Comic Books

The X-Files: Origins #1 Review

August 31, 2016

Wow, when they entitled this new series Origins, they weren’t kidding. This one goes all the way back to Mulder and Scully’s respective childhoods, showing us each character’s pivotal moment that set them on their current path.

Is it good?

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X-Files: Origins #1 (IDW)

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Observations

The story of Mulder’s sisters getting abducted has been rehashed plenty of times, but it’s still sad ☹
Mulder the anti-supernatural conspiracy kid. Definitely didn’t see that coming.

Yeah, I think we all know where this is going. Moving on…
Scully’s childhood continues to be retconned into a sadder state.
Even as a teenager, she’s still the smartest person in the room wherever she goes.

Maybe a bit too convenient, but I’ll take it.

Is It Good?

Eh, kind of.

The book feels like it can’t decide if it wants to be an all ages kids story or something a little darker. Part of the problem is the art, which is exceptional in both stories, but doesn’t always match up with the stories’ tones.

Mulder’s tale feels a little too predictable, but I like his inner dialogue, particularly how he describes his anger and frustration over Samantha’s disappearance.

Scully’s story, on the other hand, is definitely the stronger of the two. The plot twist may be a bit contrived, but it still fits nicely into a story that gives us a great view of Scully showing the stubborn intuitiveness that makes her such a fantastic character.

There’s nothing earth shattering or even that exciting here, but The X-Files: Origins #1 does make for a pretty good exploration into Mulder and Scully’s young minds/motivations. It’s also good enough to keep the title on your pull list for at least one more issue.