In late 1992, on small budgets and under tight schedules, the cast and crew of X-MEN: The Animated Series crafted a television show that, despite an industry full of naysayers, immediately shot to #1. This “kids' show” often landed more than half the TV viewers across America, and a twenty-year gold rush of Marvel motion pictures and TV series followed. Previously on X-Men is Eric Lewald's personal, inside account of how the series got on the air, the many challenges that were overcome, and how the show prevailed. The head writer interviewed 36 of the artists, writers, voice cast, and executives who helped make this game-changing series a worldwide success. This book is an authoritative look into the creation of the animated series that nobody expected to succeed. Lewald offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the Saturday-morning cartoon series that changed Hollywood.
It may not be very interesting to the uninitiated, but fans of the ‘90s X-Men cartoon will find the bevy of insider’s anecdotes astounding, and will be awash in nostalgia: it will truly feel like an insight into childhood.
So much fun, and so full of nostalgia. The format (the bulk of the content seemed to be long chapters full of interviews with the cast, crew, writers, and executives) lent itself to feeling a bit repetitive - but the anecdotes were amazing, and the story itself fills me with gratitude that these folks were given the chance to do a Saturday morning cartoon a bit differently.
Would I have liked this book nearly as much if it hadn't been as big a part of my childhood? Probably not. Does it matter? :)
An extremely thorough insight into the making of the 90s X-Men cartoon.
If you've ever wondered "how did that cartoon come about?" then prepare to delve into stacks of interviews with creators, producers, network execs, voice artists and scriptwriters to find out everything. Really satisfying anecdotes and insights into how it all happened.
If you carry the torch of nostalgia for X-Men: The Animated Series, then this is an excellent book. If you'd like to know how cartoons were created in the 90s, this is also a great read.
The 90s X-men cartoon was alongside Batman: The Animated Series for my favorite interpretations of a comic book superhero. It's also the best representation of the X-men outside of the comic books themselves. This book is basically a behind-the-scenes detailing how the creators managed to convince Fox to give them a shot in creating it and their attempts to tell mature PG-rated stories in a network that really just wanted them making G-rated stories if they wanted to make them at all.
Honestly, it's kind of a frustrating story because the book reveals just how passionate the creators were about the X-men and how much they were willing to risk their jobs on creating it. It was a huge success and their reward was to have their budgets and paychecks contnually slashed until the ratings finally tapered off. I think the book would have benefited from a Episode Guide and commentary to go along with it but is very detailed in conveying the philosophy of how they created their work. "Mature, deep, and emotional storytelling" is their guideline.
I would have appreciated some reminders of what some of the plots they discussed were as well as a description of Pryde of the X-men (known to me but not the casual reader) but these are minor quibbles in an otherwise fascinating book.
4.25 An amazing retrospective on a game-changing series, Previously On X-Men dives deep into the development, creation, and cultural impact of X-Men: The Animated Series.
That said, while fascinating, it’s definitely a niche read—and its length can sneak up on you. At times, it gets a bit lost in the weeds and could have benefited from tighter editing.
Still, if this series shaped your childhood (as it did mine), it’s absolutely worth picking up.
I didn't watch the original "X-Men" series, but I was fascinated by this look at putting together an animated television program. Eric Lewald and his cohorts clearly felt passionately about their work creating and sustaining this program, and apparently so did fans of the show. An excellent case study about television writing and production.
A fun peek behind the scenes that frequently veers into the self-congratulatory. The first 200 pages or so serve as an engaging oral history of "X-Men: The Animated Series," and contain a lot of neat information about the behind-the-scenes challenges the show faced. Large chunks of the show bible and internals memos are reprinted here, and they are both fascinating and genuinely insightful.
