Customer Reviews

X-Men: Volume Two (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Finally, fans of this show can own the classic episodes we grew up on and enjoyed. It's amazing to me how much more realisticly they tried to ground television series back then. This show imparticular went out of it's way to stick true to the comics it was based on, several major storylines were told in multi-part episodes too which is something I don't see as much anymore. I'm sure any fan will love this second volume as it contains the amazing Pheonix storyline. They tried to pull it off in 'X3: The Last Stand', and though I enjoyed it, for me they didn't manage to top the five parter that told the saga in this animated series. Episodes on this 2 disc volume include:

Red Dawn
Repo Man
X-Ternally Yours
Time Fugitives (Part 1)
Time Fugitives (Part 2)
A Rogue's Tale
Beauty & The Beast
Mojo Vision
Reunion (Part 1)
Reunion (Part 2)
Out of the Past (Part 1)
Out of the Past (Part 2)
The Phoenix Saga (Part 1): Sacrifice
The Phoenix Saga (Part 2): The Dark Shroud
The Phoenix Saga (Part 3): Cry of the Banshee
The Phoenix Saga (Part 4): The Starjammers
The Phoenix Saga (Part 5): Child of Light

There are no special features on this set and though I'd obviously love special features I'm willing to be happy with just the episodes if that's all they'll give us for now. I'm one of the people who hopes that good sales on these volumes will lead to the release of the others and possible special features in the future. I also hope that good sales on these sets could lead to the release of Marvel's 90's Spider-man series in sets like this.

Having now found the time to watch the DVD I want to say for those wondering that the video quality is near the same as I remember the original broadcast being. Any transfer issues are near unnoticeable to me and I am fairly particular about not being distracted by technical issues while watching my DVD. Obviously the animation quality is from the early nineties but really I find it surprisingly fairly on par with the new Wolverine and the X-men series. I found watching the episodes very nostalgic and find myself enjoying them in a whole new way now than I did when I was younger. I'm happy to see that the "Previously on X-men" openings are kept on the episodes and that the opening sequence and classic theme play before every episode unlike some other sets.

I also want to add that the box art is even better looking on the actual set than it is online. It comes with a cardboard slipcover over the DVD with an elevated foil colored version of the artwork on the DVD. At least Disney really made these look professional in the packaging department.

For those still wondering whether these sets are worth it I say buy them or at least the first volume to test it out, it's really only costing you a little more than a dollar an episode for these. Anyways, I'm just glad they're releasing this series and hope they finish releasing the entire 76 episodes this way (hopefully later on with some special features included). After all this time X-Men finally rises from the ashes and is reborn on an official DVD, I can't wait to rewatch the Dark Phoenix episodes that will be on the hopeful 3rd volume. Thanks For Your Time.

At last, one of the finest series ever to hit animation has come home to us. Marvel's X Men the Animated Series Vols 1 & 2 bring to life the comic book as few other series did. These volumes, especially the second, display the depth of these characters and the fine animation quality that made this series a hit. I am delighted to add these to my library.

But let us be clear, here. The first volume finishes into the second season. The second volume takes us through the rest of season two and into season three. But the second volume does NOT complete the third season.

And that leaves us with and unfinished season three, PLUS season four and five! Granted, after the Dark Phoenix Saga the episodes were shown more randomly and few were in order. However now we should benefit with further DVDS that allow us to see the remaining shows in order.

So I encourage everyone to buy Vol 1&2 but realize there must be more to come. PLEASE RELEASE THE REMAINING EPISODES. For us, the X-Men true followers, if you release it, we will buy and thank you.

For most of my thoughts on the release of this show please see my review of the first set. My score takes into account the DVD's lack of special features and visual quality, but the rest of this written review is for the episodes contained herein.

The first set concluded with the third episode of season 2 ("Whatever it Takes") and volume 2 picks up from there. Season 2, like season 1, had episodes that all ran together though here the gap in time between episodes is not always clear. Connecting them all together is the absence of Professor Xavier and clips of he and Magneto's trials in The Savage Land are found in each episode before the storyline comes to a conclusion in the two-part "Reunion." The villain Mr. Sinister also appears throughout as it becomes clear he has a heavy influence on the happenings of season 2.

