Mister X: The Archives

Dark Horse

Nov 01, 2008 Year End 2008 - Best of 2008 By Kyle Lemmon

Twenty-five years ago, Mister X was an expressionistic trip for the mind. Dark Horse’s remastered hardcover collection lives up to that legacy. X conflated the austere aesthetics of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Art Deco, and the anti-morality tales of film noir’s underbelly. A destroyed utopia left in the gutter is overseen by a mysterious, trundled creator whose architecture drove its inhabitants mad. The inspired artwork of Jamie Hernandez and Dave McKean was the key to Mister X’s triumph, even if the story was straightforward.

The mastery of each collected tale is made manifest by the utter fluidity of connotations assigned to its titular character; a bald, emaciated man in a trench coat with dark glasses. In these disquieting times, Radiant City seems particularly resonating. Dark Horse is planning a post-millennial reboot called Mister X: Condemned. Fans of Dean Motter’s grim nightmares will be waiting in the shadows.

(http://www.darkhorse.com)

Author rating: 9/10

Rate this comic book
Average reader rating: 9/10