Unfortunately, the remaining 250 pages of the book are dedicated entirely to transcripts of interviews between author Eric Lewald and many of the actors, writers, artists, and executives who worked on the show. While these are an interesting source of information, Lewald repeats the same questions over and over again, and many of those interviewed give very similar answers. Some, such as Mystique actress Jennifer Dale, have basically no memory of working on the show. Rarely is Lewald's recollection of things challenged or enhanced by his interview subjects. The book also features an interview with a television critic and a chapter of "fan testimonials," both of which are pure fluff.
Lewald being the sole author and primary interviewer lets many of his more questionable claims go unchallenged. He frequently downplays the success of both the X-Men comic books and previous Marvel Comics adaptations, as well as "X-Men" rival "Batman: the Animated Series". Some of Lewald's more spurious claims:
1. That "X-Men" was Marvel's first television hit (ignoring the five primetime seasons of CBS' "The Incredible Hulk").
2. That the show was the first version of X-Men to foreground human vs mutant conflict (the graphic novel "God Loves, Man Kills" was already a decade old by the time the cartoon went on the air).
3. That the comic book version of Phoenix was a separate entity from Jean Grey, and the show was the first to consider them one character (this one is seemingly born from a misunderstanding/misremembering of a later "X-Factor" storyline).
4. That the two-part episode "One Man's Worth" was the first X-Men story to show a universe where Charles Xavier never formed the X-Men. The episodes aired the same year as the comics' landmark "Age of Apocalypse" story, which featured the same premise, and the episodes feature many cameos and visual references to "Age of Apocalypse." (Lewald would claim in later interviews that "Age of Apocalypse" was directly inspired by "One Man's Worth," though this has never been acknowledged by any of the writers who worked on the story arc. The close release of both stories and lack of supporting evidence makes Lewald's claim dubious at best, though not impossible.)
5. That no one involved in the production of the original "X-Men" movies read the comic books, and solely used the animated series as a reference. This is demonstrably untrue, but Lewald later quotes screenwriter David Hayer as more specifically saying that director Bryan Singer used the series as his sole point of reference during the production of the first X-Men film, which seems more likely.
Still, Lewald is so clearly proud of the work he and his team accomplished on "X-Men," and his enthusiasm is earnest enough to keep the book from feeling like a complete vanity project. It's a fun read, and at least worth a skim ahead of the upcoming "X-Men '97" revival.
If X-Men: The Animated Series was a fundamental part of your childhood, then this is the book you've been waiting for. Furthermore, "Previously on X-Men" has enough insight on the travails of creating television (specifically, making animation) that parts of it will interest people who didn't spend the 1990s with this theme song in their head.
Eric Lewald (the show's head writer) shares anecdotes from the show's creation -- most from its first year, before everyone knew it would be a big hit. He lays out threats that could have undermined the show's creation: Stan Lee thought he should narrate; Haim Saban would not sacrifice money for quality; unnamed Marvel executives didn't "get" the show.
Additionally, Lewald does an exhaustive job of interviewing cast, crew and executives involved with the show. And, while it's fun to hear from Rogue and various suits, Lewald isn't much of an editor. He dedicates 200 pages to the interviews, nearly half of the book's running lengths. And he barely edits them.
Consequently, many stories are told from multiple perspectives. (Saban was cheap! The cast parties were crazy!) And this isn't a Rashomon situation where each telling provides a new layer of understanding. This is just five or six people telling us the same crazy work story. It's fascinating the first time, but the charm wears off long before the interviews conclude. And there's a fan testimonial section that could be excised entirely. (If you're reading a 450-page book about X-Men: TAS, then you don't need to be convinced of the show's merits.)
However, it's also the interviews section that provides the book's most pleasant surprise. Most animation or television retrospectives focus on writers, animators and cast. Lewald also includes the executives who helped shepherd it through its awkward, often fraught gestation. How many retrospectives bother to include the marketing executive or the Standards & Broadcast person? These unsung heroes provide unique perspectives and insight we don't often get.
Finally, "Previously on X-Men" offers fun tidbits on how the crew et. al. view "Batman: The Animated Series," later X-Men shows, and the films.
