The X-Files Season 10: Issue #25

This issue marks the end of the X-Files Season 10 arc. As a die-hard X-phile, I have to say that I enjoyed the series, although there were some installments which I felt missed the mark. But overall, it was worth reading.

In classic X-Files manner, this issue has both closure and leaves the door open for subsequent issues. It is also announced at the end that they are planning a Season 11 arc, which is due out in August. Of course, I will be reading that one when it comes out.

Whenever possible, I like to include a quote that stands out, without giving any spoilers. There is a great one from this issue I want to share.

It’s so difficult to hide things away these days. But if recent history is prologue at all… I’ve come to believe plain sight is the best place to do so.

I find some truth in this statement. In a digital information age, we are always looking deep into things and scrutinizing every occurrence, no matter how trivial. In this environment, it is often what lies in plain sight that is overlooked.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I suppose we will find out what Season 11 holds soon, as well as what is in store with the upcoming television reboot.

Millennium: Issue 5

This issue is the last in the arc, and is superb. The writing and artwork are top notch, and the symbolism is everything that one would expect from Millennium.

In this installment, Frank Black and Fox Mulder confront Lucy Butler in Frank’s old house in Seattle. Lucy is the feminine incarnation of Legion, the embodiment of evil. The return to the yellow house symbolizes Frank entering the deeper aspects of his psyche to face his inner demons. Lucy represents both Frank’s personal demons, as well as the amalgamation of evil as it exists on the cosmic level.

Structurally, the story draws on the symbols of divine cycles. There are circles within circles, all representative of the various cycles of spiritual growth and decay, of good and evil, of divine and profane.

The closing lines of this graphic novel sum everything up nicely, and I don’t feel that including the quote here will spoil the ending, because everything is just one eternal cycle.

True good and evil never die, Frank. They just lay low for a bit, lick their wounds, and wait for the cycle to start again… for an entire millennium, if necessary…

The X-Files Season 10: Issue #23

This issue is the third part of the “Elders” episode and really draws you deeper into the tale. It draws on key mythology associated with the X-Files while augmenting the saga with new layers of conspiracy and science fiction. In addition, the issue incorporates cyclical symbolism, which adds another level of complexity to the greater story and works very well, in my humble opinion.

But if Mulder’s own quixotic crusade has revealed anything over these years, it must have shown you… life is but a cycle… with a new beginning following each and every end.

I am very curious how all this will play out. I’m also curious as to whether Chris Carter will somehow tie this graphic series into the X-Files television reboot that was announced. I guess all we can do is follow the rabbit hole and see where it all leads. Thanks to reading, and feel free to share your thoughts.

The X-Files Season 10: Issue #22

This issue is the second part of the “Elders” episode (click here for my thoughts on part 1). It is very good, dripping with conspiracies. To summarize what is happening without including spoilers, Mulder is being discredited at the FBI for allegedly stealing secrets. He has been abducted and is held in a secret facility that appears to be host to alien-hybrid experiments. And at the end, the identity of the mysterious person with the glasses is revealed, and there is a nice cliffhanger setting us up for the next chapter in the saga.

There is an interesting quote that Deputy Director Skinner makes to Scully regarding what is happening to Mulder in regard to the FBI allegations.

If you think powerful forces sought to tear Mulder down before, you haven’t met Special Interests in the 21^st century. And the more we resist their efforts to control the levels of government, the bigger the target we all become.

I found this to be an astute assessment of the relationship between government and special interest groups. No one questions that these groups influence legislation. The subtle insinuation that there is something going on behind the scenes works well in deepening the conspiracy aspects of the story.

So I want to close this post with Mulder’s last words in this issue, which I found to be a great twist on the X-Files’ famous tagline:

I don’t believe it…

The X-Files Season 10: Issue #21

After the last two dismal issues, I had reservations about whether this series would continue to be worth reading. I was relieved to find a return to the kind of storytelling and sci-fi mystery which attracted me to the X-Files.

