X-Files: Season 10, #3: Review


After a stellar premier issue, X-Files: Season 10 followed up with an uneven (and mildly unsatisfying) sophomore issue. But after reading the latest installment I only have one thing to say: everything is forgiven. Issue #3 might be one of the best paced X-Files stories in recent memory.

Here’s the official word from IDW:

“Believers,” Part 3 of 5: The Acolytes are seeking Scully’s lost son, William, and Dana realizes there’s more than meets the eye to her abductor, known only as the Deacon. Meanwhile, Mulder uncovers more of the truth than he can handle when an old, cigarette-smoking “friend” pays him a visit.

First things first: the opening sequence to issue #3 is phenomenally slick, and yanks the reader right into the drama. And the drama is building nicely. Scully is fighting for her life; Mulder is getting closer to teasing apart the central mystery; and elements from past seasons are surfacing into the current plotline. It suddenly feels like we’re actually in X-Files season 10, which is what we’d been promised all along, but which I cynically assumed would never really happen in a comic book. But hey, here we are. Writer Joe Harris continues to craft a story which reads authentically like X-Files; all the personalities and mysteries ring true, and the plot is paced beautifully here.

Michael Walsh’s ability to authentically render the X-Files’ signature characters is impressive. Yes, it looks like Mulder, and yes, it looks like Scully, but it doesn’t feel like we’re looking at snapshots of the real actors either. Walsh plays with the characters, casting them in positions and situations that help authentically propel the plot, when a lesser artist might have taken a more cautious approach, prioritizing character recognition over fluidity of motion.

After a an overly busy issue #2 (which felt a bit like swallowing peanut butter) issue #3 goes down smooth. And it leaves you wanting more.

5/5

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Max Delgado is the founder and curator of The Longbox Project (@LongBoxProject), a memory project where comics are both inspiration and point of departure. You can check it out here.

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