Summer Reading, pt. 2

by Brandon
Summer marches on into July... and so does my summer reading! I could say something cheesy like I tried to "cool of with these hot reads", but I would be lying to you. It's been fairly moderate in South Carolina for late June and early July; not too hot or humid. My reading has followed the same trend; nothing much has really grabbed me lately. Many of the comics I've read the last couple of weeks have been decent, but not great. This week, I cover Uncanny X-Men, X-Men: Legacy, X-Force, Booster Gold, and many other titles. Won't you spare a mouse-click for the poor?



Wizard #213
One of the first stories Rich Johnston's new Bleeding Cool website reported on was about the latest batch of problems for Wizard. The once mighty company has apparently seen better days. Johnston ended his article by asking, "When was the last time you read Wizard?" As I often find myself doing, I answered the question that was staring back at me from my computer screen. When no one replied, I decided I might just have to check out an issue. I haven't read an issue of Wizard since I finished my B.A., which was in 2002. Wizard always seemed to be infantile, bordering on gonzo journalism and idiocy, with liberal sprinkling of fart jokes and drawings of big breasted women. That wasn't the only reason I avoided Wizard; who needs Wizard in an age where tons of comic book news websites, creator social networking pages, daily online press releases from publishers, and comic book fan message boards beat Wizard to the punch at nearly every turn. How does a comic magazine stay relevant? I think it's an uphill battle being fought by all print media, but Wizard has always been a niche magazine. I found an issue of Wizard at a newsstand the other day and checked it out. To their credit, this issue is far different and far better than the Wizard I read in middle or high school. Gone were the talking figures and rampant fart jokes (though, trust me, there were fart jokes). Wizard has taken more of a "features" approach which works really well within its framework. By focusing on interviews with creators and expanding their coverage to include entertainment pop culture has given Wizard a bit of a jolt for the future. I even checked out the current subscription rates for Wizard (around $29 a year), which in terms of content I guess is comparable to The Comics Journal (around $35) or Comic Buyer's Guide (around $25). Have you read Wizard lately? It might not be a bad idea to check it out.

Uncanny X-Men #'s 508-510
Matt Fraction's time on Uncanny X-Men has been pretty lackluster reading for me. Sure, it's got snappy dialogue and the art is sharp (insert Greg Land copying joke here), but it just doesn't scream "THIS IS UNCANNY FREAKIN' X-MEN" like it should. It just doesn't seem to be as grandiose as the stories from the past were. I think a large part of it has to do with the move to San Fransisco. This move hasn't given the geographic payoff I thought it would since it seems to be fairly unimportant to pretty much every other x-book besides Uncanny, which seems to use it as "Gee, we're in San Fransisco now. Isn't that, like, so totally, like, tubular or what?" The villains plaguing the X-Men here, the aptly named Sisterhood, also leave much to be desired. They predictably have become the View of the Marvel Universe, bickering amongst themselves and occasionally dragging in something quasi-interesting. And guess what? They invaded the new X-Mansion/compound. Haven't read that before, have we? This book is dangerously close to getting dropped, especially since Legacy and X-Force are running circles around it on a month-to-month basis.

X-Men Legacy #'s 223-224
It's sad to see Charles Xavier's romp around the X-Men universe past and present coming to an end. Mike Carey has managed to craft an excellent book out of a seemingly uninteresting topic. He has also managed to take Rogue and Gambit, two characters who were in desperate need of finding relevance, and put them back in the X-books without it seeming lame or forced. These two characters have been so easily made into caricatures by a multitude of past creators that they had become pretty much useless to anyone writing X-Men comics. It just didn't seem like anyone knew how to treat these characters. Mike Carey does a good job of using Danger as well, a recent character that was already becoming a one hit wonder with her "Kill the X-Men" shtick. I hope Professor X stays around for a while now in this book along with the other revitalized characters.

X-Force: Ain't No Dog
Bloody? Check. Violent? Check. Over the top? Check. Great? Double check. I picked this up for a buck on Free Comic Book day, but hadn't gotten around to reading it until this past weekend. The two main stories here involving Wolverine and Warpath were short and sweet, but packed a punch. This special reminded me a lot of Marvel Knight's Double Shot book from a few years ago. The Wolverine story especially reminded me of the Ennis/Quesada Punisher story from the first issue of Double Shot, where Punisher taunts a victim while visiting a dentist. While there were no dental hygienists in sight of this book, the dark atmosphere established was matchless. A book like X-Force seems to fit Marvel's Dark Reign era perfectly. The gore and violence of this issue just makes the anticipation even stronger for when the rest of the X-Men find out what Cyclops has been sanctioning behind their backs while they chill in San Fransisco.

