pretty decent for the $3 i spent on it
if your an avid fan of the x files this is for you. it gives you the chance to have some all new adventures with your pals mulder and scully. althout this is definately a plus, sometime the art and writing can be a little boring even sub-par. but as a huge xfiles fan im glad i have it in my collection. there are 4 or 5 short stories in this one.. most consisting of the usual xfiles material.
for X-phillys!!!
im not gonna write a long boring review... if you love the X-FILES, you'll love the graphic novel. if you dont love x-files... dont buy it
On TV? Sweet. As a comic? Not so sweet
The X-files entertain millions of people all over the world during the years when it was still produced. The scepticism of Scully mixed with Mulder's desire to believe in more or less everything between heaven and earth fascinated millions of fans, and as is the case with any other successful concept; the TV-series gave birth to numerous other products, of which the comics market was - and is - one of the most successful.
Comics are in no way as popular in Sweden as they are in the U.S. or Great Britain, but we still do have our share of hardcore devotees who spend their money in special stores and are deadly serious about their interest. Now Checker Books publishes a collection of some of the most popular episodes caught on paper, and as always when it comes to collections the contributions vary in quality. However, none of them manage to fully fascinate the reader the way the TV-series did.
The episodes in the collections are outlined just like the ones on TV; they all start with a mysterious event (which becomes even more mysterious when it's on paper instead of the TV screen), Scully and Mulder get involved, action sequences are mixed with the compulsory autopsy scenes, and at the end it's difficult to tell what the real outcome was. Real, definite endings are not very common when it's about the X-Files.
The highlight in the collection is the first episode made for TV, since many who eventually got hooked on the adventures of Scully and Mulder easily remembers the special feeling that that first episode gave them. Still, even the classic episodes have great difficulties in the transformation into comics, and as a consequence it's easy to come to the conclusion that the X-files really should be experienced on the screen and not on paper.
The most devoted of fans probably don't agree at all, but still, no one really doubts that the TV-series will always be more popular than the comics. If you love the X-Files, then by all means go ahead and buy the collection. But remember that it's absolutely not a must.
I'd rather see it on TV
I assume that everybody knows what kind of TV-series the X-Files is, and thus I skip the description and go straight to the review instead, that is, the second collection about Mulder and Scully published by Checker Publishing Group. This time it's issues 20-26, issue 1/2 and X-Files Comic Digest Issue 1 that have been collected.
And the end result is more or less what I had expected it to be: as with Volume 1, Volume 2 is something that the hardcore-fans and comic buffs will appreciate while the everyday reader might not think too much of it. It's very true that everybody involved are very skilled; the authors know how to create a genuine X-Files style story, and the artists are all veterans and highly professional. However, the problem remains the same: Mulder's and Scully's adventures, when on paper, are lightyears from what they are when on the TV-screen. All the things that made the TV-series special; the lights, the creepy music, the camera work, and more; all these ingredients disappear when the adventures are done on paper, and the result is therefore not very surprisingly a comic that is neither good nor bad.
Some of the episodes have a LOT of text, and this is thus not a comic that you'll read in an instant. The paranormal phenomena under investigation are all quite "traditional", that is, ball lightning, ghosts, Bigfoot, and so on, and if you thought that the mysteries were "solved" surprisingly quickly in the TV-series, then you won't think much different when reading Volume 2. Here Mulder and Scully "solve" everything in the blink of an eye, and it's actually quite annoying and not very believable to see how all the pieces of the puzzle seem to come together more or less right after they've arrived at the scene of the crime.
The X-Files Volume 2 wasn't a complete disappointment, though. From time to time it's quite entertaining, and it's always interesting to see how "traditional" paranormal phenomena can be approached in new and innovative ways. However, after finishing it I felt just as I did after finishing Volume 1, that is, if I want to hang out with agents Mulder and Scully I much rather do it using a TV instead of a comic.
THE X-FILES ARE BACK IN BUSINESS!
Throughout the 90's, TOPPS comics put out a truly outstanding comic book series based on the hit TV show the X-Files. They began collecting the issues in trade paperback format but only got as far as issue #12. Now, Checker Books has picked up the ball and is continuing collecting these classic issues in trade paperback. This first volume collects issues #13 - 19, as well as the special issue #0. TOPPS' greatest accomplishment with the series was being able to capture the spirit of the TV shows with witty writing and art that matched the spirit of each tale.
In "One Player Only" Scully & Mulder investigate the murder of a team of computer programmer's by that team's leader. Could it be possible that the artificial intelligence program they were working on actually possessed the team leader?
"Falling" finds Mulder in the wilderness investigating the crash sight of an unknown ship. When he's caught in a trap by some children, they're convinced that Mulder is himself an alien. Mulder is slowly poisoned by radiation while Scully is stone-walled in her own investigation.
"Home of the Brave" is a two-part story that finds Mulder and Scully captured by survivalist extremists in the swamps of Georgia. They plan to kill the two agents but something even more sinister than government agents is lurking in the swamps.
In "Thin Air" a man washes up on the shores of Greece, claiming to be a member of the ill-fated Flight 19 that disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle over fifty years earlier. Mulder & Scully doubt the man's story and soon uncover the hoax. But why did someone go through all the trouble to fake the man's identity. And why did that man soon disappear?
"Squeeze" adapts one of the more famous TV episodes about a serial killer who seems to strike every 30 years, tearing the livers out of five victims before disappearing again. This is a great story, adapted by Roy Thomas and Val Mayerick.
"Zero" is an adaptation of the X-Files pilot episode by Roy Thomas and John Van Fleet. This story tells the tale of how Scully was assigned to the X-files and her first meeting and case with Mulder as the investigate a series of murders in Oregon.
All of the stories in this volume are very good but as far as the original stories, "Thin Air" really does the best job of capturing that feeling of shady conspiracies that the show was so well-known for. It's little surprise, then, when you see who is behind it all in the end. The art ranges from above average to outstanding, especially the work of Val Mayerick who is one of my favorites. If you've been missing X-files since the comic ended or never read it, these collections from Checker books are a great place to start. Most of the stories are all self contained and you needn't worry about having read the previous issues in order to jump right in.
Reviewed by Tim Janson
