The X-Files (comics)
Encyclopedia
The X-Files comics was a spin-off
from the television series of the same name
, originally published by Topps Comics
and, most recently, DC Comics
imprint Wildstorm
.
and ran for 41 issues from January 1995
to September 1998
, coinciding with the second through fifth seasons of the television program.
There were also two limited series
: Ground Zero was a four-issue mini-series
(December 1997
- March 1998) and Season One which ran for eight issues (August 1997 - July 1998).
The digest
consisted of three issues published at five month intervals beginning December 1995 through September 1996, each featuring separate titles: "Big Foot, Warm Heart," "Dead to the World," and "Scape Goats." All included stories from the Ray Bradbury Comics.
There were also a number of one-offs like the Hero Illustrated
Special (March 1995), and the graphic novel
Afterflight (August 1997).
Wildstorm
published "The X-Files Special" in August 2008
. It was a one-shot timed with the release of the second film
, written by Frank Spotnitz
with art by Brian Denham. The deal Spotnitz signed is for another two comics.
In July of 2010 Wildstorm and IDW
published issue #1 of X-Files/30 Days of Night to positive reviews. The six-issue limited series is written by 30 Days of Night
creator Steve Niles
and Tool
guitarist Adam Jones
and follows Mulder and Scully to Alaska to investigate a series of grisly murders that may be linked to vampires.
, the Count of St. Germain and the Chupacabra
, respectively.
Afterflight dealt with elements of the mystery airship
flap.
Fight the Future was the official film
adaptation, "Fight the Future" being the films subtitle used to differentiate it from the television series.
Season One adapted some of the episodes from the first season: "Pilot", "Deep Throat
", "Squeeze", "Conduit
", "Ice", "Space
", "Fire", "Beyond the Sea" and "Shadows". Two others, "The Jersey Devil
" and "Ghost in the Machine", were solicited but never published.
Despite coinciding with the film, "The X-Files Special" will not be an adaptation but is set in what the writer calls "the classic period of the X-Files" - between Season 2 and Season 5. While this is a stand-alone story, he will be writing two more which fit into the broader conspiracy theory that developed, saying "the next ones that I am going to write tie into the mythology of the show not in a way that changes the path but deepens it a little bit."
reported difficulties with The X-Files
creator Chris Carter
over the Topps Comics' series:
. In the UK, Titan Books
did a near complete run but in the US Topps stopped at #12, but recently Checker Book Publishing started publishing the rest (although they restarted the numbering again).
Other volumes include:
The Wildstorm comics are also being collected:
.
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
from the television series of the same name
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, originally published by Topps Comics
Topps Comics
Topps Comics is a division of the American trading card publisher and gum/candy distributor the Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993–1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies...
and, most recently, DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
imprint Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
.
Publication history
The main series was published by Topps ComicsTopps Comics
Topps Comics is a division of the American trading card publisher and gum/candy distributor the Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993–1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies...
and ran for 41 issues from January 1995
1995 in comics
-January:*After Xavier: The Age of Apocalypse is launched. All X-titles change to different names for the next four months.* Thor marks his 400th appearance in Marvel Comics with issue #482....
to September 1998
1998 in comics
-Spring:* Gay Comix , with issue #25, publishes its final issue -October:* Toy Biz buys Marvel Comics* Excalibur is canceled by Marvel with issue #125.-November:...
, coinciding with the second through fifth seasons of the television program.
There were also two limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
: Ground Zero was a four-issue mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
(December 1997
1997 in comics
-January:*Avengers #3 - Marvel Comics*Captain America #3 - Marvel Comics*Fantastic Four #3 - Marvel Comics*Iron Man #3 - Marvel Comics-February:...
- March 1998) and Season One which ran for eight issues (August 1997 - July 1998).
The digest
Digest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end...
consisted of three issues published at five month intervals beginning December 1995 through September 1996, each featuring separate titles: "Big Foot, Warm Heart," "Dead to the World," and "Scape Goats." All included stories from the Ray Bradbury Comics.
There were also a number of one-offs like the Hero Illustrated
Hero Illustrated
Hero Illustrated was a comic book-themed magazine published in the early to mid 1990s in the United States. Columnists included Andy Mangels, and Frank Kurtz was at one time a managing editor. The journal won the 1995 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Publication.- History :Hero...
Special (March 1995), and the graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
Afterflight (August 1997).
Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
published "The X-Files Special" in August 2008
2008 in comics
-January:*January 9: Teen Titans: The Lost Annual, delayed since 2003, is published.*January 23: Hellblazer #240, marking the 20th anniversary of the series, is released.-February:...
. It was a one-shot timed with the release of the second film
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
The X-Files: I Want to Believe is a 2008 science fiction-thriller directed by Chris Carter and written by both Carter and Frank Spotnitz. It is the second feature film based on The X-Files franchise created by Carter, following the 1998 film...
, written by Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz
Frank Spotnitz is an award-winning American television writer and producer, best known for his work on The X-Files television series.-Biography:...
with art by Brian Denham. The deal Spotnitz signed is for another two comics.