Sinister was a relatively new villain at the time of this show's creation and season 2 is pretty topical in that regard. Omega Red is featured here and he was almost brand new at the time of the episode's creation. If that displeased some longtime fans, they were rewarded with the five part Phoenix Saga that concludes the set. The Phoenix Saga here obviously needed to be reworked (after all, a completely different team of X-Men existed at the time in the comics) but it is mostly faithful. Some other comic book plots are carried over such as The Plague and Wolverine's past dealings with Department H but altered to better fit the animated series continuity.

An interesting trend was also started where a new character each week got his or her own episode. For characters like Rogue and Gambit, an origin story was presented where their past caught up to them (as opposed to having a flashback episode). For a character like Beast, the episode "Beauty and the Beast" merely serves to give us a better understanding of that character's relationship with the world and his teammates. They're all nicely done and are effectively dramatic (especially the Rogue and Beast ones). Wolverine is featured quite heavily ( as always) with him playing a significant role in just about every episode. For someone who likes Wolverine, even I can get a bit annoyed but at the same time no character feels too neglected save for maybe Jean and Cyclops, but both end up being huge players in The Phoenix Saga so all is forgiven. And while I enjoy some episodes more than others, there really isn't a bad one here. If I had to pick a least favorite it would be "Mojovision" as I've never cared for the Mojo character, but that episode is a bit slapstick and is a nice break from the heavy serious tone of the other episodes. My favorite is probably "Beauty and the Beast" as it's an easy episode to relate to and puts the show's civil right's issues on stage in a tasteful way.

It should also be noted, the show sees a change in visual quality with the "Out of the Past" episodes. The colors are richer and more black outlines are used giving the show a more "toon" quality. Whether you like the style is a matter of opinion, but the animation itself is of higher quality. This may have been due to the fact that these two episodes originally aired in prime time and were used to hype the upcoming Phoenix Saga. The Phoenix Saga episodes seemed to tone down this new look, but the animation remained improved over the first two seasons.

Needless to say, if you bought volume 1 it makes no sense to not get volume 2. The quality of the episodes is just as good and if you can get past the lack of any kind of bells and whistles with these releases this volume is a good buy. If you haven't purchased volume 1 yet, I recommend getting them both at the same time through Amazon as you end up paying less than a dollar per episode (if you go with super saver shipping). This show is still the best animated series from Marvel and deserves a spot in any comic book fan's library. Now, please Disney, give us the rest of the episodes!

In 1992, the "X-Men" animated series aired on television and suffice to say, the series was a tremendous hit.

Considering what was going on behind-the-scenes at the time, especially on the comic book end of things. Comics had a resurge in popularity and popular artist Jim Lee would bring new life into the X-Men comic books by giving them new costumes, bringing an edge to the way the characters were drawn and a new comic book spinoff in the X-Men universe.

In fact, the X-Men comic books reached such an all time high in popularity that there were more spinoff series than any super hero title and fans actually bought them all up.

The series was a big hit for FOX KIDS during the Saturday morning block but because the series captured the heart and soul of the comic books (with slight differences in storyline and actual continuity), fans young and old were watching the "X-MEN" animated series.

With the first volume, we watched as the X-Men had to face against intolerance towards mutantkind and having to face off against Magneto. This time around, the storylines now come closer to what is happening on the comic side of things during the early to mid-90's.

This second volume is full of non-stop action and each episode filled with thrilling episodes plus more characters from the Marvel Universe and battles galore!

Here is a summary of what to find on both discs for "X-MEN" Volume 2.

DISC: 1

* EPISODE 17 - Red Dawn - Professor X and Magneto continue to survive in the Savage Land. Meanwhile Colossus talks about how his Russian people are being terrorized by a mutant named Omega Red. The X-Men go to Russia to take him on.
* EPISODE 18 - Repo Man - Wolverine encounters his former friends, the Canadian super hero team, Alpha Flight. The group is not too thrilled that Wolverine left their group for the X-Men.
* EPISODE 19 - X-Ternally Yours - GAMBIT-X receives a distress call to help his brother in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Professor X and Magneto continue to work with one another to survive in the Savage Land.
* EPISODE 20 - Time Fugitives (Part 1) - The storyline moves towards the future where Cable and other mutants fight against Apocalypse minions. Meanwhile, Bishop goes back to the past again and mutants are being blamed for a virus affecting humans.
* EPISODE 21 - Time Fugitives (Part 2) - Cable goes after Bishop in the present timeline and tries to prevent Bishop from stopping the plague.
* EPISODE 22 - A Rogue's Tale - The X-Men fight against the Blob and we learn about the origin of Rogue.
* EPISODE 23 - Beauty & the Beast - Mutant hysteria continues, meanwhile BEAST meets a woman (who is blind) who cares about him even if he is a mutant. But her father happens to hate mutants.
* EPISODE 24 - Mojovision - The X-Men are contacted by Mojo (from another dimension) and tries to put the X-Men on his deadly television network to help improve ratings. Meanwhile, Magneto and Professor X try to save Shanna the She-Devil from the mutant Sauron.

