams from the Marvel Universe is the, 'X-Men'... The truth is, is they are an awesome collection of people from all walks of life that have come together to represent a very awesome cross section of the world community... Just slightly different!

With that in mind, one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid was, 'X-Men: The Animated Series', this cartoon gave an amazing live action (not in person) but more of an action sided graphic representation of the comics themselves!

Unfortunately though, there has been a ton of great cartoons that have come out since then that were based on, 'The X-Men' that I hadn't taken the time to see... But that is until recently with, X-Men: Evolution (2000 - 2003)!

And you know what? I haven't seen to many episodes yet of this series, but so far the ones that I have seen, I have really enjoyed, unfortunately with the exception first episode entitled: Strategy X!

Written by: Avi Arand (Iron Man), Bob Forward (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!) & Rick Ungar (Spider-Man). Directed by: Frank Paur (Batman: Mask Of the Phantasm). Starring: Vincent Gale (Firewall), Christopher Judge (Stargate SG 1), Scott McNeil (Cedar Cove), Kirby Morrow (Escape From Planet Earth), Brad Swaile (Black Lagoon), Venus Terzo (It). Kirsten Alter (Chaos), David Kaye (Up), Noel Fisher (Final Destination 2) & Colleen Wheeler (The Tall Man).

In the whole, this TV series tells of how Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters goes from being a small center where people with mutant powers can go to and be accepted, and safe from the rest of the world to the big school that it will later become with a large X-Men team!

but this episodes tells of how the small center for mutant kind and the even smaller 'X-Men' team (at the beginning of this episode it only comprises, Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm and Wolverine...)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Cyclops (Kirby Morrow), Jean Grey (Venus Terzo), Spyke (Neil Denis), Shadowcat (Maggie Blue O'Hara)... An Early 'X-Men' team with Toad Tolansky (Noel Fisher).[/caption]

Anyway, during this time, the team is in school and all, but they are also awaiting their latest addition, 'Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner' (Swaile) to arrive from Germany... Of course that is not the only other perspective member of Xavier's growing family!  You see during a High School football game Toad Tolensky (Noel Fisher) is caught by some football players stealing some wallets...

During this time Cyclops decides to help out and gets rid of the guys, but unfortunately they knock his shades off and he ends up taking out half the School... Later on though, Professor Xavier has Toad brought in when it is discovered that Toad has special frog like abilities...

When he comes in though, this is after Nightcrawler has settled in, and after being chased up and down the halls by Nightcrawler for a little bit, he decides to take off... In the end though we come to discover that besides Professor Xavier and his team looking for fresh faced kids with mutant abilities, but Magneto (Christopher Judge) and Mystique (Colleen Wheeler) who is dressed up to look like, 'The Principal' of the school, are also recruiting for their eventual Army!

In the end this episode does a good job at getting the ball rolling, but other then that, it is not very amusing...

http://youtu.be/7Z7chBBJx1o