D-Day minus 1.
Writer Joe Harris and Agent Skulder have compiled a list of release parties for the X-Files Season 10 comics and of writer/artist appearances in conventions, expos, etc (for Joe Harris, for Michael Walsh). Of course, they’re all in the USA/Canada!…
- Wednesday, June 19, 2013: With Michael Walsh, Silver Snail Comics, Toronto, Ontario
- Saturday June 22, 2013: With Joe Harris, Third Eye Comics, two separate events in Annapolis and in Southern Maryland; this is also where you can get the exclusive variant cover for #1 by Charles Paul Wilson III (the “Tooms” cover)
- June 26, 2013: Michael Walsh at The Dragon, Guelph, Ontario
- June 28-30, 2013: Joe Harris at the Wizard World ComicCon, New York City
- July 18-21, 2013: Joe Harris at the San Diego Comic Con International
- October 10-13, 2013: Joe Harris at the New York Comic Con
Probably more coming. Any fan-organized?
Writer Joe Harris has also teased that there’s going to be a commentary track (audio?) accompanying #1 to be released on Friday June 21 on Comic Book Resources. From his twitter (June 18): “Just completed the “Commentary Track” to “The X-Files: Season 10” #1 — look for it on @CBR this friday, after the book is released.”
On May 31, BleedingCool reported that X-Files Season 10 #1 was number 14 in its TOP 25 ADVANCE REORDER COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS/TPs, which it establishes every month. BleedingCool also reports on real sales (in the USA only most likely) every Wednesday/Thursday after the releases, so soon we should have an idea for the sales for #1.
S10#1 extract
Finally, Bloody-disgusting posted another interview with writer Joe Harris! The interview also includes a preview of the comic, with an additional page compared to yesterday’s 7-page preview (there’s not going to be a lot left exclusive for the comic!).
Bloody-disgusting: Fans have been demanding more X-Files for years. How does it feel to be part of the team that gets to bring it back? How did you get involved?
Joe Harris: It’s an honor, to say the least. And it’s at least a little bit scary, you know? But mostly it’s exciting as I’m a fan too! I got involved when IDW asked if I had any thoughts on how to do this, and I did. Many of them.
BD: What can we expect from season 10?
JH: A re-establishment of the paradigm that first pulled you in way back when, with Agents Mulder and Scully working “The X-Files” for an FBI they’re not entirely sure they can trust, but with a sense of responsibility and calling that won’t allow them to look, or stay away any longer.
BD: I’m sure you’ve been asked a lot, but are Mulder and Scully involved romantically?
JH: Well, they have been. I think that much is clear. Whether they continue to remains to be seen…
BD: How is working with Chris Carter on the book? How involved is he in the process?
JH: It was a thrill to first learn he was reading my stuff and reacting positively to it, as you might imagine. Chris reads my outlines and scripts and offers his thoughts and advice both specific and general.
BD: You mentioned in an interview with CBR that you’ve been a big fan since the series started. What’s it like to work on such a beloved series? Do you feel a lot of pressure?
JH: I think you nailed it in the question. It’s a thrill, but not without its pressures. I’m having a good time though.
BD: So much has been done with X-Files in the TV series and the films. How are you putting a fresh spin on it?
JH: Well, we’re bringing it up to date a bit and reimagining some of the classic paradigms and concepts for this new, 2013 era. The technology and the threats are more modern. Your government is still rife with inequities, secrets and conspiratorial elements and actors. Good thing it’s also going to have Agents dedicated to rooting those out.
BD: It’s also a franchise that hasn’t been explored for over a decade (excluding the last film). How are you planning to bring Mulder and Scully into the modern age?
JH: I think they’d prefer to stay retired, but circumstances are going to drag them back into the fight, and fast. In doing so, they’re going to have to pick up some loose ends and encounter some new ones they didn’t realize existed.
BD: The TV series was so great because it always showed both sides of the story using Mulder’s beliefs and Scully’s skepticism. How do you strike that balance? Does it come naturally?
JH: The old paradigm of Mulder’s almost desperate need to believe, and Scully’s skepticism, is going to return. But they’re battle-tested now. The lines are a bit grayer. I don’t think anyone could go through what they’ve been through and not be, at least on some levels, both a believer and a skeptic. Watching that line flutter between them is going to be a fun point of tension and exploration, at least for me.
BD: Do you have some favorite episodes that you’ll be drawing from?
JH: Absolutely! I don’t want to call out the specific “Monster of the Week” episodes as to avoid spoilers for upcoming issues not yet announced… but, with regard to the “Mytharc” episodes that inform at least some aspects of the opening story arc, “Believers,” as well as future storylines exploring the extraterrestrial threat and the still-simmering conspiracy within our government and our population that surrounds it, I’m drawing on episodes like “The Erlenmeyer Flask,” “Talitha Cumi” and “Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man” along with many others.
BD: Will your main focus be on aliens, or are you guys venturing into more aspects of the paranormal?
JH: Both. I think the show worked best when it peppered in the monsters and let you breathe a bit before diving back into the serialized alien colonization mystery, all the while building the characters, introducing new allies and enemies, and laying the groundwork for the next step forward in the grand, unraveling reveal. I’d like to reestablish that dynamic. I’m hopeful that’s what we’re doing right off the bat.
BD: Thanks so much, we are all excited about the series!
Interesting to see that Chris Carter has made no effort to market this yet, and behind Joe Harris’ kind words one can tell that Carter’s involvement has actually been minimal and that Joe Harris really put a lot of effort in this. That could mean that Carter has definitely moved on and passed the torch, or it could mean he might get involved at a later stage when he decides the time is ripe for a conclusion to the mytharc, in film form or in comic form.
In his interviews, you can tell that Harris is a real fan of the TV series from back when it was on the air and that he didn’t become a fan on command suddenly when IDW hired him to do the comics — which is something positive for Season 10. He’s also a big fan of the mythology, which can only make him more likable to EatTheCorn, and has mentioned the modern (2013) threats the stories could address. However, there are legitimate concerns over the direction the Season 10 will take, not only with regards to mythology plot threads that were left hanging (William) or considered shut (the Lone Gunmen, the CSM), but also in terms of how the characters are dealt with. Can Mulder and Scully return to being investigative agents for the FBI and do monster-of-the-week type casework after all they’ve been through? A “consulting” status for them, or a “coaching” status for a next generation of investigators, within the FBI or independently, is probably more appropriate given their experience.
From all we’ve seen, from the alternate covers to the promise of the return of mytharc or MOTW characters, Season 10 centers a lot around the nostalgia that has developed over the show. Whether it manages to be its own thing and be a sequel worth our interest story-wise, i.e. not just a sequel just to know “what happens next”, remains to be seen.
Tags: joe harris, michael walsh, season 10 (comics), x-files