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Archive for September, 2013

Sep
18
2013

Season 10 News: Summer 2013

Season 10 #4: Believers 4 of 5 is coming out today, Wednesday September 18! The 7-page preview is up.

You can read it while listening to Mark Snow’s Volume 2 soundtrack freshly released by La La Land!

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Above: cover artist Carlos Valenzuela teasing “Things to come…” (part of the #7 cover?)

Meanwhile, X-Files Season 10 appears to be building a strong readership slowly but steadily: Bleeding Cool reports that #1 is at its fourth reprint (after selling out the 2,500 issues from the third print) and #2 at its third! In terms of sales estimates per month of release for each issue:

Rank / Title / Est.Qty

94 X-FILES SEASON 10 #1 24,270 (8 covers)
145 X-FILES SEASON 10 #2 16,729 (4 covers)
118 X-FILES SEASON 10 #3 17,557 (4 covers)

Michael Walsh might be the interior artist commissioned for Season 10, but #6-7 will be an exception: art will be done by guest artist Elena Casagrande! Although Walsh’s art has given this series a strong continuity with the look of the TV show, it will be interesting to see other interpretations of the XF universe too. One can even imagine a series of guest artists once in a while, or even a split between Walsh on mytharc and rotating with other artists on monster-of-the-week stories, or even depending on the success of the series Walsh on the main Season 10 issues and various special guests on mini-series specials focusing on the Lone Gunmen for example!

#6-7 is “Hosts”, marking the return of the fan favourite Flukeman monster from Chris Carter’s 2X03: The Host! This is the first monster-of-the-week story arc, and it’s great to see that the story will span more than one issue: 22 pages would have been far too short to tell a compelling and complete story.

IDW solicitations for November and December are out:

The X-Files: Season 10 #6
(W) Joe Harris (A) Elena Casagrande (CA) Carlos Valenzuela
Hosts, Part 1 of 2: Scully and Mulder try to come to terms with the fallout from recent events, but before they are able to catch their collective breath, they become embroiled in reports that a creature from their past as returned: “Flukeman”!

The X-Files: Season 10 #7
Joe Harris (w) • Elena Casagrande (a) • Carlos Valenzuela (c)
Hosts, Part 2 of 2: Missing persons reports point to the return of the “giant, bloodsucking worm” known as the Flukeman, sending Mulder to Martha’s Vineyard to invesigate and Scully to Quantico to examine the supposed remains of the creature. And what they both discover lies beyond belief and terror!

The #7 variant cover art by Charles Paul Wilson III is amazing! (click for big)

X-Files Season 10 #7 cover RI (art by Charles Paul Wilson III)

X-Files Season 10 #7 cover RI (art by Charles Paul Wilson III)

As writer Joe Harris said:

Ever since I first pitched IDW to bring back THE X-FILES in our SEASON 10 series, I knew I wanted to bring back Flukeman.  The number of people who bring him up at conventions and comics shop signings far outnumber those who chat me up over other episodes, monsters and X-Files trivia (so I can only imagine how often Chris Carter has been asked about him/it).  Growing up, this heavyweight king of the “Monsters of the Week” was a topic of conversation, and consternation, for both the hardcores and casual fans of the show alike, and the plan was always to get to him right after we re-established our characters and universe in our opening “Believers” arc.

“Hosts” Part One crawls out of the sewer this November!

And:

IDW solicitations for December are out!  November brought the return of everyone’s favorite “Monster of the Week” — Flukeman!  But the conclusion of this two-part “Hosts” story has plenty of surprises, including the unexpected origin of this immortal creature from the sewery depths.

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Above: “Quick Mulder for a friend.” By Michael Walsh

The first volume of the collected edition of Season 10 has been officially announced for December 2013. It’s a hardcover that covers the first 5 issues (i.e., the “Believers” arc), both facts that depart from the usual trade paperbacks with 6 issues for the US comics industry.

X-Files Season 10, Vol. 1 HC
Joe Harris (w) • Michael Walsh (a) • Carlos Valenzuela (c)
For years they investigated the paranormal, pursued the “monsters of the week,” and sought the truth behind extraterrestrial activity, along with the grand conspiracy surrounding it rooted deep within their own government. But when AGENTS MULDER and SCULLY reunite for a new, ongoing series that ushers THE X-FILES into a new era of technological paranoia, multinational concerns, and otherworldly threats, it’ll take more than a desire “to believe” to make it out alive.
HC • FC • $24.99 • 132 pages • ISBN: 978-1-61377-751-0 • Collects issues #1–5.

Amazon has the release at December 24 (US) and December 31 (UK).

