MANGA REVIEW | "X-Men: The Manga: Remastered" - Volume Two
Sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth. But with the right amount of talent and care, those cooks can make one fancy feast. This came to mind when I read the second volume of the remastered X-Men: The Manga. What started as an adaptation of the iconic Fox Kids cartoon has transformed into its own beast, with seven different manga authors crafting stories that thread through one another flawlessly.
The volume begins with the very humorous “Colossus”, which focuses on the Deadpool’s reluctant BFF not named Logan. He’s trying his best to find a job in America, but someone keeps sabotaging his plans. That person is Juggernaut, who attempts to make mincemeat out of the X-Men. Fortunately, with the right kind of teamwork, Colossus and the X-Men get the job done.
What shines through Uoriya Ohashi’s penned chapter is its sense of silliness. At times, this chapter feels like something you’d come across in a Teen Titans Go! episode. But its kind of comedy finds its way to fit with the tone of the X-Men. Sure, it lacks the seriousness storytelling we often come to expect from the X-Men, but it’s a nice break from the deep and often heart-wrenching moments that fill this Marvel series.
I say that because the next six chapters are fully focused on what has made X-Men a beloved series. Kenichi Watanabe’s “Apocalypse: Shadow of the Demon” and Amagi Yukikaze’s “An Angel With a Devil’s Wings” tie in together with mutants seeking a cure to become human again. The mysterious Dr. Adler plays a role in concocting a so-called cure, only for him to be Mystique in disguise. Her mission: to brainwash mutants to work alongside Apocalypse.
With the final piece in Apocalypse’s puzzle in place, his plan goes into action. As his name implies, Armageddon is his mission, and only the X-Men can stop him. While Watanabe’s chapter sets the narrative up, it’s Yukikaze’s that goes all in on the action. Every fight is showcased with intense detail, almost to the point where it steps out of the cartoon’s shadow and becomes the better version.
Koji Yasue and Hiroshi Higuchi team up for the two-parter chapters “Bishop: Messenger from the Future” and “Gambit, Traitor”. An assassination causes the future to turn into complete chaos for mutants. Bishop is then sent back to the 1990s to stop the death from happening, and it’s Gambit that is said to have been the one to cause it all. However, as readers will come to find out, it’s not as cut-and-dry as it may seem.
This two-parter brings to mind the film X-Men: Days of Future Past, which used a similar story. Every twist is handled with great surprise, as readers won’t figure out what exactly is going on up until the last few pages. On top of the strong narrative, the action is also solid, thanks to both Yasue and Higuchi’s knack for capturing violence. But it all leads into the next chapter of X-Men: The Manga, which shifts the narrative into overdrive.
“Sentinel: Final Battle” is when humans realize they can create something far more terrifying than a mutant. Written by Reiji Hagiwara, the story has even Magneto siding with the X-Men to fend off the great threat of the Sentinel. It’s a moment that not only showcases the strengths of mutants working together, but also acts as an eye-opening moment for humanity when they realize how much they need these super beings in their lives.
However, it all falls apart again in Hirofumi Ichikawa’s “Morph’s Revenge”. Not only does this chapter tell a phenomenal story of how one mutant can outsmart even the X-Men, but it shows Morph as a truly terrifying character. It leads me to wonder why Morph has never been used in any other X-Men properties outside of the 90s series and its X-Men ‘97 follow-up, as he could be either a good hero or a supreme supervillain!
Seven stories, all threaded with care. The remastered second volume of X-Men: The Manga is a phenomenal take on the classic cartoon and comic book series. Even with different authors taking turns penning the chapters, the stories, visuals, and style somehow find a way to mesh together perfectly. While nothing still beats the ‘90s cartoon, X-Men: The Manga nevertheless brings it to life in a new and fascinating way that makes it feel fresh, even if you know the cartoon by heart.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
