Reviews
REVIEW: X-Files: X-Mas Special 2016
Book Title: X-Files: X-Mas Special 2016
Book Description: An alien race is observing humanity. They’re trying to understand the feelings that come with Christmas. Rather than viewing humanity as a whole, they decide to focus on one particular subject: Fox Mulder.
Mulder would seem to be the perfect candidate to see what makes people tick around the holidays. With all of his encounters with the paranormal over the years, his name is bound to have come up in certain circles. They have a baseline on him.
Additionally, his views on Christmas are slightly askew when compared with others. His sister, Samantha, was abducted the day after he went Christmas shopping to get a present for her. Any more Fox sees Christmas as just another day.
In the aliens’ experiment, they take a page out of Charles Dickens’s book. Fox is visited by the cigarette-smoking man. He tells Fox that he will be visited by three spirits. The Christmas past, present, and future. Mulder’s willingness to allow them to guide him will be crucial to what happens to Christmas going forward.
Can the man that wants to believe everything finds a way to believe in Christmas magic?
Book Author: Joe Harris
Book Format: Paperback
Publisher - Orgnization: IDW Publishing
Publisher Logo:
Illustrator: Wayne Nichols
- Story(3.4)
- Interior Art(3.6)
- Cover Art(4.7)
- Dialogue(3.4)
- Mechanics(3.3)
- Editing(3.6)
Summary
I didn’t know that this book existed until I saw it in an online auction. The artwork on the cover was all I needed to see to know I wanted this book. It’s well done, with great coloring. The fact that they found a way to do something that’s different, even by “X-Files” standards, really sets it apart.
Whether the cigarette smoking man was going to be portraying Jacob Marley or if it was just a fun variant remained to be seen. Having the book serve as an “X-Files” version of “A Christmas Carol” where the cover is actually relevant was a pleasant bonus.
The interior artwork is an improvement over when Topps had the title in the ’90s. With those books, the coloring always seemed to be off. Not so with this issue. I especially appreciated how the spirits were depicted. Skinner with a heavy bag was a nice touch.
Over the years we’ve all seen many different renditions of “A Christmas Carol”. Some renditions have been better than others. This one is in the upper echelon. It’s not my favorite rendition, but it is definitely noteworthy.
As a geek on a budget, I liked “The X-Files: X-Mas Special 2016”. I’m not wild about the cover price though. If you can track this one down for a bit less it’s well worth your time and money to do so.
Happy Holidays everyone!
User Review
( votes)