Squadron Supreme #'s 10-11
I am a Howard Chaykin apologist and fan, but I can't help thinking that Chaykin, and to a larger extent Marvel, missed a golden opportunity with this title. J. Michael Straczynski really left this property in the lurch by exiting the book. Chaykin was left to pick up the pieces from that book and the iffy Ultimate Power crossover. He seemed to be the man for the job too... that is until he spent the first six issues of the reboot tooling around with new characters. I'm all for bringing in new characters, but these guys were just dull, dull, dull, and dull. The last few issues have been very exciting, as the old Squadron returns from a five-year hiatus. Hyperions story, which has been percolating since the JMS run, finally came to fruition. It's damn interesting reading, but it's too bad the book has already been canned. Chaykin and Marvel had something here and they blew it! I'm sure issues 12 is already out now, thus closing the book on the Supreme Power universe for the foreseeable future. I hope this isn't goodbye to these characters, but I fear it will be for at least a couple of years.

Booster Gold #'s 15-21
I commented to someone a few weeks ago that if comic books were ice cream flavors that Dan Jurgens would be vanilla. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean this as a personal insult to the guy. Vanilla is good. It's in a lot of flavors. It's a good, solid background flavor that's dependable and has its uses. But man cannot live on vanilla flavored ice cream. Dan has always been a respectable, if not solid comic book creator, but he's never going to be regarded as well as say Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, or even someone like Mark Millar. Compared to these guys, he's just not going to write the legendary comic book people are going to look back on and say, "Gee, that was great. Just brilliant!" Case in point is Dan Jurgens' Booster Gold. The earlier issues from Geoff Johns were entertaining and fun. Jurgens created Booster Gold, so this should bode well for the character in a way. Yet the title lacks something now. The art is fine, the story serviceable, but it's just vanilla. Even making matters worse was issue #20, a standalone issue written by longtime JLI writer Keith Giffen. This one-issue story featuring the old Suicide Squad, Task Force X, beat the previous five issues by a mile. It managed to make the ingredients work. I love the Booster Gold character and can only hope that the book plugs along and gets better without causing too many time travel induced headaches. The Blue Beetle back-up feature in issue #21 was also a treat. I'm not familiar with this new Blue Beetle, but it wasn't bad.

The Brave and the Bold #23
I picked this up on a whim because it featured Blue Beetle. It also featured Magog, the Modern Age hero/villain of the Kingdom Come miniseries. For the record, Magog has to be the dumbest name ever for a comic book character. Even at DC and Marvel's cheesiest moments, no one ever came up with a name a stupid as Magog. The smart ass reader might say "Booster Gold is pretty dumb too." To that I have to say... okay, you may be right. This story features the lunk-headed Magog trying to solve a hostage situation in an Iraq style country. Enter Booster to save the day and shame Magog for not staying on task to save the helpless children hostages. This is was written and drawn by the same team that brings you the regular Booster Gold book, which is why the book's sympathies lie with Booster Gold. But how about making Magog out to be even a halfway decent character? Magog is treated like one big flexed muscle tearing his way through the universe. I'm supposed to care about this idiot enough to shell out money for a monthly comic book? I saw on Newsarama a while back that Magog has a new series coming out soon from DC. I hate to judge a book before it ever sees the light of day, but the Magog book has "cancellation by issue 12" written all over it.

The Unwritten #1
After Y the Last Man ended, Fables was the only Vertigo book that still managed to grab my attention, but they are currently going through a crossover events with the Literates and Jack of Fables, which I still think is the shittiest comic book I have ever read. I also tried Young Losers, which was way too scattered for me to keep up with. When Unwritten was announced, I hoped that it might draw back in since the creative team of Mike Carey and Peter Gross also produced Lucifer, one of the woefully underrated Vertigo titles. Plus, the $1 price point was very attractive. The verdict on The Unwritten? Not bad. Not bad at all. I like the idea of following the adventures of a guy who is famous for being the basis of a fictional boy wizard to be fascinating. I'm not a fan of Harry Potter, but the concept of fame and fiction crashing together is a fertile one. Carey has some big ideas to play with in the coming months and this series has the potential to be great. I'll be around at least for the first story.

