Marvel is taking the X-Men back to the 90s with a new animated series coming to Disney+ next year. The studio is releasing a comic called X-Men ‘97 before its debut.
The four-issue comic was written by Steve Foxe, known for Dead X-Men and Dark X-Men, with art by Salva Espin and cover art by Todd Nauck. The team collaborated with the series showrunners to create a companion story leading up to the upcoming Disney+ series.
Foxe said the original animated series left a lasting impression on him. He said if it wasn’t for the impact X-Men: The Animated Series had on him as a kid, he wouldn’t be writing comics today.
“Getting to reunite with my X-Men ‘92: House of XCII collaborator Salva Espin on this official prelude to X-Men ‘97 has felt like a bucket-list project a lifetime in the making,” said Foxe. “Beau [DeMayo] and the rest of the ‘97 team gave us a fantastic runway to come up with our own original tale that feeds right into what viewers will get to experience in the new season.”
X-Men ‘97 picks up where X-Men: The Animated Series left off, following Storm, Wolverine, Jubilee, and the rest of the X-Men. According to Marvel, readers can expect some “startling revelations” leading directly to the new series.
The last time the animated mutants reunited was in 2015 for X-Men ‘92, a four-issue series leading into the second version of Secret Wars. In 2022, Marvel released another series by Foxe called X-Men ‘92: House of XCII.
The new Disney+ series is voiced by (reprised their parts) Cal Dodd as Wolverine, George Buza as Beast, Catherine Disher as Jean Grey, Lenore Zann as Rogue, and Alyson Court as Jubilee. Jennifer Hale, Ray Chase, Anniwaa Buachie, P Karliak, AJ LoCascio, Matthew Waterson, Jeff Bennett, and Holly Chou join the cast.
The first issue of X-Men ‘97 comes out on March 27 and comes with a code to redeem a digital copy on Marvel Unlimited. The app hosts a catalog of more than 30,000 comics spanning Marvel Comics’ history.
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