In July of 2010 Wildstorm and IDW
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
published issue #1 of X-Files/30 Days of Night to positive reviews. The six-issue limited series is written by 30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night is a three-issue horror comic book mini-series written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Ben Templesmith, and published by IDW Publishing in 2002. All three parties co-own the property....
creator Steve Niles
Steve Niles
Steve Niles is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as 30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, Simon Dark, Mystery Society and Batman: Gotham County Line....
and Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
guitarist Adam Jones
Adam Jones (musician)
Adam Thomas Jones is a three time Grammy Award-winning Welsh-American musician and visual artist, best known for his position as the guitarist for Grammy-Award winning band Tool. Jones has been rated the 75th Greatest Guitarist of all time by the Rolling Stone and placed 9th in Guitar World's Top...
and follows Mulder and Scully to Alaska to investigate a series of grisly murders that may be linked to vampires.
Writers
- Stefan PetruchaStefan PetruchaStefan Petrucha is an American writer for adults and young adults. He has written graphic novels in the The X-Files and Nancy Drew series, as well as science fiction and horror.- Background :...
- Issues 1 - 16
- Annual 1
- Digests 1 and 2
- Afterflight
- John RozumJohn RozumJohn Rozum is an American writer of comic books who is best known for his work for Milestone Comics, where he wrote Xombi and Kobalt. He has also worked for Topps Comics and Marvel Comics...
- Issues 17 - 19, 22 - 39, and 41
- Annual 2
- Digest 3
- Kevin J. AndersonKevin J. AndersonKevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
- Issues 20 and 21
- Ground Zero
- Dwight John Zimmerman
- Issue 40
Artist
- Charles Adlard
- Issues 1 - 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, and 27 - 29
- Annual 1
- Digests 1 - 3
Pencillers
- Gordon PurcellGordon PurcellGordon Purcell is an American comic book artist, perhaps best known for his Star Trek work, in particular his photorealistic renditions of the actors who play that franchise’s characters, as well as those of similarly licensed books, such as X-Files, Xena, Lost in Space, Godzilla, The Young...
- Issues 17, 20, 21, and 24 - 29
- Annual 2
- Ground Zero
- Alex SaviukAlex SaviukAlex Saviuk is an American comic book artist primarily known for his work on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man.-Biography:Saviuk was born on August 17, 1952 Alex Saviuk (born August 17, 1953) is an American comic book artist primarily known for his work on the Marvel Comics character...
- Issues 30 - 41
- Afterflight
- Ground Zero
Inkers
- Josef Rubenstein
- Issues 17, 20, 21, and 24 - 29
- Annual 2
- Rick Magyar
- Issues 30 - 41
- Afterflight
- Larry Mahlstedt
- Ground Zero
Cover Artists
- Miran Kim
- Issues 1 - 32 and 34 - 41
- Annuals 1 and 2
- Digests 1 - 3
- Afterflight
- George Pratt
- Issue 33
- Ground Zero
Plot
The three digests contained stories on BigfootBigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
, the Count of St. Germain and the Chupacabra
Chupacabra
The chupacabras is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated more recently with sightings of an allegedly unknown animal in Puerto Rico , Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities...
, respectively.
Afterflight dealt with elements of the mystery airship
Mystery airship
Mystery airships or phantom airships are a class of unidentified flying objects best known from a series of newspaper reports originating in the western United States and spreading east during 1896 and 1897. According to researcher Jerome Clark, airship reports were made worldwide, early as the...
flap.
Fight the Future was the official film
The X-Files (film)
The X-Files is a 1998 American science fiction-thriller film written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Rob Bowman. It is the first feature film based on The X-Files series created by Carter that revolves around a fictional FBI paranormal investigation unit called the X-Files...
adaptation, "Fight the Future" being the films subtitle used to differentiate it from the television series.
Season One adapted some of the episodes from the first season: "Pilot", "Deep Throat
Deep Throat (The X-Files episode)
"Deep Throat" is the second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on September 17, 1993. It was written by series creator Chris Carter, directed by Daniel Sackheim, and featured the first of several...
", "Squeeze", "Conduit
Conduit (The X-Files)
"Conduit" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on October 1, 1993. It was written by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, directed by Daniel Sackheim, and featured a guest appearance by Carrie Snodgress as...
", "Ice", "Space
Space (The X-Files)
"Space" is the ninth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on November 12, 1993. It was written by series creator Chris Carter, directed by William Graham, and featured guest appearances by Ed Lauter and Susanna...
", "Fire", "Beyond the Sea" and "Shadows". Two others, "The Jersey Devil
The Jersey Devil (The X-Files)
"The Jersey Devil" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on October 8, 1993. It was written by series creator Chris Carter, directed by Joe Napolitano, and featured guest appearances by Gregory Sierra,...
" and "Ghost in the Machine", were solicited but never published.
Despite coinciding with the film, "The X-Files Special" will not be an adaptation but is set in what the writer calls "the classic period of the X-Files" - between Season 2 and Season 5. While this is a stand-alone story, he will be writing two more which fit into the broader conspiracy theory that developed, saying "the next ones that I am going to write tie into the mythology of the show not in a way that changes the path but deepens it a little bit."