This issue is part one of a mini-series entitled “Elders.” It provides a glimpse into the shadowy world of the Syndicate while keeping just enough detail hidden to foster the sense of mystery. It also allows readers to project their own ideas of conspiracy into the story, providing a somewhat personal experience when interacting with the tale.

The issue opens with an unknown individual shown monitoring newscasts from multiple sources. The snippets of reports draw on current events and would stir fear in the minds of most conspiracy theorists. It also provides just enough verisimilitude to allow the reader to suspend belief and be drawn into the story.

One scene that stands out for me is when an unknown individual who wears glasses and whose face is never shown (possibly an alien?) attends a meeting with the elder members of the Syndicate. He acknowledges that they were once important, but that this importance has been lost.

You were once important men. Together, you orchestrated the greatest lie in human history. But you were greedy… and gluttonous. You grew depraved in time. So you failed, and then you fell.

The mysterious figure in the glasses concludes the Syndicate meeting by asserting:

The world is an open window, my friends. There are no more shadows for you to hide in. The time for secrets is over…

There are other strands of sub-stories woven into the fabric of this comic, and they blend together well. This all bodes well for the subsequent issues, and, I must say, for the reboot of the television series which was recently announced.

Millennium: Issue 2

Wow! This installment reminds me of why I loved this show so much when it was on TV. It draws you into a dark psychological labyrinth haunted by shadows, demons, nightmares, and insanity.

In this issue, Frank Black and Fox Mulder continue investigating into the death of Monte Propps, the released convict who had used strange runes and deprivation to drive people to take their own lives. While investigating a murder scene, Frank encounters a boy who is possessed by Legion.

Boy: She thought she could hold us… she didn’t realize I was using her to get closer to you. But you knew that. You’ve already seen it, haven’t you, with that gift of yours? I made you an offer once. That offer still stands.

Frank Black: Legion.

Boy: It’s good to see you, Frank. They put so much value on the taking of life, but so little on the nurturing of it. I know it vexes you sometimes, as it does me.

Frank Black: What do you want?

Boy: The same thing you want, Frank. The same thing they do.

If you were a fan of the show, then this series is a must-read. That said, I leave you with this thought:

IT HAS BEEN 5,527 DAYS SINCE THE NEW MILLENNIUM.

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Further Reading:

Issue 1 Review

Millennium: Issue 1

I have been waiting for this issue to come out since I first heard about it. Often, when you are anticipating something, you can be disappointed. Not the case with this initial release. It was as good as I’d hoped it would be. My understanding is that this is slated as a five-issue miniseries. If you were a fan of the television series, I encourage you to give this a read. If you have never seen the show, then you will probably not find this comic interesting and should probably skip it.

The issue begins with a flashback to December 1999, the dawn of the new millennium. Two computer technicians are upgrading a system and discussing Y2K issues.

It’s almost the year 2000 and we’ve all gotten soft and fat and lazy. Meanwhile, sectarian unrest, governmental malfeasance, financial meltdowns, and wars for both resources and hegemony are always just over the horizon. Everyone thinks the good times are gonna last forever.

The issue then flashes to the present where Agent Mulder (yes, that Mulder from the X-Files) is at an early release hearing for a convict who supposedly used strange runes and deprivation to brainwash individuals into taking their own lives. Upon signing out, Mulder notices Frank Black’s signature on the visitor log and then locates him at a nearby motel.

I don’t want to give away too much, since I hate spoilers. Suffice to say that the tale gets very dark and mysterious. The writing is excellent; the artwork is very, very good; and the storyline connects well with both the Millennium and the X-Files television series.

I will share one other quote in closing: I encourage you to give this a read if you were a fan of the television series. If you have never seen the series, then you will probably not find this comic interesting and should probably skip it.

