X-Men ’92 #1

By Chris Sims, Chad Bowers, Scott Koblish and Matt Milla

Of all the Secret Wars tie-in books, X-Men ’92 was the one that needed to be the most careful. This is a book that encompasses a time where many of the Marvel faithful got their first taste of comics. Between X-Men the animated series and Jim Lee and Chris Claremont’s relaunch of X-Men, the 90’s were essentially all dominated by these iconic characters. The biggest question after seeing the solicitations for this book is always if they can recreate the magic of the time. Sims and Bowers give it their best shot to throw readers back in time.

Story wise, X-Men ’92 absolutely feels like a continuation of the animated series. Chris Sims and Chad Bowers do a fantastic job of bringing back many of the character traits that the characters had in the show. Cyclops is a straight shooter who is a faithful follower of Professor Xavier. Wolverine is a hot head who challenges authority. Jubilee is a teenager who is super excited to be included in real missions. It can be hard to write people in character, but Sims and Bowers really do a fantastic job this issue. Another one of the nicer things about this issue is that newer character like Cassandra Nova can be used. You can almost envision her on the screen as she talks in this issue. None of the writing feels too forced either. Bowers and Sims have a natural feel for many of these characters and they really do them justice. Expectations were high for this issue and they were surprisingly met. A fun book for anyone who loves the 90’s characters.

The art this issue is handled by Scott Koblish with colors by Matt Milla. The pencils for the most part are fine, but there are definitely some panels where faces are distorted to some degree, especially during the laser tag scene. Koblish’s style is actually pretty similar to the animation from the 90’s cartoon and works well here. His pencils along with Matt Milla’s colors give this issue a light feel and should make you feel good as you read it. One of the cooler scenes in this issue involves an unexpected villain ripping through someone’s mind. Koblish gives us a pretty diabolical image for such a light and fluffy book.

If you are craving a return to the 90’s books, X-Men ’92 is absolutely for you. Sims and Bowers absolutely capture the personalities and times of these X-Men and really kick up the nostalgia. The art is pretty good and it does the job for the story. This was an awesome issue that will bring you right back to being a kid. Feel free to listen to X-Men the animated series theme song before you open the issue; it will make this read even better.