the x-files season 11 #6 Reviews 

The Beginning of The End Starts In “The X-Files: Season 11” #6 [Review]

By | January 28th, 2016
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

The final arc of season 11 gets started this week in “The X-Files: Season 11” #6. Read on for our spoiler free review.

Written by Joe Harris
Illustrated Matthew Dow Smith and Jordie Bellaire

‘Endgame,’ Part 1 (of 3): Gibson Praise sees his master plan close to becoming reality. Will Mulder and Scully be able to stop him? Will they really want to? Find out in the stunning finale of Season 11, which starts here!

For the last few weeks I’ve basically been consumed by The X-Files in every way. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll see how bad this was. The new season is now underway but for the last few years, IDW has published a fully canon continuation of the series featuring most of the show’s main players. Joe Harris, Matthew Dow Smith and Jordie Bellaire have been telling a long story since the beginning of the tenth season and it’s all starting to wind down now. With a relaunch happening in the spring, this era of the “The X-Files” is coming to an end. Unfortunately this isn’t the strongest issue of the season but I have little doubt that it won’t come together in a satisfying way.

After months on the lam, and a run in with the now infamous Peacock family (watch “Home”), the final showdown with Gibson Praise (poor baby) is on. Mulder and Scully have pretty much stepped back from the idea of changing him but are now dedicated to stopping whatever his master plan is. With the help of The Lone Gunmen, Mulder and Scully are now infiltrating a facility that according to the government doesn’t actually exist.

I don’t want to use the word boring to describe this issue because it really isn’t. It offers some movement towards the final destination for Mulder, Scully and Gibson but it doesn’t move fast enough. The opening of the issue teases a massive catastrophe that’s definitely not going to happen and there’s an inclusion of a couple of characters who don’t seem all that necessary. What’s worse about them, they’re clueless and it causes the book to drag just a bit.

Writing dialogue for “The X-Files” is not one of the easiest tasks to take on but Harris has been very consistent with what he’s done. His strongest dialogue in this issue comes from The Lone Gunmen. He gets their voices in a way that not even their spinoff television series did. Their banter is perfect and the explanations they give for things are perfectly in line with their personalities. Harris clearly has fun doing this and it shows.

Gibson’s change into this villain for the series is the most startling but also very understandable given what he has been through. Harris doesn’t really let us see the sweet kid we used to know but he does differentiate him from many of the series’ other villains. He’s more evolved and more unhinged. In fact he sort of reminds me of Kylo Ren in this respect since he’s trying to carry on the work of people who came before him but in a more effective and modern way. This is reflected in Smith’s pencils as Gibson is a shadow of the kid that he was and looks like a member of the Syndicate, a group that helped ruin his life. Smith paints him more rigid and much less compassionate than he was as a child. This visual characterization is chilling and effective.

Over time I’ve become way more appreciative of Matthew Dow Smith’s heavy inks but I do think it can bring the book down visually a little bit at times. His character designs, character expressions can get lost in it. He has a knack for creating moody atmosphere, thanks in part to Jordie Bellaire’s colors but there are pages where Bellaire is not left with space to do much because of how heavy the inks are. Ink issues withstanding, I really enjoy the way he creates a sense of fear in the right places. Mulder and Scully’s mission feels more dangerous due to the shading and the aforementioned heavy inking. His art also combines the modernity of today with these characters without losing anything that makes them them.  Bellaire’s colors are always great but again, I don’t think she has a lot of space to work because of the inking. She does however help create this moodiness that fits in perfectly with what The X-Files is.

What’s a little sad is that it feels like everything is going to have to be tied up quickly because of the new season. This series was considered canon and I’m a bit unsure if it still is. This arc has been very major for Mulder and Scully but if you watched the first two episodes of the new series, it’s established that they haven’t been working for the F.B.I for many years so I now question if this “counts” anymore. I hope it does but regardless, it’s been a great couple of years and I’m glad that we’re getting a fresh starting point in the spring. That should absolutely help more “X-Philes” get into the comics.

Final Verdict: 6.8 – Not the explosive start to the final arc I wanted but I’m sure things will pick up.


Jess Camacho

Jess is from New Jersey. She loves comic books, pizza, wrestling and the Mets. She can be seen talking comics here and at Geeked Out Nation. Follow her on Twitter @JessCamNJ for the hottest pro wrestling takes.

EMAIL | ARTICLES