X-Men: Evolution (12 Issues)

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Summary: Reinventing the X-Men as teenagers for younger readers
Review: The Marvel Ultimate volumes reinvented Spider-Man, the X-Men, and other superheroes for the 21st century by going back to the beginning and starting over. These new versions have been fully cognizant of the history of these comic books and made a point of now having key characters, such as Mary Jane Watson and Wolverine, there from the beginning. However, "Ultimate X-Men" is clearly intended for adults and not for young readers, which is why Marvel created "X-Men: Evolution" for the next generation of comic book readers.

In this version of the X-Men, written by Devin Grayson ("Ghost Rider: The Hammer Lane," "Black Widow") and illustrated by Udon with Long Vo, Charles Park and Saka of Studio XD ("Deadpool," "Taskmaster") begins with Professor Charles Xavier collecting together his students (and teachers) for his Institute for Gifted Children. This time around he recruits Ororo (Storm) and Logan (Wolverine) first, providing the mother figure and Dutch Uncle for the teenagers who follow. This time around Scott Summers (Cyclops), always one of the most reticent of heroes, now talks a blue streak. Of course he is still smitten with Jean Grey (Marvel Girl), but it is a totally different vibe this time around, more in the grand tradition of a geeky teenager. This leads to the other big difference, which is that Scott, Jean, and the other teenage X-Men are not attending classes at Xavier's institute but at nearby Bayville High. The roster at this time consists of Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler), Evan Daniels (Spyke), Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat), and Rogue (Rouge).

The X-Men started out as a group of teenager superheroes, the best counterpart to Peter Parker's teenage angst in "Spider-Man," but when the new and improved international X-Men were put together by Claremont and Cockrum they were clearly a lot older. With "X-Men: Evolution" the goal is clearly to get back to the original vision but with more realism in terms of the contemporary teenage experience. After all, what high school student cannot relate to the concern over being considered a "freak" by their peers?

This approach also has the advantage that, at least to begin with, Wolverine is in the background and not even close to dominating the series the way he is in "The Ultimate X-Men." This is rather surprising because clearly the first X-Men movie inspired some of what is happening in "X-Men: Evolution" as well. But the changes make sense given that the comic book clearly target younger readers, who should appreciate the differences. Older readers may not find much of interest here, but then "Ultimate X-Men" is clearly intended for their enjoyment and that is what they should go read if they are looking for an alternative to the standard X-Men titles.