Review time! Season 10 #1 has been out now for a week and for this writer, who has had little knowledge in terms of comics releases, there have been reviews aplenty.
Also, fan-made translations in French, Spanish and Russian are underway! “Welcome to the wonderful world of high technology!”
IGN did a complete primer to get you up to date with the essential information to tackle Season 10 (not as complete and mytharc-focused as that other Primer, but still handy).
The best promo for the series comes from the comic book store Friendly Neighborhood Comics, Berlingham, Massachusetts!
For writer Joe Harris and artist Michael Walsh, the task of delivering a new “X-Files” comic — an “official” continuation of the series, no less — must have seemed daunting. Although interest in the property is far below its peak, Mulder and Scully remain embedded in the collective psyche. It’d be hard enough to do an “X-Files” comic that lives up to the memory of them at all. No one would criticize a creative team tasked with moving the characters on if they turned the assignment down. Against those odds, “X-Files Season 10” #1 turns out to be a surprisingly good read. […] Where Harris and Walsh have succeeded is in the series’ general tone. Mulder’s introduction in particular feels straight out of the TV series, and similarly, the threat in the story doesn’t violate the reality established by the TV series by going too overtly supernatural or over the top. With licensed comics there can be a tendency to forget that “no budget” doesn’t mean “no limits,” and “X-Files Season 10” remains comfortably within the boundaries of the “X-Files'” world. […] There’s definitely room for improvement, but it’s also much better than you’d expect based on the results of similar projects. Harris can particularly be praised for getting straight into a story, rather than spending an entire issue on introduction and scene-setting. As long as he manages to avoid getting dragged too quickly into the convoluted series mythology, this series might just be a winner.
Comic Book (appropriately, the longest review, goes into detail with references to other artists of the genre):
Harris will face a difficult decision that’s haunted X-Files writers for years: do you string a mystery along with no hope of resolution, which frustrates some fans but keeps the story moving? Or do you resolve a lingering mystery, closing off story options and probably not satisfying everyone? The stakes of that question will be exaggerated with a mystery that’s now been lingering, with fans convinced they know the answer, since 2001–longer than the series was on the air. […] he sets up a lot in this issue and, ultimately, not a lot is resolved. That’s normal, of course, for a first issue but the rat-a-tat dialogue that comes out of Mulder’s mouth makes the issue blow by almost as soon as he’s on the page, and it artificially shortens what is, frankly, a pretty dense book. That’s probably a good thing; he nailed Mulder’s voice which is, frankly, the hardest to get. There are also callbacks to material from the show […] things are going to get more and more fan-friendly in the next two months. The non-comics-reading audience may be the hardest to convince, as they’re always hoping for that magical series where Alex Ross or somebody draws the photorealistic X-Files or Star Wars book, but they should have an experience with Walsh not unlike the one I had with Steve Yeowell on The Invisibles all those years ago: it took me about two issues to really see what he was doing, but once I did the book never looked the same without him.
GeekMom (an X-phile):
One of the hardest parts of converting a TV show to any kind of written medium is getting the “voices” of the characters to sound right in the reader’s head. Here Joe Harris has succeeded admirably and the characters sound familiar, in particular Mulder’s dry wit is present by the bucketload and as usual it is often found where it’s least wanted. There are also some great little nuggets for the die-hard fans such as Mulder and Scully’s new names, a subtle nod right back to season two. […] I only wish these comics were coming out a little more often; once a month is just too long to wait!
Scully’s cross. Mulder’s poster. There are certain things that must always be included in The X-Files. In this issue, you will notice some really great small details that harken back to IWTB and The X-Files. […] It is clear that the creative team behind these comics has great respect for the history of The X-Files and its fanbase. We highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Issue #1.
The X-Files Season 10 comic is the closest we will ever get to those Friday nights that many of us spent so long ago, terrified, bewildered and excited about the mysteries Mulder and Scully were unraveling before us. Like a visit from a long lost friend, Season 10 should be welcomed with open arms. Your Friday night terror is back to pursue at leisure. Now let’s get a Millennium book IDW, so we can party like it’s 1998!
