Remember a time before Marvel dominated the entertainment universe? When screenwriter Eric Lewald was called to a 1992 Fox TV meeting to discuss an animated series based on “The X-Men,” he asked himself, “That’s a comic book, right?”
As he emphasizes in the introduction to his book (coauthored with his wife, Julia), X-Men: The Art and Making of the Animated Series, Marvel had barely a patchy presence in motion pictures before them—no movies and only a couple of failed Saturday morning cartoons. The big networks weren’t listening to Stan Lee’s pitches but a new network, Fox, needed content. Even then, there was resistance. The X-Men looked too dark. “Where’s the goofy dog. Kids well never get it,” was the reaction, but the project moved forward.
Running for five seasons (1992-1997), “The X-Men” on Fox Kids Network was a factor in elevating the story from comic book ghetto to major studio cash cow. The new coffee table book by Eric and Julia Lewald traces the comic series’ evolution from nearly forgotten also-ran in the ‘60s to—after revived in 1975—one of their bestselling titles. By then, the zeitgeist was ready for stories about people hated and feared for their innate differences.
True to its title, The Art and Making of the Animated Series is filled with drawings, storyboards and colorful panels representing the end results from the team of writers and animators who brought Professor X, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm and the gang to life. The Lewalds afford a glimpse into the process of building an animated show from conception to realization.
