The X-Files Season 10: Issue #1 Review

 

Since Buffy started a trend with continuing after cancellation, there have been many TV shows that have been discussed as a continuation. The X-Files was the one that had me most excited.

Now, I'll be honest with you all. I don't buy comics. I buy the occasional collection, but I think it's costly and I'm not really one to re-read things like that. But as long as this series runs, I'll be making an exception.

As soon as I possibly could, I ran out to one of the local comic shops and picked this up. A best seller (So I was told), they only had two copies left. I picked one up, paid my $4ish and drove home to read it.

Fair warning to all, there will be spoilers on every review.

My review of The X-Files Season 10: Issue #1

First off, the art is just beautiful. The characters actually look like the actors and it's just a thing of beauty. That alone is a reason to pick this up.

There are two places this really could have picked up. It could have been almost right after Season 9 or after I Want To Believe. It's a little confusing I guess, as Mulder and Scully were pardoned by the FBI in I Want To Believe (Which was ridiculous, but I won't rant here), so why have witness protection identities? Unless they were so discontent being Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. But for the sake of it all, this takes place after I Want To Believe, as that is what all the sources are saying. The biggest reason that this doesn't make sense is that Dana refers to William as a baby. William, at this point would have just celebrated his 12th birthday last month. Sorry Scully, he ain't no baby!

I'm not really a fan of flashforwards. Showing the tail end of something at the beginning is stupid and confusing in some cases. This one, just seems out of place. I didn't love it. I did however, love the concept of someone hacking the FBI files and that it seems like they were looking just for The X-Files data. This leads me to believe that characters like Agent John Doggett and Agent Monica Reyes will be returning in these comics at some point.

Introducing a new group of villains, one who kind of paralyzes you and infiltrates your brain. That's interesting, I look forward to seeing how this pans out. 

Reintroducing Assistant Director (Now Deputy Director) Walter Skinner back into the fray so quickly means you obviously know that I love that character more than most. I cheered when he showed up in I Want To Believe. The Skinman is glorious. You all know it!

There is very little progression in this, it would make up about fifteen minutes of an actual episode, but you can't expect too much from it so quickly. Overall, I was very pleased with most everything (Make Mulder less funny!). Not to mention how the last page showed part of the cover for issue 2, which contains The Lone Gunmen (In some capacity)!

You bring back those characters (As we all know those coffins weren't accurate sizes!) and I will be eternally grateful and give you 5 star reviews on all your products. Please and thank you.

10 Things I Would Have In A Monster Squad Style Tree House Horror Hangout!

One of my favorite bloggers, John Squires, over at Freddy in Space posted this great article about 10 things he would put in his Monster Squad style tree house. At the end of the post, he said for bloggers to make their own list. To that I say, challenge accepted.

1. Universal Monsters VHS tapes

If you are a lover of anything spooky, you love the Universal Monsters. These are a must have for any late night viewing with that TV from your bedroom rigged with a 30 ft extension cord that your mom yells at you about as she almost trips over it trying to bring you and your friends snacks.

2. Cereal Monsters Vinyl Toys

I have had a love for cereal monsters for many years. A love so strong that I spent more money than I will disclose on a glow-in-the-dark Count Chocula bobblehead (Which I shall never regret!). These however, I only dream about owning. They are pretty rare in good condition and finding them in boxes will be near impossible. These would have a place on a high shelf in my tree house. To be admired, not played with.

3. Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark Trilogy

If you have ever read these, you still have trouble getting a good night's sleep. These collections of terror became a staple of any kid's weekend library rentals. Best read by flashlight.

4. Gizmo Furby

I used to have one of these as a kid and I deeply miss it. I never really enjoyed Furbies, but this was an incredible thing. There have been talking Gizmo dolls in the past, but this is interactive. It's not just a collection of 10 phrases. Just...don't get it wet.

5. Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Game

Gather your friends and pretend to be The Midnight Society while you navigate through such historic locations such as Dr. Vink's Cottage and Zeebo's Fun House! As long as you have all the pieces, that is.

