We’ve spoken about Mister X before and would like to return for a moment. After all, Mister X, his surrounding cast of characters and environs are just so interesting, darling.
The character Mister X first appeared in comic-book form on the cover of Vortex #2 (Vortex was an anthology comic published by Vortex Comics in the early 80′s). Following shortly after was the first self-titled series which ran through 14 issues. Volume 2 completed in 13 issues, and Volume 3 presented 4 issues. We have included the covers for Mister X: Condemned as well (there are other stories and appearances that we will try to “cover” in future posts). Condemned was published by Dark Horse in 2008 whereas the other volumes were published by Vortex Comics in the 1980′s and 1990′s. The actual first published appearance of Mister X was on a record cover for a single titled Megatron Man by a dude called Patrick Cowley. We had never heard of him before, that we recall, so we did a bit of research.
Patrick Cowley was a forerunner of the style of synthesized dance music that helped lay the groundwork for bands such as Pet Shop Boys and New Order. He did his biggest work in the late 1970′s and early 1980′s. Pretty progressive stuff given the era it was written in. Not really our cup of tea, but here is one of the songs off Megatron Man.
Back to Mister X…why do we like it? Dean Motter‘s creation combined elements of crime noir from the 1930′s, sharp light and dark contrasts in heavily stylistic art, a fascinating play with what Motter dubbed “antique futurism,” and a cerebral but disturbing psychology. It’s too bad that like so many other great stories from the 1980′s, the implosion of the independent, creator-driven comic books, robbed Mister X from get the attention the stories were due. We’re appreciative that Dean Motter hasn’t entirely abandoned his magnificent creation and hope to see more work in the future.
Anyway, you’ve asked and we have complied. A cover gallery of Mister X volumes 1, 2, and 3, and the Condemned mini-series have been added.
Take a look.
If you missed them the first time around, there are some additional Mister X pictures and details worth checking out.
comicsagogo.com
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