This month's new issue of The X-Files: Season 10 breaks away from the usual narrative style that we've enjoyed in the past nine releases. This time around, Joe Harris delivers a look into the life of the enigmatic CGB Spender and some of his pivotal moments in the universe of The X-Files.
"More Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" presents us with vignettes that are quite illustrative of how this man became the dark and mysterious nemesis to Fox Mulder's quest. His partnership with William Mulder, the tumultuous relationships with the women in his life, and the nature of the operations that he carried out for the US government and beyond are exposed for our delight, giving us a glimpse into how interesting it would be to have a prequel that delves into the early days of the Syndicate.
Is not a naive narrative, it's mature and dark at times but well justified.
This tenth issue is a milestone into building the overall story that Harris intends to tell throughout The X-Files: Season 10, cementing what I'm sure will be a useful reference to the many episodes to come in this saga. Refreshing and challenging, "More Musings" is not only great because of the almost "Auteur Cinema" storytelling, but also because of the breathtaking style that menton3 brought to this edition.
What I appreciate about the risks that this team is taking is that it's subjecting us to different ways to tell the story. It won't always be the MOTW format; true to the X-Files fashion, the arc of the conspiracies that made this franchise famous will grow with time, feeding us with important pieces of a master puzzle.
In this case, while it might prove hard for some to get every ounce of information on a simple first read, it seems appropriate to transport us via the conceptual art that illustrated this issue to the mental state that has often been part of the DNA of the character of the Smoking Man. Achieving this, in this media, is a challenge that they're taking seriously every week, and you should see this collection as a road that keeps on growing and extending before us.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way that American and International history and politics come to be part of the story, as a way to give us reference to the elements that have fed this conspiracy for years, since Chris Carter imagined it. In a time when we have so much turmoil in the world, it is notable how historic moments have reflected our nature as a society. It's not a simple and done deal; this reality has tendrils that extend and tangle making it palpable for the curious, and quite educational for the younger minds.
The X-Files: Season 10 #10 - "More Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" - Written by Joe Harris, Art by menton3 with Tony Moy, Letters by Robbie Robbins, Edited by Denton J. Tipton and Executive Produced by Chris Carter.
Regular cover by Francesco Francavilla, RI Cover by menton3 and a Photo Subscription cover.