Problems
Tony IsabellaTony Isabella
Tony Isabella is an American comic book writer, editor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath, DC Comics' first major African American superhero, Black Lightning, and as a columnist and critic for the Comics Buyer's Guide.-Marvel Comics:Before he joined...
reported difficulties with The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
creator Chris Carter
Chris Carter (screenwriter)
Christopher Carl Carter is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is the creator of The X-Files and Millennium.- Ten Thirteen Productions :...
over the Topps Comics' series:
"[W]hoever was approving the comics over in Chris Carter Land were the poster kids for anal retentiveness. Although it's possible that they were so picky because they never wanted the comics out there in the first place. The main reason the comics fell behind schedule was because it took so long to satisfy the X-Files people. They went over everything with a fine-tooth comb, including the letters columns. ... I rarely ran negative letters in these columns because the [Topps] editors were afraid that the X-Files people would want even more changes in the material. Almost from the start, there were never enough usable letters for our needs. That's why I started including the "Deep Postage" news items — and making up letters completely. I also wrote the Xena letters columns, but those were a lot easier to produce."
Collected editions
The series has been collected into trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
. In the UK, Titan Books
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
did a near complete run but in the US Topps stopped at #12, but recently Checker Book Publishing started publishing the rest (although they restarted the numbering again).
- The X-Files Collection (Topps Comics):
- Volume 1 (collects The X-Files #1-6 and The X-Files Heroes Illustrated Special, Berkley Publishing Group, February 1996, ISBN 1883313104)
- Volume 2 (collects The X-Files #7-12 and Annual #1, 180 pages, February 1997, ISBN 1883313236)
- Checker Book Publishing:
- Volume 1 (collects #13-17, Squeeze and #0 Pilot Episode, May 2005, ISBN 1-933160-02-0, Titan Books, July 2008, ISBN 1848561288)
- Volume 2 (collects #18-22, #1/2 and Digest #1, May 2005, ISBN 1-933160-03-9, Titan Books, July 2008, ISBN 1848561296)
- Volume 3 (collects #23-26, Fire, Ice and Hero Illustrated Special "Trick of the light", December 2005, ISBN 1-933160-39-X)
- Titan BooksTitan BooksTitan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
:- Firebird (by Stefan Petrucha, with art by Charlie Adlard, collects The X-Files #1-6, and The X-Files/Hero Illustrated Special, 1995 Trick of the Light, 160 pages, November 1995, ISBN 1900097087)
- Project Aquarius (by Stefan Petrucha, with art by Charlie Adlard, collects The X-Files #7-12, 151 pages, August 1996, ISBN 1900097176)
- The Haunting (by Stefan Petrucha, with art by Charlie Adlard, collects The X-Files #12-16, 160 pages, March 1997, ISBN 1900097230)
- Night Light (by Kevin J. Anderson and John Rozum, with art by Charlie Adlard and Gordon Purcell, collects The X-Files #17- 21, 128 pages, March 1997, ISBN 1852868082)
- Internal Affairs (by John Rozum, with art by Charlie Adlard, collects The X-Files #22-23, 128 pages, August 1997, ISBN 1852868090)
- Remote Control (by John Rozum, with art by Charlie Adlard, collects The X-Files #24-29, 160 pages, November 1997, ISBN 1852868406)
- Skin Deep (by John Rozum, with art by Alex Saviuk, collects The X-Files #30-33, 128 pages, April 1998, ISBN 1852869518)
Other volumes include:
- Dead to the World (by Stefan Petrucha with Charlie Adlard, collects Digests 1-3, 208 pages, Titan Books, April 1996, ISBN 1900097249)
- Afterflight (by Stefan Petrucha, with art by Jill Thompson, Alexander Saviuk and Rick Magyar, graphic novel, Topps, August 1997, Titan Books, October 1997, ISBN 1852868600)
The Wildstorm comics are also being collected:
- The X-Files (176 pages, Wildstorm, November 2009, ISBN 1-4012-2527-6)
Digital Editions
The X-Files series is released digitally exclusively through Devil's Due DigitalDevil's Due Digital
Devil’s Due Digital Inc. is an American digital publishing company established in 2010 by cofounders Mark Thompson of Checker Book Publishing Group and Josh Blaylock of Devil’s Due Publishing.-History:...
.
Reception
A review of the first Checker Book volume is complimentary about the writing and art but scathing about the production values of the book itself, stating that "this collection from Checker reflects a lack of editorial control, poor workmanship, and generally shoddy values".External links
- Digest 1, The X-Files #0, 0.5, 1-28 at Wowio
- Interview with Stefan Petrucha
- X-Files digital comics from Devil's Due DigitalDevil's Due DigitalDevil’s Due Digital Inc. is an American digital publishing company established in 2010 by cofounders Mark Thompson of Checker Book Publishing Group and Josh Blaylock of Devil’s Due Publishing.-History:...
.