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The X-Files: The Official Collection Volume 1: The Agents, The Bureau And The Syndicate (magazine review).

‘The X-Files: The Official Collection Volume 1: The Agents, The Bureau And The Syndicate’ is first of a two volume reprint of material from Titan’s ‘The X-Files’ magazine that was released in the late 90s, uncannily released around the time of the new six episode series coming up at the end of this month. The second volume is out in March will deal with all of Mulder and Scully’s adversaries in March.

XFilesMag-v1

If you haven’t read or even kept the original mags or even been too young to read them at the time then these will fill you in on all the pertinent information that you will need for background for the new six part series. I should also point out that Titan Comics are also doing a similar treatment for ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Angel’ around now as well.

I did buy the first couple issues back in the 1990s but realising with the length of the show, it would be on long time pick-up that I couldn’t afford at the time and had to leave behind. As such, a book/magazine such as this is a good way to look at the best bits, even if it feels like a time capsule. However, if you know the history of the series, you can gauge interview responses, like with creator Chris Carter, with what really happened.

This volume covers most of the actors as well as information about the characters they played at the time. They also refer to other things they are doing which, as a time capsule, you can look up and see what happened to them. Oddly, there are two serious omissions: Jerry Hardin who played ‘Deep Throat’ in the opening season and Steven Williams who played ‘X’ in the second season. Although there are references in the other features to them, a couple of them like favourite moments or even abbreviating or cutting back on the picture couple in the brief episode guide could have given some more space.

Nevertheless, if you want to be brought up to speed or reminded about ‘The X-Files’ mythos before you watch the new series, this volume will do this job for you. With my kind of memory, much of it is still in my head but even I found it a good pick me up.

GF Willmetts

January 2015

(pub: Titan Comics. 175 page large squarebound softcover. Price: £14.99 (UK), $19.99 (US), $25.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-1-78276-371-0)

check out website: www.Titan-Comics.com

UncleGeoff

Geoff Willmetts has been editor at SFCrowsnest for some 21 plus years now, showing a versatility and knowledge in not only Science Fiction, but also the sciences and arts, all of which has been displayed here through editorials, reviews, articles and stories. With the latter, he has been running a short story series under the title of ‘Psi-Kicks’ If you want to contribute to SFCrowsnest, read the guidelines and show him what you can do. If it isn’t usable, he spends as much time telling you what the problems is as he would with material he accepts. This is largely how he got called an Uncle, as in Dutch Uncle. He’s not actually Dutch but hails from the west country in the UK.

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