6. McDonald's Halloween Pails

My secret hiding place for all my knick knacks and stuff that I don't really want anyone to find. All my various erasers, pencils and stickers in one. My rock collection in another. And candy in the pumpkin, because I'm not a savage.

7. Creepy Crawlers Workshop

Making bugs never gets old. Freaking out your family members or letting that special girl you have a crush on know you care with a colorful earthworm, there is no limit to what you can make. Unless you run out of materials and have to beg your big sister to drive you to Wal-Mart.

8.  Beetleborgs Talking Flabber 

I loved Power Rangers a lot as a kid, but when Big Bad Beetleborgs came out, it instantly became my favorite. With ghosts, werewolves, Frankenstein monsters and more, this show was spooky and action-packed. Flabber, after being freed from the pipe organ made three unknowing kids into their favorite superheroes. This toy might not do the same for me, but I can always hope!

9. Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine Alarm Clock

If I had a tree house, you bet I'd sleep in it every night I possibly could. To make sure Mom and Dad don't find out, I've got to set up my alarm clock so I can be back in bed at least 10 minutes before Mom comes knocking on the door. They'll never suspect a thing!

10. Ghostbusters Poster

Hanging gracefully with pushpins and some tape, this poster would tell everyone that enters my tree house that I am not even remotely scared of ghosts. This would be covered in some slime of course. I have to make the place seem haunted to fully get people to believe me.

What would you have in your tree house? Let me know in the comments or, if you blog, post your own list. Just be sure to credit Mr. Squires for the idea!

The Unseen X-Files

One of my favorite television shows is The X-Files. Airing in 1993 on the Fox network, it lasted 9 seasons, 2 films and more. While I haven't been there since the beginning (I was a mere boy, 2 years of age), I have been a fanatic for years. We are called X-Philes, but I'd prefer to just be called almost anything else. During its 9 year run, The X-Files became a global phenomenon and has been a staple of the sci-fi community.

However, there are a few cases Mulder and Scully never got to solve. Here is a list of some ideas for episodes that never happened that I find interesting.

1. Abraham Lincoln's Ghost

During the fourth season, there was going to be an episode about Mulder and Scully investigating the ghost of Abraham Lincoln haunting The White House. If you are a lover of the paranormal at all, you no doubt know a little bit about Lincoln's ghost. If not, I urge you to do a little digging. It's pretty interesting.

I love the concept of this episode, but there is no way that it could have worked. The government was trying to stop The X-Files every chance it got, there was no way that Mulder would get a call saying "Hello Agent Mulder, yes, Mr. Clinton wants you to come investigate a haunting in The White House. It seems Abraham Lincoln wants to be president again."

2. Unsolved Mysteries

A cross over between The X-Files and Unsolved Mysteries...be still my heart!

If you've seen Season 7 episodes X-Cops and Hollywood A.D., this sounds like a precursor to those. Featuring Robert Stalk with other actors portraying Mulder and Scully solving a case, this could have been an incredible episode, but sadly, one that never got too far past concept.

3. Night of the Living Dead

Coming from the driving forces behind Creepshow, Stephen King and George A. Romero were on board to write and direct this episode, respectively. While Mulder and Scully are no stranger to fighting others while trying to fight a monster, this could have been one of the best episodes of the series ever.

I don't know what happened where or who didn't want to push forward, but either way, it's a tragedy.

4. The Abduction of Agent Fox Mulder

If David Duchovny wants to do something, you let him do it. You don't ask questions, you just say yes.

Apparently, Duchovny wanted to do an episode in Season 8, written and directed by him, discussing Mulder's abduction in great detail. But Chris Carter told him no...why? Because Robert Patrick's character wasn't involved.

I'm sorry, but where was Doggett during I Want To Believe? Did you ever bother to finish any of his story arcs? No? Then why not let Duchovny have one shining moment in Season 8. We all wanted more Mulder, maybe if you gave that to us we wouldn't have disliked Doggett so much!

5. The Song of the Sun

I won't be able to convey this nearly as well as Wikipedia does, so here is a direct lift from there.

