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The X-Files #12 Review

Comic Books

The X-Files #12 Review

This week brings us the first part of a story focusing on Walter Skinner’s time in Vietnam.

The X-Files #12 (IDW Publishing)

The X-Files #12 Review

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Observations

  • Wow. Of all the perverted nicknames you can make out of Walter’s last name, Skin Flute might be the absolute worst.
  • Nothing like watching a bunch of soldiers fight over jewelry.
  • Skin Flap isn’t good either, but it’s definitely an improvement.
  • Geez, this Greene guy Skinner has to patrol with is a douche.
  • Uh, I feel like we’re missing something…
  • Huh?

The Verdict

Well, the art is nice.

I also feel like there’s a really good story in here somewhere. Unfortunately, Joe Harris sequences things so insanely that the script becomes incredibly hard to follow. Add a lot of unexplained backstory along with a nonsensical McGuffin, and this issue is a bit of a mess…

The X-Files #12 Review

…or it could be brilliant and I’m just too dumb to understand it. Perhaps all these jumbled events and memories will get beautifully tied together next month. I’m not being facetious here, by the way. Harris has something here that I desperately want to wrap my head around. He also writes Skinner incredibly well, providing the youthful version of him with a little extra verve, but still maintaining the classic, smoldering stoicism from the show.

As it stands now, however, this is not the Walter Skinner story I was hoping for (although watching someone call him all those various nicknames was kind of fun).

The X-Files #12 Review
The X-Files #12
A potentially brilliant story is tripped up by a constantly shifting timeline and a nonsensical McGuffin.
The art is very nice, particularly on the last page.
There's a brilliant story in here somewhere...
...it's just near impossible to find with all the shifts in the narrative's timeline and focus.
4
Meh
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