Book Review: X-Men ’97: The Art and Making of the Animated Series by James Field

Based on the early 1990s team from Jim Lee’s tenure on the X-Men comics, X-Men: The Animated Series featured Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, Jean Grey, and Professor X. There was also original character Morph, based on Changeling. Debuting in 1992, the series was a fan favorite and ran for five seasons. In 2020, the husband and wife team of X-Men showrunner Eric Lewald and writer of two episodes Julia Lewald released X-Men: The Art and Making of the Animated Series, presenting readers with interviews and artwork about the creation of the show.

In 2024, the series was revived as X-Men ’97, set a year after the events of the original series. Earlier this year, author James Field takes readers on a similar journey with this book. In his Foreword, Marvel Studios’ Head of Television, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum, who “pitched the revival to Kevin Fiege,” says “this book explores the contributions of people who have a true passion for these characters and their stories.”

The Prologue offers a brief history of the multimedia X-Men franchise. The Introduction reveals the assembly of the production team, the return of many of the original cast, and the approach to the theme song and title sequence, both of which were faithful to the previous series.

Since the second season is set to debut on Disney+ in 2026, this book is really just a focus on the first season. Each of the ten episodes are given their own chapter with a brief synopsis and then a deep dive into the different stages of the artwork of the characters and locations. The artwork, which is credited to the artists, pops off the page because of the vivid colors. Chapter One “To Me, My X-Men” is the longest as it reveals the main characters and sets the stage for the series. Profiles that dig deeper into the crew’s approach to characters appearing throughout the book. Much like when watching the series, it’s fun when unexpected characters from Marvel Comics make an appearance.

X-Men ’97: The Art and Making of The Animated Series is a must-own for fans who want to learn more about the work that went into bringing the series to life.