Futures of Cartoons Past

Contributions by B Lee Aultman, Bryan Bove-Wimberley, D'Arcee Charington Neal, Gabriel A. Cruz, Phillip Lamarr Cunningham, Anthony Michael D'Agostino, Jay Eddin, Monica Geraffo, Eric Lewald, Julia Ewald, Keith McCleary, Michael J. Meindl, Christopher Michael Roman, Matthew J. Smith, Miles Stokes, Jaromir Stoll, Matthew R. Turner, Donna-lyn C. Washington, and Justin M. Wigard Airing as part of Fox's Saturday morning lineup in the early 1990s, X-Men: The Animated Series introduced a new generation to the X-Men, a Marvel Comics superhero team created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in 1963. These heroes exist in a world where individuals who have superpowers as a result of genetic mutations are feared and ostracized as "mutants" by large swaths of humanity-a fictional conflict that echoes the real-life struggles of marginalized groups seeking recognition and rights. Many of the contributors, once Saturday morning cartoon kids who watched and loved the show when it first aired, here return decades later to assess its impact, armed with critical nostalgia. Taken together, these essays highlight a range of critical conversations central to X-Men: The Animated Series, including representations of gender, sexuality, and race. Several essays examine how the cartoon reflected 1990s culture, while others consider the cartoon's relevance to our present political moment. In addition to essays, the collection includes four original comics and zines that highlight fandom engagement, as well as framing contributions from both the original series showrunners and the popular podcast hosts of Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men.