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Review: “The X-Files Season 10” # 6

Published

10 years ago

on

Joe Harris begins his second arc in the “X-Files Season 10” by taking a step back to immerse the characters in their own history. The newest chapter of the revived series is filled with nods to the past that will remind readers they’re in the hands of a master x-phile. While new artist Elena Casagrande steps in to revive one of the series most beloved creatures. Her art is horrifying and dark in all the right ways. Which is to say that the second arc of the series has kicked off with a resounding success.


WRITTEN BY: Joe Harris
ART BY: Elena Casagrande
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: November 27, 2013

Nostalgia is a double-edged sword. It seems welcoming and comforting, but often times the actual experience can be more polarizing than the thought that inspired it. However, such is not the case with “The X-Files Season 10.” Instead of having the nostalgia of the series betray the reader Harris uses it to comfort them before completely throwing our beloved characters into danger yet again.

When the second arc was announced to be revolving around “Flukemen” I’m sure many fans rolled their eyes as I did. This was a new series built to tread new ground! Not rehash old memories. Yet, in a tight script Harris ensures to do both. He only gives us dashes of the past to warm the reader into a comfortable place.

Peppering in moments from the last time we saw the Flukeman allows Scully to dissect the beast to learn more about it. Just when she thinks shes got it all figured out, Harris makes sure to turn it on Mulder. This allows the Flukemen to take on new life and become a creature that is unpredictable yet again.

It’s fantastic writing that pays tribute to the past but also builds on it. Bringing this tight script to life is Elena Casgrande’s wonderful pencils. She goes for a more photorealistic approach than that of the previous arc, and it works. The Flukemen are depicted as disgusting, vile creatures.

Casagrande’s strengths really shine when the in the lab with Scully. There is nothing more horrifying than the lower half of a creature reanimating itself and lumbering around a lab.

The final panel of the book is ominous and doesn’t bode well for Mulder’s future. The dark and heavy shadows of Casagrande’s pencils breathe new life into the sewer setting and regenerate it into something eerie and full of danger.

I could read this book for ages. The stakes are not remarkably high but the book is just tons of fun. The dialogue is on character and never ceases to amuse. The overarching mythology has fallen into the background. All the same the book provides a fun romp through the nineties science fiction television scene that so many others and I miss deeply.

With a little more attention to overarching plot and finding a way to create a deeper sense of danger this book could propel itself into must read territory, but as fans of the series will attest the only danger in these pages are for the supporting characters of the arc, which isn’t enough for me.

Let’s shed some blood.

Rating: 3.5/5 Skulls

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Comics

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

Published

5 days ago

on

April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

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.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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