The X-Files #6
This series started out very well. I think this is one of those properties that could excel as a comic book, but I'm not sure if this title sold that well. Probably not. The sixth issue wasn't very engaging, primarily due to the plot device of having Mulder "record" his voice for Scully. The only problem with that is the fact that it was very Claremont/Byrne in his description, meaning that a panel would show a dark cave while Mulder was saying, "I'm looking at a dark cave." It's just not effective storytelling for a comic book. I think DC and Wildstorm could have done a better job building this series up and promoting it. Like Squadron Supreme, I hope this isn't the last we will see of the X-Files in comic book form. The concept is just to fertile to let go of in such a faltering way.
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Spring Break Reading, Part 2 - Dark Horse, Vertigo, & Wildstorm

by Brandon

The saga continues! But I'm afraid there won't be any foil-embossed, polybagged, or variant editions. I'm so sorry. What you are likely to find here is a ton of comic reviews. I continue my quest to catch up on the piles and piles of reading I have neglected the past few months. Enter all that are brave!


Conan the Cimmerian #'s 8-9
There are only a few individuals I would trust writing Conan these days and Tim Truman is one of them. I'm convinced he was born to write this title. With these two issues, the Cimmeria arc has ended and readers find Conan entering a pivotal part in his adventuring experience. Conan becomes are mercenary in only the way Conan can. The writing is crisp and appropriately "pulpy" while never entering farcical territory. The art provided by Tomas Giorello is just superb. With more action and intrigue than you can shake a battle-axe at, Conan remains ones of the better titles on the stand.

Kull #'s 2-5
I was never a huge Kull fan. Of the Robert E. Howard properties, I was always more partial to Conan and Solomon Kane than any of the others. I picked this mini up more out of respect to Robert E. Howard's creations than any desire to read a story about Kull. Imagine my surprise as I simply devoured these issues in rapid succession last Saturday night. The creative team of Arvid Nelson and Will Conrad have sculpted a fine story in this mini. Kull has been crowned King, but an ancient order of serpents has infiltrated Kull's kingdom with the desire to crumble it before any foundation is built. twists and turns abound in this mini. If you skipped this mini, shame on you! It''s probably the best story from a Howard property to see print from Dark Horse thus far. What are you waiting for? Get it now!

Solomon Kane #5
There's just something immensely appealing to me about stories crafted around a Puritan with a sword and gun. This mini comes to an end with this issue, and it's a shame. This was also a superior miniseries. The setting of Germany's Black Forest is creepy enough, but couple that with Mario Guevara's haunting art and Scott Allie's writing, and you have one chilling story. I want to see more Solomon Kane in the future. I have the old Marvel mini which adapted several of the old stories, but there is almost limitless potential here for future stories. He's a puritan with a gun. Come on, give us more already.


Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #'s 3-4
It's been almost a year since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released, and we finally have the last issue of a miniseries that was intended to capitalize on the buzz of said film. Way to go Dark Horse! This miniseries dredges up several familiar items to the Indiana Jones mythos (Nazis, hidden temples, Marcus Brody, beautiful girls) but never catches a single spark of that previous glory. There were many things going against this title right from the outset. There wasn't too much that was special or memorable about this miniseries to set it apart from that previously mentioned mythos. It was a lot of "been there, done that" moments for both Indy and the reader. I would love to read a new Indiana Jones ongoing series. There are so many great stories to be told where you don't have to be restricted to Harrison Ford's aging acting abilities.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #'s 38-39
Now that Zayne Carrick, inept Jedi Padawan and titular hero of this book, has been cleared of all his wrongdoings, John Jackson Miller & Crew have a little fun with the book. Sith serial murderers and swoop-racing take center stage here in these issues. Each issue is just fun to read. And guess what kids? We get to see some more fisticuffs between Zayne and a Sith! Too bad Zayne fails miserably as usual to take on the Sith. For once, this reader would like to see some competency out of Zayne. Instead, it appears that Miller wants to make Zayne the Potsie Weber of the Star Wars universe. To each his own, I suppose. Regardless, these were some fun issues to read. They won't be winning Eisner Awards, but they were entertaining!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars #4
I loved the first season of the cartoon series from Cartoon Network. Don't believe me? Read here. The comic series has been okay thus far, but it hasn't been stellar. It's hard to translate the fluid nature of the animated cartoon series to a comic book page. The cartoon has its own style and it just dones't work as well when the comic books try to ape it. The story of trying to save slaves from the clutches of the Confederacy is decent, but not exactly original. Woohoo, Anakin wants to save the slaves. Woohoo.

