Comics

Review: ‘The X-Files Season 10’ # 4

Published

11 years ago

September 18, 2013

‘The X-Files Season 10’ begins with a bang and doesn’t let up. “Believers” builds to its natural climax this month. The Acolytes deepen the series’ mythology and push characters in new directions. Another fantastic issue of Joe Harris’ revival with stellar work done by Michael Walsh cements this series as a must buy for new and old fans alike.

WRITTEN BY: Joe Harris
ART BY: Michael Walsh
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: September 18, 2013

At it’s best “The X-Files” was a scary look at paranoia with a hint of comedy wrapped within an educated science fiction backdrop. Issue four takes these elements and blends them into one smooth mixture of fast paced storytelling. The cold open of the script manages to tease something monumental, capped off by a wild shot from a gun.

The story takes a step back to let us know how we got to this moment. Mulder is hot on the trail of Scully, and he’s not willing to let up. The Lone Gunmen have figured out the relationship between The Acolytes and the pipeline, and Scully seems to have one in agreeable custody.

It should serve as no surprise that everything goes wrong. Harris spends extra time with The Acolytes and their abilities this month. He does a lot to humanize the antagonist, and then undermines everything. It’s brilliant, and in keeping with the series’ best efforts.

Walsh’s art is moody and urgent this month, giving the story a sense of momentum. The focus on small details leads the reader through the story. Especially with the scenes inside and outside the mom and pop convenience store. Walsh does all the work to tell the story without a word.

So many highlights this month. The Acolyte transformation in the vehicle is so well paneled that the fluid sense of motion inspired by the art completes the moment for you. The vehicle launching off the road is visceral and forces the gravity of the moment onto the reader.

The entire story builds from misdirection. Some of the bold choices this team has taken with their storytelling make me hopeful for permanent change. Harris and Walsh weave a story that dances around you in the final moments. Just as you think you’ve caught their trick they subvert you one last time. The issue ends on a fantastic note that pushes the story in an interesting new direction. Scully’s desperation pours through the page in the final moments, lending to the sense of urgency. It also shows Scully at her most vulnerable, and something tells me things are only going to get worse.

If Season 10 continues to push the series in bold new directions there is no telling where this book will end up. Harris and Walsh seem to have grand plans for The X-Files, and we’re all going to have to hang on for the wild ride.

Rating: 4/5 Skulls.

Zac Thompson

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.