Marvel will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of animated series X-Men: Evolution in 2020. Marvel Comics will mark the occasion by releasing a new collection of the long out of print X-Men: Evolution comic book series. The series ran for nine issues written by Devin Grayson and featuring artwork by Udon Studios. Marvel canceled the series due to low sales but collected the run in two trade paperbacks that are now out of print. The entire series has been available via digital storefronts since 2018, but this marks the first time that the series is available in a single volume for fans to put on their shelf.
The new volume will release in December. Here’s the summary description of the upcoming release, which erroneously states that 2020 is the show’s 10th anniversary:
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“Celebrate the tenth anniversary of the hit cartoon with this complete collection of the Marvel Comics tie-in series! First, see how it all began! How do two best friends become archenemies? How does a goddess from Africa find her place in the world? How does a man without a past decide mankind’s future? The lives of Professor X, Magneto, Storm and Wolverine collide as the world stands on the brink of genetic war! Then, go beyond the animated series with five all-new adventures featuring Mystique, Rogue, Beast and more!”
The X-Men: Evolution comic told stories parallel to the animated series. It introduced Evolution‘s version of the Morlocks ahead of their television debut, though the Morlocks that appeared in the show were entirely different than those in the comics.
The series would have introduced X-Men: Evolution‘s Mister Sinister, who never did appear on the television show. Marvel canceled the comic book series before Sinister debuted, but the character’s Evolution-universe design can be seen on the cover to the never-published X-Men: Evolution #10.
X-Men: Evolution debuted in 2000, bringing Marvel’s mutants back to television for the first time since the end of X-Men: The Animated Series. It took the X-Men in a bold new direction, depicting the core cast as teenagers attending a regular high school in addition to training with Professor X at the Xavier Institute. The animated series is also famous for introducing X-23, Wolverine’s clone, in an episode of its third season. X-23 went on to appear in Marvel Comics canon and has since joined the X-Men, headlined multiple solo series, and taken over the mantle of Wolverine from Logan.
X-Men: Evolution goes on sale on December 15th. The original television series is now streaming on Disney+.