Now, let’s get to the art. Initially, my reaction to the art was pretty poor. I hate being critical of art style, but in this case, it looks more like a 50s Sunday comic then what I imagine X-Files Season 10 should look like. I guess I’ve been spoiled by Buffy Season 8, and comics like Revival. I sort of expect to see everything look like that. Unfortunately, the first issue of Season 10 does not have the new sleek styles of comics I think we have all come to expect. Instead, the inking is grainy, and the coloring is flat. As I read further, though, I realized that the style works for the darker half of the story, where greys and blacks are the dominate color themes instead of yellows and greens. That being said, when I analyzed it more closely, I realized that frame-by-frame, the art is actually quite pleasing to look at. Somehow, combining all the frames on one page makes it seem childish and unfinished, though alone it’s a fresh take on a comic style I can really appreciate. Yet, for the darker scenes, such as a terrifying scene where Skinner is hanging by the neck from a towel in his bathroom, the only light reflecting his in his famous glasses, the art style is perfect. Thus, I must conclude that it needs some time to really come into its own.
I Made This (fellow X-phile):
My only issues. Twenty two pages? Too short. A month’s gap between issues? Too long, and where is Doggett and Reyes? Based on this though, it will be worth it and here’s hoping it’s a success because in this format, I’m more than willing to see The X Files back.
Plenty more reviews are out there, essentially all of them positive: Capeless Crusader | Full Metal Hero | Whatchareading | Flickering Myth | Comic Hype | Geek Rest | Unleash The Fanboy | Comicosity | The MacGuffin | Comic Vine | The Nerd Closet Podcast (video) | Bloody Disgusting | Big Planet Comics (audio) | Behind The Panels | The Press Enterprise | IGN Assemble! (audio) | SciFi Pulse | Read Comic Books | Metal Life Eva | Orbital Comics | Across the Airwaves | Travelling Man | EatTheCorn
I expect there to be less reviews starting from #2?
[Spanish] Para los hispanohablantes: Trust No 1 hizo un guía sobre todos los comics X-Files desde 1996, similar al mio (aquí), y también una crítica del nuevo comic aquí:
El ritmo de la narración y los diálogos crean un terreno conocido, ya que nos recuerdan mucho a la versión televisiva. El espacio para el misterio y la introducción de los personajes y el nuevo status quo están bien equilibrados, la historia atrapa y definitivamente queremos saber más. ¡30 días se harán una eternidad para leer el segundo episodio! El dibujo es, a mi parecer, lo más cuestionable. […] “creer” ha valido la pena.
Crítica de Believe Again:
Una de las cosas que he descubierto en estos meses es que muchos fans jamás habían leído los comics anteriores basados en la serie (Topps en los 90 y la serie Wildstorm en 2008); no es raro leer comentarios como “es la primera vez que voy a una tienda de comics” y por las reacciones de guionistas y editores de IDW, parecen muy interesados en que esta serie funcione, pues ya se dieron cuenta de que somos un público un tanto lejano a la cultura comic.
[Italian] Per gli italiani: Critica dal Beyond The Sea:
La storia dimostra inoltre quello che gli autori della serie vanno dicendo da sempre, ovvero che “X-Files sarebbe potuto andare avanti per molto tempo”. La sensazione più forte che si ha al termine di questo fumetto è che potrebbero davvero esserci ancora tante storie da raccontare che abbiano per protagonisti Mulder e Scully. […] Se la storia è il vero punto di forza di questo fumetto, va sottolineato però come i disegni non soddisfino appieno le aspettative. Per una storia che si svolge dopo gli eventi di I Want to Believe, ci ritroviamo davanti due Mulder e Scully particolarmente “giovani” che ricordano molto quelli a cavallo tra la quarta e quinta stagione della serie.
[French] Pour les francophones: Critique mitigée de MDCU:
Les scènes d’intro sont très efficaces et nous plongent bien dans ce contexte particulier sans avoir à en faire trop. […] Malheureusement, passé ces présentations on a l’impression que les choses vont beaucoup trop vites. […] En somme, ce premier numéro de la saison 10 de The X-Files n’est pas totalement convaincant, il semble un peu trop précipité et nous fait passer à côté d’un retour digne de ce nom. Et même en allant vite, Joe Harris ne réussi pas à nous en donner assez, on reste sur notre faim. Il est donc assez difficile de tirer un jugement sur la série après un seul numéro, il faudra vraiment attendre la fin du premier arc pour ça.
Critique très négative de Small Things.
If I’ve missed something do point it out!
Tags: season 10 (comics)
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