There’s also a Deluxe edition planned from IDW Limited, which should include original art and sketch cards (and it will come at a price!). Here’s a preview from Twitter:

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There has also been talk on Twitter of Joe Harris putting his XF Season 10 scripts on sale, complete with photo references, screen caps from episodes that the issues reference, notes, etc. A teaser with a reference to 1X23: The Erlenmeyer Flask:

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In a quick interview at ComicSpectrum, Joe Harris named X-Files: Season 10 #1 as the most challenging story he’s ever had to write.

Back in June, ComicBook ran a short interview with Harris:

I really approached this gig as both a fan and a creator, honestly,” said Harris. “I kind of feverishly pecked out an outline and pitch for the first couple of years, really detailing an opening arc that would re-establish what The X-Files fans refer to as the ‘mytharc’ — the overarching storyline involving extra-terrestrials and the conspiracy within the government to cover up their existence, the collaboration of certain powerful figures seeking to influence and steer things along, Mulder’s quest to discover the truth, Scully’s ordeal as both an abductee and miracle mother, and all that stuff. I watched that all again, from beginning to end. And I’m always going back and checking out some of my favorite ‘Monster of the Week’ episodes as we’re going to be doing some direct sequels to some of those.

More recently, Joe Harris revealed via Facebook as relayed by ComicBook what’s next for Season 10:

It’s no secret why Flukeman is everyone’s favorite Monster of the Week. This sequel of ours is a thriller, and it’s going to gross you the f— out

After Flukeman, we’ve got the reemergence of another old favorite character,” then more Smoking Man stuff to play with, as well as another big ‘Mytharc’ five-parter coming up. But our first, original ‘MOTW’ is lined up for year one too. And I have plans to do more of those, which I’m really excited about.”

So to sum up:

  • #6-7: Flukeman returns!
  • #8 (at least one issue): another return/sequel from the TV show, most likely monster-of-the-week
  • #9 (at least one issue): return to the mytharc with CSM shenanigans
  • #10 (at least one issue): original monster-of-the-week
  • #11-15 (potentially #14-18?): 5-issue mytharc story

That puts us at least out to August 2014, and so extends Season 10 beyond a calendar year (12 issues) — for comparison, the comic book Buffy Season Eight had over 40 issues — into unknown territory!

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Sep
10
2013

Twenty Years

As the Placebo song goes…

Twenty years ago, a show nobody would have expected to last more than a couple of seasons started broadcast, and put the channel FOX on the map of the large US television networks. It was a simple beginning, with a humble budget but big ideas and ambitious production values that kept being pushed towards the better by showrunner Chris Carter.

The beginning of The X-Files is now as far away from the present as was The Night Stalker, the show that inspired Carter to do his series, from when The X-Files began!

Twenty years later, many people still remember it as an important show for television history. The greatest gift that one could hope for at this day would be that the people involved in this small part of history are still active and creative. And indeed, Chris Carter, after a long period of absence from television and all things cinema, is returning with several creative projects simultaneously! The pilot for one show, “The After“,  has been ordered for production, and the pilot for another, still untitled, is in advanced writing stages. Here’s to hoping that Carter’s creative batteries have benefitted from a decade of surfing and of discovering the world. Quite unsurprisingly, no word on X-Files 3 from Carter, although Spotnitz still strongly promotes it in interviews.

Tributes to the X-Files for its 20th anniversary have been many in the media. The best, by far, that I have encountered is in French: Sullivan Le Postec’s series of 20 articles is perhaps the most complete history of the series, be it in print or online, that one can find!

The other gift, in the absence of the announcement of a BluRay set and FOX’s complete radio silence around this important anniversary of a once trademark show, is La La Land Records’ release of a Volume 2 of Mark Snow’s music for the show! Volume 1 was released in May 2011, after a long wait since The Truth and the Light in 1996, and Volume 2 has been expected since then, going through an extended production period until the date was set for today (as a result of teasing of the anniversary date opportunity by yours truly!). Here’s to hoping there will be a Volume 3! Here is the announcement and track listing:

THE X FILES: VOLUME TWO: LIMITED EDITION (4-CD BOX SET) LLLCD 1270
Music by Mark Snow
Limited Edition of 3000 Units
STARTS SHIPPING Sept 10th
RETAIL PRICE: $49.98

ORDER “THE X FILES: VOLUME TWO: LIMITED EDITION (4-CD BOX SET)” starting Sept 10th at 12pm PST at www.lalalandrecords.com and get your CD tray card (clamshell front cover) autographed by composer Mark Snow at no additional charge. Autographs are available while supplies last and are NOT guaranteed.La-La Land Records and Twentieth Century Fox mark the 20th anniversary of the beloved television series THE X FILES with this second, 4-CD volume of Mark Snow’s original score to the award-winning landmark program. More than 5hrs of incredible X-Files music, complied from many episode favorites, have been assembled in this strikingly attractive collection, produced by Mark Snow, Nick Redman and Mike Joffe and mastered by James Nelson. The 40-Page CD booklet contains exclusive, in-depth liner notes from film music writer Randall Larson and features comments from show creator Chris Carter and writer/producers Frank Spotnitz, Glen Morgan and James Wong. Limited to 3000 units, the set’s CD Booklet and 4-CD Clamshell case are housed in a hard cover slipcase, in the same fashion as our acclaimed, sold-out first volume. The truth is in here – this is truly some of the most daring and enthralling music ever created for television.