Star Wars: Legacy #'s 33-34
Issue number 33 wraps up the Mon Calamari story, and not a moment too soon. Who. freaking. Cares. Nuff said. The next issue takes the reader back to what is actually important, dealing with the aftermath of the Vector storyline and the death of a certain main villain that has been plaguing Cade Skywalker since the first issue. The new status quo set up by Vector will be interesting to watch over the next few months, so long as they can avoid Mon Calamari stories in the process. This still remains the best Star Wars book on the stands.

Grendel: The Devil Inside #'s 1-3
This is an oldie, but goody. The second Grendel is dead, but her boyfriend's slow decent into madness leads to the arrival, albeit short, of the third Grendel. Matt Wagner's exploration of violence is frantic and dark, drawing the reader in one maddening journal entry at time. The journey Brian Li Sung takes to the bottom is fascinating. If somehow you missed any of the old Grendel tales, please do yourself a favor by seeking them out. You will not be disappointed!

The End League #7
This series continues to shine with each successive issue that hits the shelves. First designed as a monthly title before delays forced it into a bimonthly schedule, this title has now been placed on an indefinite hiatus. This issue only serves to highlight what the comic world will be missing. What's not to love about a world where the heroes are on the ropes struggling for survival? The Smiling Man (think Joker) has shot Thor's hammer, the magical key to all the heroes problems, into space. Or has he? I won't spoil the ending, but it sets up an interesting dynamic for the next issue. Only two more issues to go before Remender's self-imposed hiatus for this title. Damn.

The X-Files #5
Oh, this was great. Thus far, the new Wildstorm mini featuring everyone's favorite FBI agents has been serviceable, but nothing special. The fifth issue, however, was the first issue to really capture that eerie quality the series managed to maintain for much of its run. You could just feel the ambiance of the series bleeding through the pages. It's too bad the mini didn't catch on because I think the further adventures of Agents Mulder and Scully could be fun to read in this format.

Top 10: Season Two #3 & Special #1
You get the feeling that this series could be better if Moore were still on the creative team, but the premise of this series is just so wacky and strange that it is impossible not to find some joy in the series. While the special was pretty much useless, the main miniseries has been fun. In the third issue, readers are treated to a self-help Origin Weekend put on by the Premise Keepers for heroes who are having a costumed identity crisis. The results are hilarious. Peregrine's husband apparently no longer wants to be the costumed hero he is. Despite having reservations a deep-seeded feelings of shame over her husband's identity problems, she supports his going on a Origin Weekend. This story is so clever and unique that it seems like something that Moore really would come up with. I hope there are future seasons of this title around the corner. I'm a sucker for a good cop drama and the art always provides the keen reader with some unusual and fun treats.

Top 10: Beyond the Farthest Precinct #'s 1-5
I found these issues swirling around some dollar bin recently and I had to pick them up. This was a great miniseries about a drug epidemic amongst robots. There were subplots galore and plenty of zany action in this miniseries that takes place five years after the Smax miniseries of a few years ago. This really should be considered a "season" of the series. As I mentioned above, look carefully at the art for some nice Easter Eggs.

Fables #'s 81-82
This is another one of those books that always delivers in terms of quality, and these two issues are not exceptions! These issues deal with a major death from the Fables crew. Longtime readers will be crestfallen by the death, but the knowledge that a fable may return from the dead does keep some alive, though Willingham goes to great lengths in issue #82 to point out that this character only appears in one short nursery rhyme and may be dead for good. On the villainous end of things, Mr. Dark is being established as the new bad guy in Fabletown and he's turning out to be a worthy replacement for the Adversary. Many comic books claim to change the status quo nearly on a monthly basis, but Fables is the real deal. The new setup will service a wide range of new stories that should continue to maintain the quality of this book for quite some time to come.

That's it for today... and for the remainder of the week! I'll be back next Sunday or Monday with the third and final installment of Spring break Reading. Why? Because I'm actually going to do something with my Spring Break; I'm going camping! But fear not, I'm bringing a whole stack of comic books for my reading pleasure. Be back next week for some reviews of some golden oldies including The Spirit, Elementals, Justice League International, Savage Dragon, Suicide Squad, and much, much more.
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Panelology - Casualty of the 90s: The X-Files

by Brandon

The 90s casualty report keeps on rolling today in Panelology. There were many spooky things going on in the 1990s comic book market, but nothing was as spooky as the eerie rise and fall of The X-Files title from Topps Comics. The X-Files managed to scare up more than just watchers during the second season boom; they managed to get a bunch of readers. The comic book exploded onto the scene in 1995, but will fizzle out by 1998 along with Topps Comics. What happened? How could a title that occupied space on the shelf with the other big league players of the day fold so quickly? This is truly a case for Special Agent Brandon and the 90s Casualty Files. The truth is out there, but it probably won't satisfy you one bit.



