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watercolorstain's review
3.0
#1: Not to be Opened Until X-Mas · ★★
A man dies in a Brooklyn church, claiming to have helped steal the final prophecy of Fatima from the Vatican. Their investigation leads Mulder and Scully to a collector of sacred artifacts. An unidentified branch of the military wants to locate and examine the final prophecy too.
#2-#3: A Dismemberance of Things Past / A Little Dream of Me (2 Parts) · ★★½
Witnesses of an alleged alien craft are being murdered and the next victim may be a respected military officer. Mulder and Scully are asked to investigate. The remaining witnesses are beginning to remember details that someone wants kept hidden. A rogue military officer, a player in the “inner government”, ties up loose ends. With help from the Lone Gunman gang, Scully and Mulder identify the officer. He offers Mulder the opportunity to recover his sister, Samantha. Scully discovers facts indicating that the offer may be a hoax.
#4-#6: Firebird: Khobka’s Lament / Crescit Eundo / A Brief Authority (3 Parts) · ★★★
At Tunguska, Siberia, a shaman watches faceless men disturb the Firebird. In New Mexico, skeletal remains of a Russian scientist, carbon-dated at 15,000 years old, are found in an overturned, unmarked truck. Scully and Mulder investigate, finding evidence of materials used to achieve a fusion reaction. At White Sands Missle Range, the shaman survives to greet Firebird. Scully and Mulder flee from Firebird with Khobka, only to encounter more faceless men in black. While Scully tries to keep Khobka alive, Mulder is taken before the “inner government” and Firebird grows as it goes, threatening to consume Las Cruces, New Mexico. Mulder refuses to cooperate with the leaders of the “inner government”, who are covering up Firebird’s destructive activities. The faceless men kidnap Khobka with Scully in pursuit. Together, Scully and Mulder help Khobka free Firebird from earth before destroying New Mexico, but the faceless men remain faceless.
#7: Trepanning Opera · ★★★★
Agent Drake has been hunting a serial killer for five years. The killer trepans his victims and they die with a smile. The most recent victims carry messages for Mulder and Scully.
#8-#9: Silent Cities of the Mind (2 Parts) · ★★★
Scully and Mulder investigate a hollow earth cult in Alaska, whose leader is searching for a lost city in the ice. When their plane crashes Mulder is captured by Dr. Enoch and taken to the long lost city of Azatlan. Scully follows and watches as Mulder and Enoch open an ancient tomb. Trapped in an ancient Aztec city in Alaska, Scully and Mulder are caught in the crossfire between military forces and Enoch, each fighting for possession of the Ilbal, an incredible Aztec artifact found by the FBI agents.
A man dies in a Brooklyn church, claiming to have helped steal the final prophecy of Fatima from the Vatican. Their investigation leads Mulder and Scully to a collector of sacred artifacts. An unidentified branch of the military wants to locate and examine the final prophecy too.
#2-#3: A Dismemberance of Things Past / A Little Dream of Me (2 Parts) · ★★½
Witnesses of an alleged alien craft are being murdered and the next victim may be a respected military officer. Mulder and Scully are asked to investigate. The remaining witnesses are beginning to remember details that someone wants kept hidden. A rogue military officer, a player in the “inner government”, ties up loose ends. With help from the Lone Gunman gang, Scully and Mulder identify the officer. He offers Mulder the opportunity to recover his sister, Samantha. Scully discovers facts indicating that the offer may be a hoax.
#4-#6: Firebird: Khobka’s Lament / Crescit Eundo / A Brief Authority (3 Parts) · ★★★
At Tunguska, Siberia, a shaman watches faceless men disturb the Firebird. In New Mexico, skeletal remains of a Russian scientist, carbon-dated at 15,000 years old, are found in an overturned, unmarked truck. Scully and Mulder investigate, finding evidence of materials used to achieve a fusion reaction. At White Sands Missle Range, the shaman survives to greet Firebird. Scully and Mulder flee from Firebird with Khobka, only to encounter more faceless men in black. While Scully tries to keep Khobka alive, Mulder is taken before the “inner government” and Firebird grows as it goes, threatening to consume Las Cruces, New Mexico. Mulder refuses to cooperate with the leaders of the “inner government”, who are covering up Firebird’s destructive activities. The faceless men kidnap Khobka with Scully in pursuit. Together, Scully and Mulder help Khobka free Firebird from earth before destroying New Mexico, but the faceless men remain faceless.
