The X-Files: Year Zero – Issue #2

It had been a little while since I read the first issue in this series, so I had to go back and reread it to refresh myself. Basically, Mulder and Scully are investigating a case regarding a possible shape-shifter which has similarities to the unsolved first X-Files case from 1946. Both involve a mysterious Mr. Zero (or Mr. Xero from 1946).

This issue continues the parallel storyline with Mulder and Scully in the present day and Special Agent Bing Ellinson and Special Employee Millie Ohio in 1946. The dual storyline was what caused me to have to go back and reread, because I couldn’t recall what was what, but after I got my bearings, it worked well for me.

The most interesting part for me was at the end and is part of the 1946 string. Ellinson and Ohio track down a Native American youth named Ish in Glacier National Park. He informs the agents that the “person” they are searching for is a manitou, “An evil spirit with a bloodlust greater than that of the fiercest beast.” The issue ends with the manitou bursting up out of the floorboards of the cabin where the three are hiding.

So far, I am enjoying this comic. The story is interesting and I like the “film noir” style of artwork used in the panels. I’m also curious how the two stories will eventually connect, or if they end up taking divergent paths. I’ll review the next issue when it comes out in about a month.

The X-Files Mystery Magazine #1: “Year Zero”

I have a cool thing set up at my local comic store. I provide the owner with a list of comics that I am reading and each time a new issue comes out, he drops one in a folder for me. Then I can just pick them up at my convenience. On my last trip, I found a copy of a new X-Files offshoot, which the purveyor of graphic literature thankfully figured I’d be interested in.

In this issue, Mulder and Scully are investigating a case regarding a large black leopard that is loose. Mulder is convinced it is a cat person, someone who can shape-shift between human and feline form. Mulder points out that there are similarities between this case and the first x-file from 1946. The comic then flashes back to 1946 and begins the tale of two outcast agents, one male and one female, investigating a case involving a mysterious Mr. Xero.

The comic is really well done and draws on the style of film noir detective stories. I really love the old detective stories. As a kid, I read detective magazines and would watch old mysteries. I imagined myself being a detective one day. I confess that I read every single Hardy Boys mystery before I reached junior high school.

I’m very excited about this new series. I love the X-Files and I love 1940’s detective stories, so a combination of the two bodes well. Anyway, the plot is set, and now I wait for the next issue to see how the mystery unfolds. I’ll be reviewing the next issue as soon as it comes out. Cheers!