It's a fun and thorough -- occasionally too thorough -- tour of a seminal show and moment in pop culture.
The definitive book on one of the definitive TV programs of the 1990s. Virtually *every* major player associated with the iconic animated series is interviewed or profiled here, and the depths plumbed are nothing short of amazing — like, there's even an entire chapter dedicated to the source inspirations for almost ALL of Beast's literary references throughout the entire show's run. You get a lot of inside baseball on the show's chaotic origins (including a VERY surprising revelation about who was one of the biggest naysayers to its production) and thorough, behind-the-scenes synopses on virtually every single episode. Learning about all of the what could have been scenarios and how much executive meddling went on at Fox Kids is gripping stuff, even if you've never even seen a single episode of "X-Men." It leaves no stone unturned and no question unasked — if only more "tell-all" production history books were THIS exhaustive and satisfying.
A fine book but I echo a lot of what others have said about it as well: namely, it repeats a lot of talking points, does get some details wrong, and was a bit light when it came to information on running the show past season 2. It was very interesting to see how the folks behind the show had to fight tooth-and-nail to keep such basic things intact like overarching storylines, Morph dying, and not forcing in product placement at every angle. For a piece of history it's great to see just how much was changed - and at the same time as another comic show, Batman!
But, overall, I would only recommend this to diehard fans of the show who have an interest on the behind the scenes aspect of it - and even then, don't expect much after the first 2 seasons. I also wasn't too into the transcripts of interviews done with cast and crew but that was more of a personal opinion.
It's better in the first third when the author gives you a lot of inside info about setting up the show. Then the book gives way to somewhat repetitive interviews. Perhaps the most interesting were Bishop and Storm who make clear that they felt separate from the cast and want to be known for their "REAL" acting
It could have used some more narrative about creative choices past the first season. And obviously I would have loved to hear their take on the Linda lawsuit.
Also, maybe some critics? A repeated point is that this show was really better than Batman TAS, especially once you take budget into consideration. Maybe I'm wrong, but I always thought of it as a very, very good show rather than a hall of fame show. (No shame in that.)
I liked the book, but it repeated a lot of talking points. I don't regret buying it, but it could've been cut down significantly. I might get the art book as a nice compliment. The book gives a good insight how animated series were made and perceived in the 90s entertainment industry. Nowadays, I feel like American, action-oriented cartoons are in flux because anime as replaced it amongst Millennials and Gen Z audiences. It also doesn't help that Disney is leaning onto the MCU aesthetic to all their non-movie content.
Anyway, I admired what the editors, writers, animators and even executives (not Saban and Lee) fighting for keeping the quality of the stories. However, the actual animation...I feel their pain on that one.
This is a very special book. There are some formatting and structuring flaws (a portion of the book is interviews with cast and crew that can become repetitive) that can happen in independent publishing, but having this history collected in one, beautifully bound, volume by the series creator is priceless. To my knowledge, this information cannot be found anywhere else. Also, the fan testimonies at the end brought tears to my eyes.
I wanted to read this from cover to cover and love it. I love the X-men comics, cartoon and even the movies (most of them anyway). I was so excited to read all about TAS. I got to about page 265 and then I started questioning the editors. Too long by about 200 pages, and why spend 60 of them on a synopsis of Every. Single. Episode? It picked up again with the writers’ interviews, but I’m glad to be done.
This is a fun, informative, and thorough account of how this show was created that will appeal mainly to fans but offers insights into the entertainment industry that others may find fascinating. The information is exhaustive, ranging from episodic breakdowns to executive interviews. There’s an unofficial, non-sanctioned air throughout that contributes to some of the most entertaining asides; neither Stan Lee nor Marvel are presented in the typical reverent fashion that’s so commonplace today. (4.5 out of 5)
Very comprehensive, and a wonderful peek into the world of 90s network television animation. Brought up a lot of great memories of being a child, and watching this show on TV!
A fascinating read for fans of the animated series, clearly put together through painstaking effort and massive collaboration. I would pick it up and put it down over the months, but always found it engaging.
