[Streaming] Astonishing X-Men

I’ll be the first to admit I am not an avid comic fan. I like comics, but get easily confused by the multiple back stories, origins, cross-overs, timelines, arcs, etc. Many of my favorite comic heroes would have been lost to me in print if not for the excellent research done by erudite fans that I can study and pick a timeline and branch of story that I want to follow.

X-Men has been on my list of comics to familiarize myself with for a long time. I generally enjoyed the movies (especially the first two) and I did read a smattering of the comics when I was younger. My research has shown that for the modern X-Men fan who is most familiar with the movie version, Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men is a good place to start. Some of the story lines and dialogues bleed over into the movies, the characters are mostly familiar, and the same group remains central for the entire run.

As I was about to buy the Astonishing series, I ran across a “Marvel Motion Comic” that is being released on Hulu. Motion comics are not always my style, but this release is pretty much panel for panel the Whedon/John Cassaday arc starting with Astonishing X-Men Volume 3, “Gifted,” which is where I was going to pick up any way. Episodes are released every two weeks and each episode is about 15 minutes.

The voice acting is mediocre at best. I can’t distinguish much between Shadowcat and Emma Frost and the inflection is so wooden for each character that it at times sounds like an advanced voice emulator. The style reflects the comic style, however, and I found myself getting used to the voice acting by the end of the first episode. The animation is mostly static with limited movement and a few neat perspectives and transitions. For the most part the series, thus far, is a lot like having the comic read aloud while flipping through the pages. Not the highest of excellence, but it works for “reading” the arc and current fans of this particular arc will probably enjoy the translation.

Below is a sample from Hulu where I tried to showcase the animation style as well as reasons for the TV-MA rating.

Similar Posts:

• San Diego Comic Con: A Look Back (Part 3)
• [Review] Planet Hulk (2010)
• Hypothetical Studio: ‘Twin Peaks’ The Comic
• Summer Reading: The ‘Dexter’ Series by Jeff Lindsay
• [Product Review] Clicker.com

Popularity: 2% [?]