#7: Trepanning Opera · ★★★★
Agent Drake has been hunting a serial killer for five years. The killer trepans his victims and they die with a smile. The most recent victims carry messages for Mulder and Scully.
#8-#9: Silent Cities of the Mind (2 Parts) · ★★★
Scully and Mulder investigate a hollow earth cult in Alaska, whose leader is searching for a lost city in the ice. When their plane crashes Mulder is captured by Dr. Enoch and taken to the long lost city of Azatlan. Scully follows and watches as Mulder and Enoch open an ancient tomb. Trapped in an ancient Aztec city in Alaska, Scully and Mulder are caught in the crossfire between military forces and Enoch, each fighting for possession of the Ilbal, an incredible Aztec artifact found by the FBI agents.
lauriereadslohf's review
3.0
This review and the rest of the crap I write can be seen @ my blog Bark's Book Nonsense . Stop by and say hey.
I did my usual 30 minutes of internet research and learned that this volume of X-Files comics were written back in the early days of the series. They are not book adaptions, nor were they ever tv episodes. This volume contains issues #1 – 9. I couldn’t wait to dig in to this because, well, original X-Files material (!) and the return of Mulder.
But, most tragically, the magic was not quite here. It showed up in glimpses but mostly I found myself a little bored and daydreaming for something just a wee bit more exciting.
So anyway, on to the issues.
Do Not Open Until Christmas starts off with a dead body and a stolen religious prophecy. Though the body is dead, it smells of roses. People think it’s been touched by the hand of God hisownself. Scully thinks otherwise. And Mulder? Well, he’s Mulder and thinks conspiracy! Cover up! Angels are aliens!
There was some fun dialogue here.
“You’re off the case! Go chase big foot!”
“I’d love to, Sir, but with all due respect, the season is wrong. Big foot sightings taper off in the winter.”
This one was probably my favorite for capturing both Scully and Mulder so well.
A Dismembrance of Things Past (Parts 1 & 2)
Mulder and Scully are ripped from slumber by nefarious government types in trench coats and shades who give them a file containing documents about a possible past alien visit in 1948 and the recent slaying of witnesses to the event. There are false memories, a mysterious gas, and possible alien experiments. It’s a lot to take in over a few pages and left me mostly confused until Part 2 which cleared most of it up. Well, as clear as an X-Files episode ever gets.
Firebird (Parts 1-3)
A shaman has come to a sacred site to die but before he can get close he finds a bunch of daft scientists come to disturb “The Firebird”. The panel then goes Kaboom!
Meanwhile, in New Mexico a man is run off the road and tumbles to a fiery death while trying to avoid a fox. The fox eerily watches this series of events with far too much interest for a fox.
The next panel features someone who is supposed to be Scully holding an ancient skull and bantering with Mulder.
Who is this imposter and WTF has she done with Scully? That’s all I really want to know.
Soooo, the skull leads them to New Mexico to investigate odd goings-on and just as I’m about to start daydreaming again . . .
Tentacles enter the scene! Yes, you read that right and though this may be a minor spoiler YOU NEED TO KNOW. There are tentacles herein! I don't think there is anything left to say here. Unexpected Tentacles = win
Trepanning Opera
Strange deaths are occurring. Smiling bodies are found with holes drilled in their skulls. When one of the bodies contains an envelope marked “Mulder” and another marked “Scully”, the duo rush to the scene to find the killer.
This is a wonderfully weird story with some reality bending ideas.
