The Canadian premiere of X-Men ’97 during the second day of Toronto Comicon 2024 was a highly anticipated event. But with limited seating available, X-Men fans had to get to the con earlier than expected.
Despite sore feet and a late night, my twin, Monita, and I knew we had to get out of the house early to get to Toronto Comicon 2024 if we hoped to catch the premiere of the new season of X-Men ‘97. Seating was extremely limited, we had been warned, and if the number of X-Men fans we’d encountered the day before was any indication, there was going to be a lot of interest in this premiere.
So, we got up super early, grabbed our ready-made sandwiches (thanks, sis!), and took three modes of public transport to get to our destination. It was decidedly cooler than the day before, so we chose to take the warm skywalk to enter the MTCC. We were saved from the cold but hoo boy, was that a long walk.
Nevertheless, we reached the queue for the X-Men ‘97 activation room. And yes, there was already a queue, a good 40 minutes before the con had even officially opened for the day.
And we had to wait in line for over an hour. We were not going to be allowed in a minute before they were ready. Victor Dandridge, one of the moderators at Toronto Comicon 2024 and founder of U Cre-8 Comics, who had joined the queue like the rest of the normies, kept the people entertained. He asked the queue about their favourite episodes from the show. This should have been a fun moment, but in typical geek fashion, a bunch of dudes jumped in to share their opinions so loudly and for so long, none of the ladies in the queue got to even open our mouths. It is so frustrating being part of this world sometimes.
However, with Dandridge standing behind us, we inevitably ended up making conversation. He was a joy to talk to, sharing his long love of comics and the difficulties of breaking into the industry now. I took a cue from our uncomfortable encounter the previous day with the talkative man in the hotdog queue and didn’t insist on conversing with Dandridge when we ran out of things to say. But it was fun to pass the time with a fellow pop culture fan who was as interested in peeking behind the curtain as we are.
Eventually, coupons were handed out but there was a mix-up about how many were to be given to those queuing. The crew member was told to give everyone two tickets but was swiftly corrected by another crew member that it was one per person. Since I’d already got a set of two, I shared it with Monita. Only for us to then realise that both coupons had the same number. In a panic, we called the crew member to save us from our predicament but it turns out the numbers didn’t matter, we just needed a teeny piece of paper to signify that we were one of the first 50 people in the queue who would be let into the activation screening room. When the con said limited screening; they really meant it. The line behind us was snaking around the corner and must have been at least double the number of available coupons.
We were finally let in, coupons in hand, and told that there was cereal and donuts for everyone. Though we’d had breakfast before leaving home, that was a good three hours before, so the cereal and donuts were welcome. I admit they were excruciatingly sweet, though, so it may have been a double-edged sword.
There were repeated effusive statements about how the activation had accurately recreated people’s childhood living rooms from the ‘90s. This statement was particularly amusing to me since we grew up in India and the room looked nothing like ours. We didn’t have beanbags, and our sofas tended to be rather stiff, instead of plush. But I appreciated the sentiment.
As the show was about to start, I noticed that some people had been squeezed into the back but it was standing room only. This really was a popular event! Would the early morning and long line be worth it?
The voice cast and Larry Houston were introduced before the screening began. It was once again interesting to hear the cast talk about recording from separate locations, many from around different regions in Canada. Though it’s obvious the cast miss being in the same recording studio, the wonders of technology make it possible for them to do their jobs from wherever they are.
I do want to note here that writer-producer of X-Men ‘97, Beau DeMayo, was shockingly fired last week, and that hasn’t been properly addressed and was definitely not at all discussed during the con, though there were whispers in the queue about it.
Then, it was on to the show. I didn’t grow up with this X-Men series; I literally marathon-watched it on Disney+ in anticipation for the new season. We didn’t get a lot of these shows in India but we did get some movies. That’s how I fell in love with the X-Men, with the films. Ever since, I’ve tried to stay connected to the X-universe, and though it’s been a struggle, I’ve been diligently reading the Krakoa-era comics and am fairly up to date with what’s going on. I love the superhero genre but no heroic team has left as much of an impression on me as the X-Men. Any time I can spend with the X-Men is time I enjoy.
It was with great excitement that I watched the first episode of X-Men ’97, which turned out to be delightful! The animation is very different from the original series, but I love the clean look. The story was exciting and well-contained, but left enough room to explore more in upcoming episodes. I love the character beats in the opening episode, and I cannot wait to hear the discourse about some particularly delicious moments featuring everyone’s favourite Ragin’ Cajun. The morning had been a long one for us, but it was thoroughly enjoyable to watch the episode in a roomful of fans. The squeals of joy and applause following the theme song and the excitement during the action sequences was worth the effort. Canadian audiences, especially at the movies, can be extremely restrained, so this was a refreshing change of pace.
Unsurprisingly, the credits rolled to thunderous applause. And then, it was time for the Q&A with The Movie Podcast. Some of the cast shared how they’d seen the episode twice now and were delighted by our reactions. I’ll share some of my highlights from the Q&A. Lenore Zann, who voices Rogue, was effusive with her praise for the show’s writing. “When I get a script for this show, I cannot put it down until I’ve finished reading it beginning to end,” which is high praise from someone who reads a lot of scripts. Houston shared how they wrote for their intended audience. “The writers wanted to write up to kids, not down to kids.” Yes, more of that! George Buza spoke eloquently about the lasting legacy of the X-Men. “Anybody who is a little different, a little bit off from what society expects them to be, finds refuge in the X-Men,” he said to nary a dry eye in the house. He then added that “the quest for society to get along and coexist, that’s even more pertinent now than in the 90s.” Wise words from the Beast himself. Lawrence Bayne shared similar sentiments, talking about growing up as an Indigenous person in Canada and having fellow people of colour as friends. Bayne said they were known as the freaks and it’s those kinds of experiences that drew him to the X-Men.
Interestingly, Alyson Court isn’t returning as Jubilee. Instead, Holly Chou will be taking on the role. Court didn’t mention the reason, but she has shared in the past how she didn’t think it was right for her to voice an Asian character. Chou was a great fit for Jubilee and I loved her voice work in the first episode.
With the screening done, we headed out — only to realise we couldn’t go back in to get pictures of the room without queueing again. After all that? Had I known, I would have stood in front of people and got pictures (I was posting con photos on the WWAC Instagram and had planned to do a dedicated post about the X-Men ‘97 event since we have so many X-fans at WWAC!). I was about to give up, but they let us in after a few minutes because there were seats empty. Deep sigh. I had repeatedly said I didn’t need a seat. I just wanted to take pictures. Anyhoo, I finally got my pictures and bid the X-Men farewell.