"Law & Order cameraman D.W. Paone, a fan of the series from its first broadcast, wrote and submitted a freelance script during its early seasons, co-written with author Frank Scoblete. Paone and Scoblete's script dealt with the ancient astronaut theory, and was concerned with the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, who they supposed was an alien who returned to Earth once again in the year 1995. Paone had chosen to focus on Akhenaton due to his own interest in Egyptology, and was confident that Scoblete's dialogue was true to the series' characters. Although they were able to submit the script due to an acquaintance with producer Daniel Sackheim, it was later refused after being read by several producers and writers, including John Shiban, and deemed to be too expensive to produce on an episodic television budget."

That sounds incredibly interesting to me. Now, this would have had to have been during the second or third season, which makes it understandable that it might be too costly at the time. I think if they are looking for something to add to the Season 10 comic series, I'm game for this one.

He's Back! The Man Behind The Mask!

It's a big year for Friday the 13th.

Another Film!

As of a couple weeks ago, the rights to Jason Voorhees and the overall Friday the 13th franchise have returned to Paramount. At least for the next five years. What this means is that Paramount will be pushing for a new film very quickly, especially as they tend to release on Friday the 13th. (Current dates are likely to be February or March of 2015. I am hoping for June 2014 myself!)

According to a post on Bloody-Disgusting.com, Platinum Dunes is going to be involved with the production. This officially puts all doubt about the film being another remake to rest. So a sequel we shall have.

High Definition!

Late last year, Paramount entered into a deal with Warner Brothers that gave them home video distribution rights to 600 Paramount catalog titles. The first thing fans thought of was a box set that included all the Friday the 13th films (The first 8 owned by Paramount, the last three owned by Warner, then the remake owned by both).

After weeks of speculation, Warner officially announced the set for release on September 13th of this year. While most releases take place on Tuesday, this one takes place on a Friday. It just makes sense.

The set includes all 12 films in the series. Here is a run down:

• Disc 1 - Friday the 13th
• Disc 2 - Friday the 13th Part 2
• Disc 3 - Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D
• Disc 4 - Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
• Disc 5 - Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning /Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
• Disc 6 - Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood /Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
• Disc 7 - Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday /Jason X
• Disc 8 - Freddy vs. Jason
• Disc 9 - Friday the 13th (Theatrical Version and "Killer Cut" Extended Version)
• Disc 10 - Killer Bonus DVD Disc 

It seems like the definitive set, but sadly, within two years, it won't be a full collection anymore. To be honest, I'd have preferred an 8 disc set without Freddy vs. Jason or the remake. The Nightmare on Elm Street Blu-ray boxset didn't include Freddy vs. Jason, so I find it unnecessary in this. (But hey, that's just my opinion.)

Here is a picture (Lovingly stolen from shocktillyoudrop.com, as I can't seem to find another one anywhere)

Expect a piece on the set once it comes out.

It really is a great time to be a Friday the 13th fan.

Good Evening...

For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of internet sites that discuss random, delightful things that a normal person wouldn't care once, let alone twice about. Places like I-Mockery and X-Entertainment (Now Dinosaur Dracula) were a haven for people looking to relive their childhood memories or just discover the joys of what new things were floating around for various holidays.

That's why, in 2011, I finally took the plunge. I started A Halloween Treat (Taking the name from Disney's Halloween Treat) and went about trying to do the same exact thing. But I made a grave mistake...I had a focus on something. Those other sites went from discussing McNugget commercials to what Trash Bag Bunch water tastes like (Something I won't soon forget watching). So after 53 posts, some of which were incredibly forced, I stopped writing.

But things have turned around and I'm inspired once more. This is my new blog, The Midnight Jamboree (As The Legend of Sleepy Hollow from Disney is one of my favorite things in the world. Hands down). Here, I will discuss anything and everything that takes my fancy. There will, of course, be a massive amount of Halloween related posts, but there will be so much more to experience.

Without further ado, it is my pleasure to say...

Welcome to The Midnight Jamboree.