Silent Cities of the Mind (Parts 1 & 2)
This wasn’t the best note to end the collection on, if you’re asking me. It’s a little vignette involving ritual cannibalism and explains why some weirdo is doing it. There is much ado made about the absorption of knowledge and talents after eating the dead. No thanks, I think I’ll remain painfully average then. Mulder and Scully are on a plane that just so happens to get struck by lightning and Mulder is taken captive by this hungry madman whose lap he nearly lands in! Imagine the odds of that for a moment, if you will.
This one’s kind of crazy. In addition to the weird coincidence, the eating of the human flesh, there’s a hidden city and a sacred artifact that Mulder thinks unsurprisingly believes may be linked to aliens. It’s all wrapped up in typical X-Files fashion but it wasn’t my favorite episode.
I did my usual 30 minutes of internet research and learned that this volume of X-Files comics were written back in the early days of the series. They are not book adaptions, nor were they ever tv episodes. This volume contains issues #1 – 9. I couldn’t wait to dig in to this because, well, original X-Files material (!) and the return of Mulder.
But, most tragically, the magic was not quite here. It showed up in glimpses but mostly I found myself a little bored and daydreaming for something just a wee bit more exciting.
So anyway, on to the issues.
Do Not Open Until Christmas starts off with a dead body and a stolen religious prophecy. Though the body is dead, it smells of roses. People think it’s been touched by the hand of God hisownself. Scully thinks otherwise. And Mulder? Well, he’s Mulder and thinks conspiracy! Cover up! Angels are aliens!
There was some fun dialogue here.
“You’re off the case! Go chase big foot!”
“I’d love to, Sir, but with all due respect, the season is wrong. Big foot sightings taper off in the winter.”
This one was probably my favorite for capturing both Scully and Mulder so well.
A Dismembrance of Things Past (Parts 1 & 2)
Mulder and Scully are ripped from slumber by nefarious government types in trench coats and shades who give them a file containing documents about a possible past alien visit in 1948 and the recent slaying of witnesses to the event. There are false memories, a mysterious gas, and possible alien experiments. It’s a lot to take in over a few pages and left me mostly confused until Part 2 which cleared most of it up. Well, as clear as an X-Files episode ever gets.
Firebird (Parts 1-3)
A shaman has come to a sacred site to die but before he can get close he finds a bunch of daft scientists come to disturb “The Firebird”. The panel then goes Kaboom!
Meanwhile, in New Mexico a man is run off the road and tumbles to a fiery death while trying to avoid a fox. The fox eerily watches this series of events with far too much interest for a fox.
The next panel features someone who is supposed to be Scully holding an ancient skull and bantering with Mulder.
Who is this imposter and WTF has she done with Scully? That’s all I really want to know.
Soooo, the skull leads them to New Mexico to investigate odd goings-on and just as I’m about to start daydreaming again . . .
Tentacles enter the scene! Yes, you read that right and though this may be a minor spoiler YOU NEED TO KNOW. There are tentacles herein! I don't think there is anything left to say here. Unexpected Tentacles = winTrepanning Opera
Strange deaths are occurring. Smiling bodies are found with holes drilled in their skulls. When one of the bodies contains an envelope marked “Mulder” and another marked “Scully”, the duo rush to the scene to find the killer.
This is a wonderfully weird story with some reality bending ideas.
Silent Cities of the Mind (Parts 1 & 2)
This wasn’t the best note to end the collection on, if you’re asking me. It’s a little vignette involving ritual cannibalism and explains why some weirdo is doing it. There is much ado made about the absorption of knowledge and talents after eating the dead. No thanks, I think I’ll remain painfully average then. Mulder and Scully are on a plane that just so happens to get struck by lightning and Mulder is taken captive by this hungry madman whose lap he nearly lands in! Imagine the odds of that for a moment, if you will.
This one’s kind of crazy. In addition to the weird coincidence, the eating of the human flesh, there’s a hidden city and a sacred artifact that Mulder thinks unsurprisingly believes may be linked to aliens. It’s all wrapped up in typical X-Files fashion but it wasn’t my favorite episode.
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