Secret Origins
The X-Files began humbly in September 1993. For those that somehow missed the show, The X-Files followed a pair of detectives, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, as they investigated the fringe, seemingly unexplainable elements of the FBI's massive caseload. This was a show that was steeped in so much lore that it is hard to just focus on one of the many great themes explored. There were aliens, monsters, unexplainable events, and memorable characters. As far out as it seemed, The X-Files always remained scary and relevant. The mix of horror, science fiction, and drama was just too perfect. By the second season, The X-Files had become a television darling of fans and many critics.

Topps Comics
Topps began producing comics in 1993. Most baseball card collectors will probably recognize them more for their sports cards than anything else, but they actually did get in on teh speculator boom of the 90s. Topps would focus primarily on licensed properties, including The X-files, but they would venture out into some original series. Topps landed some great creative talent (past, present, and future at the time) to work on some of these books including Tim Bradstreet, Mike Mignola, Charles Adlard, Kurt Busiek, Kieth Giffen, and Jack Kirby. the Kirby books were of interest because they basically raided his creative storehouse of untapped ideas. And though we all know Kirby was quite prolific, that is another tale for another day.

In 1995, the first issue of The X-Files hit the stands, and would immediately become their biggest success, remain so until the company folded. The creative team of writer Stefan Petrucha and artist Charles Adlard started the series. The book was selling like hotcakes. I remember seeing several copies in shops floating around $50-$100 each. Things haven't changed too much nowadays, as I saw a copy last week in a local shop still going for $45!

Problems in the X-Files...
Almost from the beginning, The X-Files was in mysterious danger. Though many fans (including this one) thought the series was excellent, apparently Fox and Chris Carter did not. Chris Carter and the other bigwigs involved with the approval process took a heavy hand in the creative process. Tony Isabella once was quoted as saying, "The main reason the comics fell behind schedule was because it took so long to satisfy the X-Files people. They went over *everything* with a fine-tooth comb, including the letters columns." Stefan Petrucha would also lament these heavy-handed editorial woes by stating that, "As the success of the series grew, I felt more and more boxed in."

Despite having some solid stories, Petrucha was sacked as of issue 16, with John Rozum becoming the permanent writer for the remain issues. In a, interview from 1998, Petrucha stated that, "I decided to leave right after they fired me. To be honest, knowing the extent of their objections, it was getting harder and harder to drag myself over to the word processor and produce what I thought was a good script.." Adlard would stay on until issue 29, to be replaced by Alex Saviuk for the remainder of the run. The editorial revisions and second-guessing would soon take their toll causing late shipments and headaches in an already rough market. Despite having several successful miniseries, a graphic novel, and some one-shots the X-Files was canceled with issue #41 in 1998. With their best selling titles now gone and feeling the universal strain of the 90s comic industry, Topps decided to fold their comic book line in 1998 as well.

The Truth is Out There Again
The X-Files would finish its 9-season long run in 2002, the series having weathered many damaging changes of its own including Duchovny's semi-retirement from the show and waning viewership. While most fans hoped for another movie soon thereafter, legal disputes and creative issues kept fans from seeing a new movie until the summer of 2008. An unfortunate critical and commercial disappointment, The X-Files: I Want to Believe was more of a putter than a bang in a summer box office that saw Batman beating up all of the competition.

Sounds like a definite casualty of the 90s, right? Well, maybe.

Along with the movie has come a new comic book from DC/Wildstorm. Issue #0 hits stands with the movie this summer and the remaining six issues are due out this fall. Maybe the final chapter to The X-Files comic hasn't been written yet? The zero-issue was quite good and I definitely recommend it to anyone interesting a good one-shot comic that doesn't involve Skrulls, Crisis, or Quasar.
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X-Files: The Other X-Title (part 3) - I Want To Believe & Wildstorm Special Reviews

by Brandon

The final installment for X-Week's look at The X-Files arrives in fashion with two (yes, two!) X-Files reviews for the just released I Want To Believe and the recently released X-Files comic book from Wildstorm. The critics have been harsh towards the new film, but did it satisfy this fan?