DISC 2:

* EPISODE 25 - Reunion (Part 1) - The Savage Land story continues as Professor X and Magneto work with Ka-Zar.
* EPISODE 26 - Reunion (Part 2) - The X-Men head to the Savage Land to help Professor X but they along with Ka-Zar are captured by Mr. Sinister. It's up to Shanna the She-Devil and her friends to save them.
* EPISODE 27 - Out of the Past (Part 1) - The Morlocks are being attacked and Wolverine goes down the sewers to save them. And he encounters the mutant known as Lady Deathstryke, who happens to be his former love Yuriko.
* EPISODE 28 - Out of the Past (Part 2) - The X-Men head to the Morlocks lair to help Wolverine. Meanwhile, Lady Deathstryke's thirst of revenge nearly kills a member of the X-Men.
* EPISODE 29 - The Phoenix Saga (Part 1) - Professor X has the X-Men on a mysterious assignment. But something goes wrong and something happens to Jean Grey.
* EPISODE 30 - The Phoenix Saga (Part 2) - Professor X appears to be possessed and goes against the X-Men. Black Tom hires a few more super villains to fight against the X-Men.
* EPISODE 31 - The Phoenix Saga (Part 3) - Jean Grey recovers from her injury while the Juggernaut goes after Professor X and Princess Lilandra. The Banshee assists the X-Men to take on his brother while the X-Men find a way to stop the Juggernaut and rescue the princess.
* EPISODE 32 - The Phoenix Saga (Part 4) - The X-Men must protect Princess Lilandra's Crystal but the Starjammers are sent to recover it. Meanwhile, Jean Grey's Phoenix power starts to manifest.
* EPISODE 33 - The Phoenix Saga (Part 5) - The X-Men and the Starjammers join forces but one of their own sacrifices their own life in order to save the universe.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"X-MEN" the animated series is presented in full screen (1:33:1). One thing that you will notice is that the animation does show its age. Since the animation was created over 17-years ago, a lot of the animation is hand drawn and compared to many of the digital animated series that are show on television today, the animation doesn't have that digital color vibrancy as newer animations. But like many older animations from the 80's and the 90's, especially for superhero-based storylines, the strength lies within the storytelling.

At that time, the animation was quite exciting for any of us who were fans of the comic book series but watching it today, you realize that the series does show its age.

As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital Surround Sound and is dialogue-driven. I wasn't expecting any 5.1 surround sound but audio dialogue is heard quite clearly. If anything, I have to say that the English dubwork was very good for the series. From Wolverine's scruffy voice, Rogue's southern accent and Remy Lebeau's Louisiana/French style of talking, I've always felt that the "X-Men" was well-cast for the animated series.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no official special features in relation to the X-MEN animated series but trailers for newer releases from Disney.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I was among the big X-Men fans who were highly anticipating the series and just loved it! As a collector of the X-Men comic books around that time period, to have a series based on Jim Lee's character designs and a series with so much potential of showcasing a variety of enemies and characters, it was always a treat to find out who would be introduced in each episode.

As the first volume was quite exciting at the time, especially how it took popular storylines from the comic books such as the Mutant Registration Act and Apocalypse Four Horseman chapters, bringing in characters such as Archangel and Cable vs. Bishop. For an X-Men comic book fan, this was magnificent!

I found the second volume even more exciting as it introduces more villains such as Omega Red, the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight, more Cable and Bishop and the virus storyline which was a big part of the comic book series at that time, Mojo and Long Shot, the Savage Land storyline featuring Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil and of course, one of the biggest X-Men related storyline, the Phoenix Saga.

This second volume of "X-MEN" is absolutely jam packed with action and characters from the X-Men and Marvel universe that this animated series does not disappoint. Of course, there are differences between the animated version and the comic books but overall, the series stays close to the heart of what the X-Men and its characters are all about.

More action, more battles and more mutant mayhem, "X-MEN" the animated series volume 2 is definitely worth checking out!

