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Old Soldiers
Review by Stu, Media by James Harvey

Episode #73 - Old Soldiers
Original Airdate: February 22nd, 1997

Wolverine and Captain America must break into a Nazi establishment in order to rescue a kidnapped scientist held captive by the Red Skull.

Credits
Written By: Len Weing
Music Composed By: Shuki Levy
Animation Services By: Philippines
Guest Starring: Lawrence Bayne as Captain America


Review: This is one episode that certainly lives up to it�s reputation as one of the show�s best episodes, simply because it�s so much fun to see Captain America! Whilst it�s not completely perfect, and has a few questionable moments, there�s little denying the episode has charm.

It�s weird to see a pre-adamantium Wolverine, especially considering in this show�s continuity, he didn�t remember anything that happened to him before he got his claws. Seeing him with the strap on claws was a little jarring, but, to hell with it, the episode is too much fun to waste time on little details like this!

Whilst I think they could�ve done a much better job casting Captain America, and the design needed a little work (black underoos, why?!) I thought Mr. USA came across very well here. I think I prefer the version that appeared over in Spider-Man more, but only by a slight margin. Red Skull had a weird design. I thought the black eyes were a very cool effect, but his face was a little angular, and his suit looked like pyjamas. It looks like a clear case of �no Nazis� from the shows over protective censors, as Hitler is dubbed �Uncle Adolf� and the swastika is nowhere to be seen.

The �escape� scene was probably the worst part of the episode, as Logan and Cap were trapped for all of 20 seconds and their breakout was almost embarrassing to watch. Thankfully, it�s quickly dealt with and the episodes focus soon shifts to Cap and Wolverine escaping the mansion. The episode�s animation is much better than most of the stuff AKOM came up with, and generally pleases throughout, despite the odd repeated shot of Logan. The episode�s script varies throughout, ranging from excellent to well �this door smells like fear� or something just as daft.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable team up episode, which is a great change of pace from the usual X-Men story, and is a definitive favourite amongst many of the shows fans!

Screenshots: