D3's Review - Mister X

I came across Mister X about 20 years ago at a South Jersey convention. It was a great convention, and sadly, it died a slow, painful death by the time the 90s rolled in. Another casualty of the speculators and the mega-cons.

But that's not what I'm set to be rambling about here. No - that would be a comic book series called Mister X. The first four issues were done by the brilliant Hernandez brothers - Gilbert, Mario and Jaime. Same guys who did Love & Rockets. Another title y'all should be readin' - and so should I.

I don't know why Mister X struck me the way it did. Maybe it was the clean art. Maybe it was the fun and interesting story. Maybe it was the bold, clever and dynamic artistic choices made on the covers and on the insides of the covers. The design of the book was excellent. I normally don't worry too much about the art (more story driven), but the art was sharp and - dare I say it - visionary. The overall visual style was striking from cover to cover.

Maybe not just one thing - no idea really. But it was good. The story was about the architect that designed Radiant City. He returned to "undo the damage he believes he has done...even if it kills him." This brought him into conflict with a former mob boss who was running clubs in the city. Add into it a cast of killer dames, and you've got a fun, interesting, offbeat noir tale. And you're always looking to find out more about this Radiant City.

It's an excellent comic with great characters, and like Gotham City, Radiant City is kind of a character itself. The story is a bit hard to follow, but again, it's so well done it's worth sticking with it. Even when they go about explaining things, it's confusing.

After the fourth issue, Dean Motter took over the scripting, and it was still pretty good. Still confusing, but pretty good. Even if I felt that I was never getting the full story, I was entertained. I kept reading, but the ensuing issues, while very good, never matched the quality and style of the first four issues.

Each time I reread it, I remember how much I liked Mister X the first time around. I can't say anything better than that about a comic.