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Fox)
If you have been reading what some of the critics have been saying about the second X-Files movie, you might be a bit disheartened. Both Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes have amassed numerous negative reviews. The local Charlotte Observer summed up their loathing for the new film by starting out their review be asking, "This is it?" I must admit that I am a bit of a whore when it comes to reading reviews of films. Try as I might, I sometimes get a bit discouraged when I read them. The undercurrent to much of the venom was the fact that this film had very little to do with the myth-arc story of aliens. I think that is what people expect from an X-Files story. If this is indeed what you expect, sorry. They sell fine DVD's at your local entertainment warehouse or via this thing called the World Wide Web.

Despite the critical reviews, I was quite surprised with how well the film played out. I think an important thing to look at here is the balance between audience; were Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz trying to win over converts to the overall concept of The X-Files or was this film aimed at the fans? I think fans will largely be pleased with the result, while the uninitiated may not have the same connection with these characters, and therefore may be left wondering, "What's the big deal?"


What is the deal? A defrocked priest is receiving visions of people being kidnapped and the FBI have to involve ex-agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Much like this summer's Indiana Jones movie, it takes a few minutes to get back into the groove of the characters, but once the actors settle in, the movie hits it stride. The monster of the week portion of the film is a modern day retelling of Frankenstein, but the real thrust of the movie is an exploration of faith and trust. Billy Connoly does a great job playing the pedophile priest that makes Scully and Mulder question the trust of each other and Scully's own faith as a physician and Catholic. It is an interesting theme that is oddly out of place for the summer blockbuster season. I can't Help but think this movie would have played out better if it had been released in the winter, the setting of the actual film. The cold nature of this personal quest of balancing faith, trust, and belief while solving a diabolical series of abductions was a mismatch from the start for the whole affair.

Many of the things that The X-Files did well from the show translated favorably to the screen. The use of music by the original eerie music producer Mark Snow gave a familiar and chilling air to the film. The humor fans were so accustomed to in the show was used to great affect here, lending natural levity to the serious situation around them. And for the liberals in the crowd (full disclosure, myself included) there's a killer George W. Bush joke at the beginning. The theme of believer versus skeptic is also plays out on screen, with Scully reverting back to her role as disbeliever, all the while being faced with the possibility that belief is a matter of perspective.

There are a few odd and clunky aspects to this film that no doubt contributed to the poor reception by the critics. The subplot of Scully trying to help find a cure for a young man is a bit forced and slows the flow of the main plot. Carter and Spotnitz try to tie this in with the pursuit of faith, but it is hampered by the far more interesting abduction/Frankenstein plot. While the removal of all doubt about the relationship between Mulder and Scully is finally laid to rest, once established, the filmmakers dwell on the fact for far too long.

Overall, this film was for the fans of the show who appreciate the monster of the week diversions that made up over three out of every four episodes in the show. It is always hard to return and time always creates fonder memories of cherished characters. Living up to expectations can be a difficult task, one that the filmmakers did not meet or exceed. But few do. Enjoy this film for what it, an exploration in findijng faith in darkest corners of life.


X-Files #0 (Wildstorm)
Wildstorm fortunately brings back The X-Files to the funny book pages with this "zero issue" of a new series. The story focuses on a girl kidnapped in 1991 showing up dead seventeen years later in a murdered man's house having not aged a day. The story deals with the classic X-Files concept of possession. It is written by Spotnitz and features excellent art by Brian Denham.

The ongoing series will be based between seasons 2-5, an interesting choice with the focus of the movie was on the future. It's also an odd statement since this story takes place in 2008. This may have been simply a misprint in the issue, but if you do the math that the murdered girl is abducted in 1991 and is found seventeen years later, this poses a conundrum with X-Files continuity since Agents Mulder and Scully have been out of the FBI for five years and are not reinstated on screen in I Want to Believe (in fact, quite the opposite; they are seen as being far away from the FBI after the credits).

Despite this small complaint, this is a great beginning to the new series. Let's hope Wildstorm avoids some of the legal and editorial issues that plagued the excellent Topps series. The X-Files is a property that is well-suited for comic books, especially given the success of other televised cult properties like Buffy and Angel. But it goes beyond just having a built in audience. Comic books are a great venue for exploring the fantastic. The X-Files works great within the scope of the medium. This issue does what X-Files does best. It tells a compelling, scary story that entertains and asks questions, offering few direct answers, leaving the reader wanting more.
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X-Files: The Other X-Title (part 2) - Best Of

by Brandon

Aliens versus monsters! No, this isn't a review of Aliens versus Predator ( two word review; shit sandwich). This is my look at the best of The X-Files. The entirety of The X-Files run was a balance between the "myth-arc" alien conspiracy episodes and the "monster of the week" oriented episodes. Here are my top five episodes of each!