 Disc One1. THE X FILES Main Title
(Season 1) 0:47

1X11 – EVE
2. Swinging Dead Daddy 1:26
3. Meet Your Clone 1:19
4. Attached 0:53

1X16 – YOUNG AT HEART
5. The Eyes Don’t Lie 1:46
6. Ain’t Dead Yet 4:03
7. Youth 3:37
8. Shot in the Crowd 2:29

1X17 – E.B.E.
9. Swimming With Sharks 5:14
10. Here We Go 2:42

1X21 – TOOMS
11. Druid Hill 2:42
12. Rats & Babes 1:59
13. Toilet Tooms 5:49

1X22 – BORN AGAIN
14. Psycho-Electric Attack 6:27

2X03 – BLOOD
15. Drive for Blood 3:26

2X14 – DIE HAND DIE VERLETZT
16. Prayer 0:45
17. Suicide Exam 2:34
18. Snake Hold 1:22

2X16 – COLONY
19. Hypothermia 2:43
20. Alta 2:35

2X17 – END GAME
21. Scully’s Discovery/Mulder’s E-Mail
Message/Skinner Helps Scully 8:19
22. Showdown/Saving Mulder/
Faith to Keep Looking 11:18

Disc One Total Time: 74:49

  Disc Two1. THE X FILES Main Title
(2nd Season) 0:49

2X23 – SOFT LIGHT
2. Eaten by Light 2:44
3. Spontaneous Combustion 4:39
4. Shadow on the Wall 2:21

2X22 – F. EMASCULATA
5. Flesh on Bone 4:31
6. Pustule Package 3:21

3X01 – THE BLESSING WAY
7. Blown Up and Beaten 2:50

3X02 – PAPER CLIP
8. Smoky Gets in Your Eyes 2:52
9. Outmined 2:23
10. Sacrifice/
Skinner Gets Skinned 4:04

3X04 – CLYDE BRUCKMAN’S FINAL REPOSE
11. Yappi 2:18
12. Dumpster 3:00

3X14 – GROTESQUE
13. Disarmed 1:28

3X24 – TALITHA CUMI
14. Fries and Faith 2:38
15. Discreet Distance 3:04

4X01 – HERRENVOLK
16. Needle Neck 6:54

4X02 – HOME
17. Newborn 2:11

4X09 – TUNGUSKA
18. Worm Rock 12:48
19. Chicken Wire Wrap 7:57

20. THE X FILES End Credits (Extended #1) 0:35

Disc Two Total Time: 74:23

  Disc Three1. THE X FILES Main Title
(7th Season) 0:35

4X10 – TERMA
2. Black Vermiform 6:03
3. Fire of Terma 8:47

4X17 – TEMPUS FUGIT
4. Pieces 6:28
5. Nine Minutes 3:24

4X24 – GETHSEMANE
6. Trails 5:37
7. Thawed 11:30
8. Deep Dupe 4:17

5X01 – REDUX
9. Little Vials of Proof 8:23

5X02 – REDUX II
10. Remission 5:42

5X14 – THE RED AND THE BLACK
11. Red Letter 2:46
12. Resist or Serve 3:45
13. Lil’ Cabin in Quebec 8:42

Disc Three Total Time: 76:35

  Disc Four1. THE X FILES Main Title
(9th Season) 0:36

5X17 – ALL SOULS
2. Baptism 3:45
3. Four Faces 7:28

6X09 – S.R. 819
4: Orgell 2:26
5. Bill of Health 4:29

6X22 – BIOGENESIS
6. Map of the Genome 4:00

7X14 – THEEF
7. Voodoo Doll 7:19

7X22 – REQUIEM
8. Déjà vu 3:55
9. Ray 5:09

9X04 – 4-D
10. Pulling the Plug 9:00

8X21 – EXISTENCE
11. Something Feels Off 3:03
12. Replicant Revolution 6:21
13. Under Investigation 3:14

8X15 – DEADALIVE
14. Deep Six 2:53
15. AliveAlive 11:03

16. THE X FILES End Credits
(1st Season) 0:30
17. I Made This/
20th Century Fox Fanfare* 0:08
* – Music By Alfred Newman

Disc Four Total Time: 76:04

Total Set Running Time: 298:27

Elsewhere on Eat The Corn:

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