• Title: X-Men: Captive Hearts & Cold Vengeance
• Format: VHS
• Release: 1993
• Country: UK / PAL
• Certificate: PG
• Running time: 43 mins (approx)

In two previous posts I’ve taken a look at the X-Men: The Animated Series VHS collection, throwing the spotlight on Volume 1: X-Men: Night of the Sentinels and Volume 2: X-Men: Enter: Magneto & Deadly Reunions. In this post I’m taking a look at Volume 3: X-Men: Captive Hearts & Cold Vengeance.

As with the previous VHS releases, this cassette was released in the UK by Polygram Video, in association with Marvel Comics and Saban International. It contained two episodes from the hit X-Men television show, aka episodes five and six of Season One.

As you can see from the imagery above, when it comes to its design, Volume Three maintained the same comic book aesthetic from the previous volumes, with the emphasis placed firmly on action. The imagery is exciting and dynamic, and certainly very eye-catching.

If you were an X-Men fan in the ’90s, the sight of Wolverine and Sabretooth battling it out on the front cover would definitely grab your attention. The text synopsis on the back would also encourage young fans (or their parents) to purchase a copy from their local Woolworths or WH Smith.

The text on the back cover read as follows:

“A relaxing night on the town is shattered when Cyclops and Jean Grey are kidnapped by the Morlock, a mad band of mutants inhabiting the sewers of New York. Storm and the X-Men must engage in a gruelling duel with Callisto, the Morlock’s leader, to try to rescue them!”

The text continued:

“In an attempt to find himself, Wolverine travels to Alaska, working alongside some Eskimo fishermen. But when Sabretooth bites, Wolverine finds nothing but trouble! Will Wolverine’s mutant powers and training be enough to save his new friends?”

As with the previous releases, the interior of the VHS case featured more X-Men-related artwork, along with cross sell for other titles in the collection, including Vol 1: Night of the Sentinels (pictured below); Vol 2: Enter Magneto & Deadly Reunions (also pictured below); Vol 4: Slave Island & The Unstoppable Juggernaut; and Vol 5: The Cure! & Come the Apocalypse.

As noted in a previous post, the X-Men VHS collection offered fans the opportunity to relive episodes outside of their TV broadcast. Catch-up services, streaming, and even DVD were not available at this point in time, so official releases like this were important for building up a fanbase.

Nowadays viewers can just open up Disney+ and watch as many X-Men episodes as they like, but in my opinion something has got lost along the way. Everything feels far more disposable today, and I do miss the days when you could proudly display your love for the X-Men on your shelf at home.

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