The X-Files Volume

im not gonna write a long boring review... if you love the X-FILES, you'll love the graphic novel. if you dont love x-files... dont buy it

Throughout the 90's, TOPPS comics put out a truly outstanding comic book series based on the hit TV show the X-Files. They began collecting the issues in trade paperback format but only got as far as issue #12. Now, Checker Books has picked up the ball and is continuing collecting these classic issues in trade paperback. This first volume collects issues #13 - 19, as well as the special issue #0. TOPPS' greatest accomplishment with the series was being able to capture the spirit of the TV shows with witty writing and art that matched the spirit of each tale. In "One Player Only" Scully & Mulder investigate the murder of a team of computer programmer's by that team's leader. Could it be possible that the artificial intelligence program they were working on actually possessed the team leader? "Falling" finds Mulder in the wilderness investigating the crash sight of an unknown ship. When he's caught in a trap by some children, they're convinced that Mulder is himself an alien. Mulder is slowly poisoned by radiation while Scully is stone-walled in her own investigation. "Home of the Brave" is a two-part story that finds Mulder and Scully captured by survivalist extremists in the swamps of Georgia. They plan to kill the two agents but something even more sinister than government agents is lurking in the swamps. In "Thin Air" a man washes up on the shores of Greece, claiming to be a member of the ill-fated Flight 19 that disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle over fifty years earlier. Mulder & Scully doubt the man's story and soon uncover the hoax. But why did someone go through all the trouble to fake the man's identity. And why did that man soon disappear? "Squeeze" adapts one of the more famous TV episodes about a serial killer who seems to strike every 30 years, tearing the livers out of five victims before disappearing again. This is a great story, adapted by Roy Thomas and Val Mayerick. "Zero" is an adaptation of the X-Files pilot episode by Roy Thomas and John Van Fleet. This story tells the tale of how Scully was assigned to the X-files and her first meeting and case with Mulder as the investigate a series of murders in Oregon. All of the stories in this volume are very good but as far as the original stories, "Thin Air" really does the best job of capturing that feeling of shady conspiracies that the show was so well-known for. It's little surprise, then, when you see who is behind it all in the end. The art ranges from above average to outstanding, especially the work of Val Mayerick who is one of my favorites. If you've been missing X-files since the comic ended or never read it, these collections from Checker books are a great place to start. Most of the stories are all self contained and you needn't worry about having read the previous issues in order to jump right in. Reviewed by Tim Janson