If you were a fan of the cartoon back in the day and you like to read about behind the scenes type book or oral histories, this is the perfect book for you.
Overly long, needing an editor to splice together stories and remove redundant and repetitive entries, it still has some interesting looks into the making of the show.
La primera parte del detrás de cámaras y el kmpsctobde la serie hacen de este libro un mustvread para los fans Lo malo es elnrelleno de los testimonios de los productores, repiten mucho!!!
I finished reading "Previously on X-Men: The Making of an Animated Series" by Eric Lewald (show runner for the series). For those that don't know, this is referencing the 1992 X-Men: The Animated Series one of my all time favorite shows and a show that did really shape much of my person. Not only did this show jumpstart my love of X-Men in general as well as comics, but likely is the basis for my love of animated shows and movies. While the show may not have reached a ton of people beyond its targeted audience (kids and those others fond of X-Men or superheroes in general), it was understatedly groundbreaking television--as the book points out frequently. It was a children's show that focused on plot, character, serial storytelling, and real world issues (prejudice, disguised racism, religion, among others) at a time when children's TV steered clear of all of that for fear that it would be "too complicated." It was a cartoon that did not think of the merchandising first and story second. And despite some very outdated technology depicted in the show, I personally feel that it holds up amazingly. Certainly better than the other two X-Men centric cartoons that came after. The book discussed the trials and tribulations of getting this show started as many contemporaries of the early 90's couldn't see the vision of what the show was meant to be. It (along with Batman: The Animated Series) skyrocket the Fox network to be a major player among (at the time) the 3 other available stations. There were times when ratings for this superhero cartoon exceeded not only the Saturday morning time slots for ABC, CBS, and NBC, but also the few times that it appeared in prime time. It gave a brief description of each of the 76 episodes (including the final 6 that are drastically different from everything that came before). Which means that at long last I know the actual order in which the episode should be watched. Not the production order, not the airing order, not the DVD order, and not the Disney+ order. Something that I think is important for serialized storytelling. Eric continues to book with interviews of cast, writers, directors, editors, producers, and pretty much every other job associated with the show. While these interviews became a little tedious and repetitive with so many of them, it was nice to hear so many different voices from different views of television production on how the show impacted them and in many ways the world. The few people that read my reviews may not understand the full cultural impact that this show had. It's mania has faded over the years and thoughts of the X-Men in non-comic media have been replaced by later cartoons and the movies. But for so many people, this show was the first of its kind. A labor of love from all involved--even though most didn't have much knowledge of who the X-Men were. I no longer have the possibility of meeting Stan Lee (who did not come out great in this book), but I hope that at some point I'll get to meet or at least get an autograph of the singular voice that shaped my childhood of Alison Sealy-Smith. My love of--maybe obsession with--Storm stems primarily from her. She and Lisa Simpson have taught me the basis of my morality and (hopefully) general acceptance of people. I don't often read non-fiction and this show has such an important place in my heart that I was a little nervous starting this. The sheer amount of love put into this show astounded me and honestly brought some tears to my eyes. I would say overall I'd give it a 7/10. It's not the most exciting read, but worth it for anyone who had their childhood touched by this show.
The Definitive book on the production of X-Men TAS. Writen by the show runner and has interviews with almost everyone who had anything to do with the show. It is a must read if you are a fan.
Previously on X-Men: The Making of an Animated Series is an X-Men: TAS fanboy's (or girl's) dream. The plethora of content -- interviews, commentary, script notes -- cover every corner of the series' world, leaving no stone unturned. And while those never watched the show will not get as much out of it as die-hard fans, the book is accessible to casual viewers and even those who never watched the show but have peripheral knowledge of the X-Men in general. The only downside is that, at times, the books feels a bit too long. But perhaps that is unfair critique, as the book should be judged on it's own terms -- an in-depth look at the series that deserves to go 400+ pages. Still, it felt lagging at times.