Marvel's old school animated DVD series continue to flow onto DVD in the UK with three more releases of classic mutant and spidey action available in store and online from 19 October 2009.  TheComicAddiction's UK editoral staff were lucky enough to get advance peeks at the Spider-Man and X-Men shows now available in the UK and here are their thoughts:

Review by Andrew Griffiths

Rating: PG

RRP: £14.99

With it's memorable theme tune and familiar characters, X-Men: The Animated Series always held a dear place in my heart, forged in the misspent hours of my youth.  As with anything that you hold dear as a child, there is always a worry that re-visiting it in your maturity might tar those memories and prove that the reality is not quite what the candy-coated youthful mind once remembered. Such has been the fate of other seemingly perfect memories, and shows like "Dungeons & Dragons" and "Dogtanion & The Three Muskehounds" no longer hold the reverence they once had earned from me.

Thankfully for X-Men:  The Animated Series, the same fate has not been bestowed, and not only does the show still retain the enjoyment it held for me as a child, but like a good wine, it in fact appears to have matured with age.   Assessing the show from an adults perspective, it is clear to see that the animation, the voice acting and the story lines are every bit as enthralling as the most modern of shows, and in fact it establishes itself as a staple of 'childrens' animation which other shows have clearly taken notes from. In fact, if it weren't for the 4:3 aspect ratio and the slightly grainy frames, you would be hard pushed to believe that the show is nearly 15 years old!

Season 4, Volume 1 is no exception to all of this, and contains its fair helping of great stories surrounding the plight of the X-Men.

The DVD consists of five full story lines set over seven 20-minute episodes, all of which hold ground on their own, although are enhanced by the back story provided by the previous 3 seasons.  Bizarrely, the DVD 'season' releases don't seem to tie up with the original TV airing order, with Season 4 Volume 1 actually consisting of episodes from the original seasons 3, 4 and 5, however since none of the story lines are particularly intertwined, it doesn't seem to matter, and even viewing them back to back as I did things don't seem strange!

The episodes that are included are as follows:

Nightcrawler - an origin story telling of Nightcrawler's first encounter with the X-Men.

One Man's Worth (Part I & II) - a future and alternate universe crossover, examining the importance of Charles Xavier to the plight of mutants across the world.

Proteus (Part I & II) - The story of a young mutant called and the ensuing havoc when he escapes from Muir Island Research Center.

Family Ties - how Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch found out about and sought their real parents.

Bloodlines - Nightcrawler seeks help with family matters from the xmen, while Sabertooth's anti-mutant son deals with his family issues.

All of the episodes put across exceptional depth of character considering the 20 minute sittings; just another testament to how strong the series really is.  The writing is really the top of the game for what is essentially a programme aimed at children, and as far as I'm concerned, nothing I have seen in recent years has even come close.

It's probably quite obvious by now that I really like X-Men the series, and that Season 4 Volume 1 is no exception. That being said, the release is not quite perfect. Like so many DVD's released these days, we are once again forced to sit through a compulsory advert for the very series you have just bought (in this case, an advert for the season's 1 and 2 DVDs), and there are no extra features to speak of, except for the standard animated menus. Saying this, neither of these are really reasons to avoid the DVD purchase and the lack of extra features can't really be helped when purchasing a DVD of 15 year old material!

By now you've probably already decided whether you're going to buy this DVD.   Whether it's to reminisce over times gone by, catch up on the back stories of all your favorite X-men and appear the most knowledgeable of all your friends when the next movie comes out, or simply because you are looking for some easy watching, X-Men: The Animated Series can fill the gap. 

If you're thinking of buying this, I highly recommend that you look at the previous three seasons first in order to get the most out of it, but that by no means indicates that these episodes can't hold up on their own. With nearly 2 and a half hours of timeless television on this DVD, my recommendation couldn't be stronger, and in my mind at less than £12, it's more than worth the investment.

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Excellent!)