Myth-arc/Conspiracy Episodes

"Pilot" 1-1
A more perfect pilot may exist out there, but not for my money. This was the perfect introduction to the series. We meet Agents Mulder and Scully for the first time, as well as one of the central villains of the series, The Cigarette Smoking Man. The mythology of the conspiracy episodes all begin here as Mulder and Scully investigate the strange disappearance and death of some high schoolers.

"The Erlenmeyer Flask" 1-24
This episode is one of the most iconic due to its image of the "alien fetus." I can literally remember seeing this for the first time and having chills run wildly over my body. Creepy. In terms of story, this final episode of the first season really tied up the first season succinctly, more so than any other season finale. The first season paints a picture of paranoia and a web of government lies and betrayal. It was probably the only complete season from beginning to end, as if Chris Carter thought the series may not be picked up for a second season. This episode also introduces Mulder's motto in Deep Throat's dying words; trust no one.

"The Truth" 9-19 & 9-20
The final episode of the series proved to be a great review of the show, and answers some essential questions, though not all. Mulder is put on trial and sentenced to death. The colonization of earth is set and we see the return, and death, of the Cigarette Smoking Man. The episode ends with Scully and Mulder escaping and making it to a hotel. Mulder's last words are, "Maybe there's hope." This is a perfect summation of the show. Despite the mass paranoia and distrust, there is hope.

"Colony/End Game" 2-16 & 2-17
This two-part story introduces the Alien Bounty Hunter concept to the X-Files. Mulder is investigating his sister Samantha's abduction and actually finds her. However, she was a clone! It is revealed that there are many clones of Samantha and that the real Samantha is still alive. The Alien Bounty Hunter would show up periodically throughout the rest of the series in different forms, providing a larger backdrop to a rumored alien invasion. This was the first real proof that live aliens actually exist in The X-Files.


"Nothing Important Happened Today Pt. 1 & 2" 9-01 & 9-02
This is one of the best episodes featuring Agent John Doggett. As a member of The X-Files, Doggett still remains largely skeptical about the investigations he is still partaking in, but is becoming a believer. Doggett is investigation two things this season; Deputy Director Kirsh and finding Fox Mulder. Doggett encounters frustration at every turn with these investigations, which makes him more of a believer than doubter. Viewers see Doggett grow exponentially in these two episodes. The title comes from the great journal entry of King George III on July 4, 1776.


Monster of the Week Episodes

"The Post-Modern Prometheus" 5-05
This is porbably the strangest, yet most satisfying episodes of the show. It starts as a modern day retelling of Frankenstein, a bleak story shot in black and white, but later morphs into a fourth-wall-breaking tale. It has a great comic book connection, with the character Mutato. And... the episode features Cher *and* Jerry Springer! How could it be bad? Mulder asks the comic book writer to write a different ending, which he does. Excellent episode and highly recommended.

"X-COPS" 7-12
X-Files + COPS + a fear eating monster = awesome. This episode is hilarious just due to the camera work, done by actual COPS cameramen. This was a great spoof because it wasn't just a send-up of the COPS format, but it had a solid, scary story of fear.

"Squeeze" & "Tooms" 1-03 & 1-22
Tooms was by far one of the creepiest monsters featured in the X-Files. Tooms could squeeze and stretch his body to reach victims through small shafts. He was a creepy serial killer that gave Mulder and Scully fits, twice no less. He was one of the few characters to show up twice. He needed to eat livers in order to hibernate for another thirty years. See, creepy.

"Irresistible" & "Orison" 2-13 & 1-07
Donnie Pfaster was another one of those characters who appeared twice. And he was scary in his own right; he was a necrophiliac who eventually developed an unhealthy taste for Agent Scully. He would be captured, but escaped to seek Scully once more. Scully proved that she was not a damsel in distress by killing him. I hate to use the word "creepy" again, but it fits Donnie.

"Kill Switch" 5-11
Much like an episode in the first season, this episode deals with an AI technology gaining sentience. This episode is of note because it is written by two science fiction, William Gibson and Tom Maddox. This is a classic example of technology gone wild, trying to kill those that would kill it. This theme was common in the X-Files, but this is the probably the best due to its Class-A writers. They would return to write another great episode in the seventh season called "First person Shooter" that explore the same themes.

Of course, there are more great episodes. There were probably fewer than ten episodes that I didn't enjoy throughout the initial X-Files run.

