I was a huge fan of the early X-Files tv series. You know the years I mean, those first three seasons when the show was suitably monochromatic in it's look and supported by a healthy dose of gloomy settings. Odd, sharp, left of centre and often morbidly funny these episodes had no problem attracting a solid following of fans by word of mouth alone. Even I was often caught spouting a Mulderism or two in regular conversations. With that said I met this compilation of the Topp's monthly comics with some trepidation.
Volume 1 collects issues 13 through 16 and includes issue #0 and the adaptation of one of my favorite episodes entitled "Squeeze". After reading through the first 15 pages I quickly found myself settled in and caught up once again in the creepy offerings hidden in the steel filing cabinets of the lower basement's office. It's all here. The Mulderisms, the morbid humour and the chemistry between our main players.
The only problem I had with his first volume is the art. It's scratchy renderings did little for me and the colours were far too bright given the visuals in the tv series and the subject matter. Hang in there though and keep reading, as the stories are more than enough to carry us into Volume 2 where the art starts to match the plot threads. You'll find that in Volume 2 , issues 17 through 21 and issues 1/2 and Comics Digest issue #1 that the characters are drawn deftly enough to resemble the actors that portrayed them.
I ate both volumes up pretty quickly and ended up wanting more once I was done. This is just what the possessed fan needs... an easier way to get a dose of the X-Files at the end of a day without hauling a tv into bed...far less lumpy too.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Tk
"Ray Olson, Booklist"
Of course, there was an X-Files comic book! Happily, it’s now being collected in graphic-novel format. Here are five original creations and two TV-episode adaptations first published as special issues. The originals would have made good TV episodes, especially the two-parter in which paranoid Neo-Nazi survivalists capture Mulder and Scully. The writing in the five originals corresponds to the TV-script adaptations, though the latter seem a bit wordier. Five hands share principal artist duties. The two adaptations are the most intricately rendered, perhaps because Val Mayerick’s “Squeeze” (a sublime creep-out) and John Van Fleet’s version of the TV pilot episode are based on frames from the shows. All the artists conjure the murk that Mulder and Scully swam through on TV. If only print could reproduce David Duchovny’s permanently hungover vocal characterization of Mulder.
"Tim Lasiuta"
Checker Books gives us issues 13-19 of the cult favorite X Files TV show. One of the greatest TV shows of all time, it translated well in to comic books-and here we are treated to a marathon!
Probably my favorite story, "One Player" takes us deep into the psyche of a video game programmer who cared too much, and the murderous rampage he goes on after he learns the game will be sold to the military. Other stories included are "Falling", "Home of the Brave", "Thin Air", "Night Lights", "Squeeze", and the bonus pilot episode adaptation from issue #0.
Production wise, Checker does a fantastic job. From Topps’ original books, these are easily equivalent. I like the way the covers to each issue are presented in a collage, that adds much to the presentation.
The difficulty with TV comics is that of likeness’. In X Files, Charles Adlard, Gordon Purcell, Josef Rubenstein, Val Mayrik, and Rick Maygar they do their job well. Mayrick/Maygar are probably the best in the book, but everyone else is no slouch either.
