It’s been a fair few weeks since the last edition of the It’s A Stampede! Newsletter appeared on this blog. Apologies about that, it’s been a very busy summer.
The summer blockbuster season became a big focus for the majority of four months (May to August), so time was quite limited. However, the blockbuster season is now over, meaning the Newsletters should (hopefully) get back on track.
But big blockbusters weren’t the only things holding my attention over the past few months and weeks. The X-Men also became a big focus, largely because X-Men ’97 Season Two was streaming weekly on Disney+.
And with this in mind, today’s edition of the It’s A Stampede! Newsletter is dedicated to the X-Men, with a rundown of some of the recent X-Men-related posts on this blog. So, if you’re an X-Men fan, but you’ve not been paying attention, here is what you may have missed.
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X-Men ’97: Season Two – Reviewed!
First up, with the season now done and dusted, I posted a complete Season Two review. The review gives an overview of the triumphs and occasional wobbles that cropped up during the season, with a few details about each episode too!
Season Two was slightly shorter than Season One, but still just as action packed. But did the season cut the mustard where it counts? Take a look at the Season Two review for the lowdown.
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The official team line-up
One of the interesting things about X-Men ’97 is that each season the team line-up changes. Some team mates leave the group, others join, and the X-Men expand and contract accordingly.
The best way to keep track of who is or isn’t a member of the team is via the opening credits, which includes a cast rollcall for each episode. I kept track of the members who appear in the roll calls and presented a full-list as per Season Two.
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The winning formula?
One thing which X-Men ’97 has done very successfully is demonstrate that weekly streaming can become appointment TV. Not only this, but just like days gone by, the show has proved it is more than just a series – it is a platform for tie-ins too!
In the post ‘Why X-Men ’97 is winning at streaming‘ I discuss what has made the show so special. It’s more than just something to be binged and forgotten about.
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The Acolytes
Something which X-Men ’97 is really good at is bringing many, many mutants to the small screen, even if it’s just for quick cameos. One of the strongest examples of this came via the episode ‘Strange Land, Savage Heart‘, which featured 31 members of The Acolytes.
Want to know which ones you missed? Don’t worry, I compiled a list.
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New Mutants
Similar to the Acolyte list above, I also compiled a list of young mutants who appeared in the episode ‘Danger.exe‘. Quite a number of familiar faces flashed up on screen, some very briefly, expanding the X-Men’s student quota accordingly.
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It’s Morphin’ Time!
As a fan-favourite member of the X-Men, Morph is a character who many viewers look forward to seeing on screen – especially when he shape-shifts into other characters. During the course of Season Two, Morph transformed into some very familiar faces, including Spider-Man and Sasquatch.
I kept track of all of Morph’s transformations and put them in one handy list.
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Generation X
Do you remember the first X-Men movie? Nope, not 2000’s X-Men, but the oft-forgotten Generation X?
Airing on TV back in 1996, as a proposed pilot for a series which never happened, Generation X provided the stepping stones for what was to come with the big screen movies. But was/is it any good? I took a look back and discussed the positives and the not-so positives of this ’90s flick.
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Hidden names
Back to X-Men ’97, and eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed something hidden in the episode, ‘Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs‘. A bunch of mutant names could be seen written on a collection of DVDs, and I provided a list of popped up.
But this wasn’t just a list of the names that appeared in shot for a couple of seconds, the list also included names which could briefly be seen in an additional blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot that some may not have noticed.
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Spin-off central
A major development in X-Men ’97 is the ongoing expansion of core characters. The team is getting bigger, and the background cast is getting bigger too.
But with so many characters, can the show accommodate everyone? I took a look at the X-Men characters who would be great as the lead of a spin-off show.
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Shocking development
It’s not just X-Men ’97 that was at the forefront of the X-Men discussions, X-Men: The Animated Series also came into frame. And this led me to discuss some of the most shocking moments on the original series, which really helped it stand out from the crowd.
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DVD treasures
And finally, while X-Men ’97 might be a Disney+ exclusive, with no official DVD release, the original show did get a few physical media releases back in the day. One of them was a fantastic DVD release which covered all five seasons and is still a beauty to behold.
I took a look at those DVDs, which you really should have in your collection.
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There are more X-Men posts up on It’s A Stampede!, so feel free to have a wander around the site to have a look-see. But for now, I’ll conclude this edition of the Newsletter, so you can catch up on what you might have missed.
Alex
It's A Stampede! 
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