I'll check in Sunday with a review of the new film, a "monster of the week" extravaganza!

Read more!

X-Files: The Other X-Title (part 1) - An Appreciation

by Brandon

X-Week rolls on with The X-Files. X-Files? Yes! There's no need to cry foul! In case you have been living under a rock or wasting away your soul by playing Grand Theft Auto, Agents Mulder and Scully are returning. Like the X-Men, the X-Files have a huge cult following and the show has spawned a legendary mythos within the Sci-Fi fan community. But unlike the X-Men, there are no secondary mutations involved. But are there? The new movie opens this Friday, but today I will look at the beloved series which spawned the new film.

I guess I would be classified as one of those weirdos who believes in the paranormal and unexplainable side of life. That's not to say that I necessarily believe in little green men from Mars or things that go bump in the night. However, I do hold both a healthy skepticism in the government's record with truth and a great interest in the fantastic. I do believe in ghosts. I believe in UFO's. I do believe that there are things we humans cannot and will never be able to explained by using science. As a result, When The X-Files premiered it literally gave me a hitching post to nail my beliefs and interests to.

From beginning to end, I never missed an episode of The X-Files. I remember when the first episode aired. My twin brother and I were blown away, and the reaction was confirmed in gym class the following Monday. The geeky kids had culled together on an end of the basketball courts to play away from the jocks. Alan immediately brought it up, but the amassed fanboys immediately began to chatter. I think Alan would eventually end up in jail for selling drugs, but I stuck with my X-Files addiction. It probably cost me getting some "boo-tay" with the ladies, but I think I ended up getting the better end of the deal.

Agents Mulder and Scully represented a classic fictional dichotomy; believer versus skeptic, acceptance versus skepticism. As characters, they played off of each other perfectly. As actors, they were cast perfectly. There were many layers to their relationship. They were antagonists at first, but they eventually became partners, almost equals. There was always a simmering sexual attraction between the two, the type that frustrates fans, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

Fox Mulder was damaged goods due to the tragedy of his sister's abduction. Mulder was the guiding force for the series, even during his absence from the series' last two seasons. Fox was a complicated character who wanted to find the "truth", but who may not have been comfortable with the answers he finds. It was as if he was constantly afraid of his own investigations, but that fear would drive him to continue. He was fearless and fearful all at once. He represent the morbid and often horrifying curiosity we have with the unexplained. People always want to see what is hiding under their bed, but few want to face it eye to eye. Mulder fascinated us all for his mind, so easy to believe the strange. Mulder never really grew much as a character. Rather, he devolved further and further into his own obsessions until by the last episode they had nearly consumed him.

Dana Scully was a savvy skeptic for much of the series run, someone who always questioned what she was seeing. Whereas Mulder guided the show, Scully was the emotional heart of the series. The viewers connected with Scully more so than Mulder because she was like us; she did not want to believe. For Scully, ignorance was not necessarily bliss, but rather a puzzle to reconcile with what we knew. Her rational approach to the many adventures she had grounded the show. Yet she had to admit to herself more often than not that she could not create a litmus test for all reality. As the series progressed and Mulder slowly left the show, she became the believer. She grew the most as a character because of her experience.

Many fans complain that the last two seasons were the weakest, but I respectfully disagree. While the loss of Mulder and the reduced role of Scully severely disappointed fans, the addition of Agent John Doggett and Monica Reyes provided a new dynamic for the investigation of the unexplainable. Like always, the shows were split into two categories, the conspiracy episodes and the monster-of-the-week episodes. The series is best remembered for the conspiracy episodes, but those made up only a small fraction in relation with the monster episodes. Those were always my favorite. The writers of The X-Files showed a great diversity in their storytelling ability, the type of diversity most sci-fi television shows, let alone any other genre, could hope to deliver. In a way, it's wrong to boil the X-Files down to just alien abductions.

The X-Files was at its best when they were exploring the fringes of horror. I can remember being scared out of my mind during those first three seasons. I lived in a log cabin in the middle of the woods back then. Do you realize how many episodes have that set up? Enough to where I always had to have my brother in the living room with me with plenty of lights on. My roommate in college and I made an event of Sunday nights when The X-Files was on. Pizza, beer, and potato chips were our best friend during those years.

I would also have terrible dreams after watching The X-Files and loved every minute of it. I never get that feeling with most of the horror shows or films that are churned out of Hollywood these days. I hope I'll be scared again this weekend.

God, I loved that show. I miss it.

Tomorrow, I'll post my favorite episodes from the series. See you then! Read more!