The X-Files: X-Mas Special 2016

Day 3 of my 2021 holidays themed readings was a big dud. 

Mulder and Scully open the X-Files to the 3 spirits of Christmas in this fusion of A Christmas Carol and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It's Christmas Eve in the nation's capitol and the agents are formally invited to a Christmas pageant. Mulder decides to spend Christmas Eve in the office sulking over his long lost sister and gets visited by several spirits. Dana Scully attends the play, only to find herself and the rest of the guests suffering some sort of holiday mania. 

I'm not normally one who approves of replacing the Christ in Christmas with the letter X. But for this X-Files one-shot, I found it humorously appropriate. I also loved the main cover which depicts the Cigarette Smoking Man as Jacob Marley. Plus, we've got a healthy dose of Agent Skinner- arguably my favorite character of the show. And that's about all I enjoyed about this holiday special. Well, that and the fact that this is a Christmas comic book...

The writing was a mess. It's scripted by an unknown narrator that waxes poetic about Mulder and Scully in a very unpolished way. About half of the dialogue from Mulder doesn't sound like stuff Mulder would ever say. And I find it hard to believe that a skeptic such as Scully would really be such a closet fan of Christmas. 

I also think that the story is trying to do too much. If we had kept it like an X-Files Christmas Carol, that would have been fine. But adding in the whole mind control Christmas pageant angle to things was enough to over-tax the plot. 

I also feel that this issue was a missed opportunity. The X-Files is known for it's occasional foray into the absurd. Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose and Jose Chung's From Outer Space are two great episodes in which the agents experience paranormal activity that doesn't take itself as seriously as the overall conspiracy of a secret alien invasion of planet earth. I think this holiday special should have gone down that rabbit hole instead. 

Have Mulder and Scully tackle a case where they have to prove or disprove that the guy whose been arrested for climbing down somebody's chimney is really Santa or not. (Why are there reindeer on the roof?) That is the sort of X-File's Christmas I want to read. I would also approve of a story in which fruit cake is discovered to be a sort of MK-Ultra inclusion to the holidays. Though that Santa story would probably be the better idea.

Hey, Chris Carter! I'm available to write that if you and IDW Publishing want to follow up with a 2021 special!

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

The X-Files Annual 1

You would think that with a cover titled 'Hallow Eve', that this story would be set upon Halloween. Alas, that is not the case. Now, on the plus side, I would have bought this issue regardless as I loved The X-Files and I thought that the comics made by Topps (yes, the same folks who make the baseball cards) were quite well made. So, this stays are part of my permanent collection. I'll just be moving it from holidays over to X-Files.

The story is both quasi-biblical and scientific with an anthropologist searching for the remains of 'Eve': the first female. During his dig in Africa, the researcher dies of a heart attack. This kind of case wouldn't even peak the interest of Mulder. But when both more characters involved in the transport of the fallen scientist's remains and equipment begin to die of heart failure as well, even Uber-skeptic Scully will admit something fishy is going on. 

It doesn't help that the FBI agent is having visions of her deceased father during this assignment. Or does it? 

There's definitely a creepy side to this story as with all X-Files tales. But this amazing whodunit goes slightly off the rails with a twist that honestly, I should have seen coming. But as with many adventures starring Fox and Dana, the reality is more confusing than the supernatural answers. 

And that last page. Holy crap! I loved it. So very eerie. I would love it if Topps or even IDW later on did a sequel to this tale. 

Nope. This isn't a Halloween story. It's a ghost story. So, the time is right for me having read this recently. But I'm now concerned that my supposed Winter holiday X-Files comic issue isn't set during Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

Could I expect anything less from 2020?

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The X-Files: JFK Disclosure #1

Stan Lee box variant cover

The X-Files delves into uncharted waters- the assassination of President Kennedy!

Mulder intercepts a phone call from a man claiming to know who was responsible for the death of the 35th President- his father!

This opening chapter is good but it's sorely lacking. The way this issue flows, it's like those opening segments of the X-Files. You get a build-up and then a shocking revelation and then BOOM! The opening theme song starts. However, in terms of a comic book, you're left with 'To Be Continued...' and not more story.

I was really excited for this issue and I thought it was quite eerie that it debuted just a day after a massive amount of classified documents were released for very first time in over 50 years! 

I haven't given up on this series written by Transformers writer Denton J. Tipton. But I am thinking based on the story pacing that it may be more economical (and enjoyable) to get this series when it is finally collected sometime next year. Featuring some creepy artwork by celebrated album cover artist Menton3, I've got high hopes for this series. But it's going to take at least the next issue before I suspect that the story and action will really pick up.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The X-Files #24

 

Mulder and Scully are on the track of a killer who is using a mysterious article of clothing to steal the life force from people in order to make himself young again.

   The fringe science for personal purposes idea is as old as science fiction itself. So, it’s no surprise that it’s used as a prop device here. Also used are the standard quotes Mulder uses to try and convince Scully that conspiracies are real as well as Scully’s obvious rebuttals that science has a logical answer.

   Noticeably absent from this book are aliens. That’s probably because show creator, Chris Carter, wanted to keep those story lines open for sweeps week on Fox and not wasted in a $2.99 comic.

   The art is spot on in the likeness of Fox and Dana. It’s also very gruesome like the show. The plot’s okay, but it’s be used to death- literally. All-in-all, for a book I paid less than a dollar for, it wasn’t a bad read.

  Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.