I will not spend any time elaborating on the importance of this pivotal superhero animated series since anyone visiting this page undoubtedly knows that already. However, since many DVD sets have been issued in edited form over the years, I felt it necessary to alleviate any concerns of the same being true of this release. The episodes on this set clock in at around 21mins 30secs each, which is the correct full length. A handful of early episodes had incomplete animation that was only seen in the original airing and corrected by the original animation studio ever since, which is what are on these discs. In addition, these episodes are arranged by production order and not broadcast order, thus the chronology of the storylines are not disjointed.

This series is one of the few where having the original broadcast versions is not better. So many of those early episodes aired initially with incomplete special effects shots, coloring mistakes, dialogue sync errors, poorly animated scenes, and so forth. While such issues were eventually corrected and finalized in subsequent airings, the fear has remained that a studio releasing this series on DVD would issue the flawed original versions. Luckily, Disney seems to have done their homework with this release even though the series was not treated to a full video and audio restoration job or extras (thus, a star deduction). BOTTOM LINE: Disney has issued the corrected versions of certain episodes that originally aired with animation errors and NOT the edited for time syndicated reruns.

Lilandra's voice is weird and obviously voiced over like her brothers and even the phoenix.
Why is it so hard to have the real audio from the series, only real frustration with the DVDs. Otherwise I'm just happy they finally released the series on DVD

The DVD has been done well. I bought both of the X-Men DVDs and I am glad I did, brought back some memories and I have had a blast sharing these cartoons with my 4 year old son. We have a great time just him and I(the boys)hanging out and watching X-Men. Sometimes we even let mommy stay in the room and watch with us. Only sometimes. :)

Walt Disney Home Entertainment has passed along the following official details about the upcoming X-Men: Volume One and X-Men: Volume Two DVD releases. The details are posted below.

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Story: Experience the classic Marvel® legacy as the X-Men animated series finally explodes onto DVD for the first time. Featuring stories adapted directly from the original comic books, this collection is a piece of Marvel history and a must-have for every X-Men fan.

Discover the origins of your favorite characters and uncover the secrets of Magneto and more of the world's most diabolical villains in X-Men: Volume 1. Relive 32 episodes of the series, from the 2-part "Night of The Sentinels" through the 5-part amazing epic "Phoenix Saga," in this must-have collection!

Episode Guide:

VOLUME 1

Disc 1
Night of the Sentinels (Part 1)
Night of the Sentinels (Part 2)
Enter Magneto
Deadly Reunions
Captive Hearts
Cold Vengeance
Slave Island
The Unstoppable Juggernaut

Disc 2
The Cure
Come The Apocalypse
Days Of Future Past (Part 1)
Days Of Future Past (Part 2)
The Final Decision
Till Death Do Us Part (Part 1)
Till Death Do Us Part (Part 2)
Whatever It Takes

VOLUME 2

Disc 1
Red Dawn
Repo Man
X-Ternally Yours
Time Fugitives (Part 1)
Time Fugitives (Part 2)
A Rogue's Tale
Beauty & The Beast
Mojo Vision

Disc 2
Reunion (Part 1)
Reunion (Part 2)
Out of the Past (Part 1)
Out of the Past (Part 2)
The Phoenix Saga (Part 1): Sacrifice
The Phoenix Saga (Part 2): The Dark Shroud
The Phoenix Saga (Part 3): Cry of the Banshee
The Phoenix Saga (Part 4): The Starjammers
The Phoenix Saga (Part 5): Child of Light

VOLUME 1 STREET DATE: April 28, 2009
Direct prebook: March 3, 2009
Suggested retail price: $23.99 US; $29.99 Canadian
Rated: `TV-Y7-FV'
Run time: Approximately 368 minutes
DVD aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Language: French and Spanish

VOLUME 2 STREET DATE: April 28, 2009
Direct prebook: March 3, 2009
Suggested retail price: $23.99 US; $29.99 Canadian
Rated: `TV-Y7-FV'
Run time: Approximately 391 minutes
DVD aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Language: French and Spanish

This TV series is great and it's great that Disney finally released a FULL TV series for once. Just make sure if you buy a "Like New" copy that it comes with the cardboard sleeve. I just purchased a "Like New" copy from a seller and got sent a copy that did not include the sleeve, and was therefore NOT "Like New" as they had advertised. Don't always trust what the seller advertises.

X-MEN ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 2 -I grew up on this, ME and my Brother love it, The Animation is Good And Wolverine is My favorite. Alot of good story lines. A Classic! Recommend for Any Wolvie Fan or XMen fan.