Frank Black: There are forces at work in this world, Agent Mulder. Patient, deliberate, and dark forces. They’ve been around since long before you and I, and they’re certainly going to be here after we’ve gone.

Agent Mulder: Which forces are we talking about, Frank? The monsters under the bed, or those who seek them out?

Frank Black: In my experience, if one doesn’t get you, the other will.

The Truth May Still Be Out There: X-Files Reboot Possible

So I just read an article on CNN’s website that FOX is considering rebooting The X-Files.

CNN Article

While it’s just a rumor, I can’t help feeling somewhat intrigued. I’ve loved the X-Files since it first started airing, and if you follow my blog, you know I am a fan of the current X-Files comic series also. I just hope that if they do revive it, they don’t just try to rehash old stuff and characters. There is a lot of interesting things happening in the world, and lots of new discoveries and theories in the field of science, I think that there is definite opportunity here for some creative exploration. I suppose we will have to wait and see.

What are your thoughts? Would you watch an X-Files reboot?

The X-Files: Year Zero – Issue #5

This issue concludes the mini-series and does so superbly. Unlike the previous issue, there is a lot of great stuff woven into this story.

Mulder and Scully discover Dorothy Sears’ identity in the present day. Having gained immortality by tricking the trickster Xero into giving her ambrosiac, she has lived below the radar and maintained her youth into the present day. There is a great panel where she relates to Scully what it was like to be a woman in the 1940s.

“But then, you don’t know what it was like in the forties, Agent Scully—for women, I mean. We had very limited roles, very few options. And a Cape Cod house with a picket fence was just a pretty cage—for me, at least.”

(p. 4)

During the climactic confrontation with Xero/Zero, Sears again tricks the trickster and escapes. Angered, Xero vows to hunt her down, but Mulder challenges him, claiming to know the tricksters true, secret name.

Xero: No! She will not do this again! She has broken her word—and so shall I! I will unheal her son, then hunt her down and—

Scully: You won’t hurt either of them!

Xero: No? And how would you stop me?

Mulder: By saying your true name!

Xero: You… play a card you do not have.

Mulder: Try me.

Xero: You are foolhardy, Fox Mulder. I like that in a man. It has earned you a reprieve. Until we meet again…

(Xero vanishes)

Scully: So… for future reference… what is his true name?

Mulder: Rumpelstiltskin?

(pp. 13 – 14)

I particularly loved the ending. It flashes back to 1947 where Ellinson and Ohio are setting up their new office space, from where they will begin investigating X-files. The two discuss how to set up their filing system.

Ohio: How should we have these sorted? The Sears case could go under “S”—or “L” for Long Island. But our Christmas trip—should that be “D” for Detroit? “H” for Hardin? “G” for gremlin?

Ellinson: Let’s keep it simple, keep them together so we can get at them quick. Bottom line is, these weird cases we’re looking into—past, present, and future—they’re all because of Mr. Xero. They’re all X-FILES.

(p. 20)

So this explains how the X-files got the name. Mentally filing that away for future trivia.

Hope you have an X-ellent day!!

The X-Files Season 10: Issue #17

Yes! I am so psyched that the writers have brought Frank Black from “Millennium” back and incorporated him into the story. “Millennium” was one of my favorite shows and its untimely end saddened me, although Black did return and was featured in an X-Files episode. “Millennium” is the only TV series that I own on DVD.

Anyway, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Frank Black, he is a retired FBI profiler with psychic abilities that allow him to see visions of what serial killers are thinking and feeling. His investigations are centered around apocalyptic fears and events associated with the millennium.

In this issue, Black comes to assist Mulder in the investigation surrounding Joanie Cartwright. Frank senses that an evil entity is behind the events. After Cartwright and her followers commit a mass suicide, the entity takes possession of a person and the issue leaves you hanging.

I can’t wait to find out what happens. I would really be psyched if they branched out and did a Millennium comic, or a film. I suppose I will have to wait until more is revealed.