Joe Harris (1) (1973–)

It was really the premise of Spontaneous that first prompted me to review this. Spontaneous Human Combustion is something that we really don't stop to think about. I was intrigued to see what path author Joe Harris would take. So with an open mind, I dove right in.

The story flies by as the pages tell Melvin's story. The problem with this brevity is that there is really no time to develop the characters. Melvin is a tormented soul, and that's him through the whole book. Emily is that show more no-holds-barred reporter who is dead set on getting her story, and again she doesn't change. In fact most of the secondary characters don't even get enough face time for the reader to fully even notice them. I liked that the book moved so quickly, but I would have read for longer if it meant more time to spend with the characters.

What's good about the way that this story is written is that there isn't any down time at all. From page one the reader is drawn into the mystery of the people who are suffering from this odd fate. Melvin's story blossoms beautifully, slowly letting the reader see just enough to keep them intrigued. I think this is where Emily's character truly shined. As you are doing your best to figure out what Melvin is going to do next, Emily is uncovering the story behind it all. At the end I honestly did a double take. It was that interesting.

In terms of illustrations, Spontaneous is a lot different than other books I've seen. The art style is a mixture of hard, bold lines with soft watercolor providing some warmth. The people in the story look more like sketches than anything else. More like caricatures than actual people. It works for the story though, and I'm honestly impressed by Brett Weldele's talent. His illustrations allow the story to shine through, without taking over.

Final verdict? Spontaneous is definitely something to check out if you are a fan of graphic novels. The story is unique and quick moving, and I'm certain that you'll fall in love with the illustrations. show less

Written prior to the recent revival of the show (and I think the second film), this comic series picks back up with Scully and Mulder continuing to investigate the strange cases that fall in the way of the FBI.

This collection basically feels like a graphic novel version of an episode. And not a very good one. The plot is unclear and I'm annoyed that in its first outing, Scully once again ends up being a victim of the villains (eye roll). I think I'll just leave these alone from here on out.

In case you haven't heard about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it is the world's biggest landfill, located in the middle of the Pacific. No, I'm not making this up, there is actually a large pile of plastic garbage floating in the middle of that ocean. And that is the main location for this comic, which basically follows the well-known trope of "rich kid inherits father's company, wants to prove himself by doing things better and improving the world".

A unique location, some sci-fi elements show more (like a device that can manipulate plastic), and a number of stories all coming into conflict with each other on this island of plastic -- that should be enough to warrant four stars, wouldn't it? You'd think so, but six issues into this storyline and everything just seems to get more and more complicated and elaborate, and I cannot help but wonder whether it is actually going somewhere.

There is clearly a great ambition behind this series, yet after six issues it feels like the author is still only setting up the story and I question the wisdom of featuring so many adversaries so early on. Only time will tell if he'll manage to keep it all going, so for now I keep reading. show less

This graphic novel had all the magic of the TV series. It transported me back in time to the days when Fridays were X-Files nights. All my favorites were there - Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Doggett, The Lone Gunman, the cigarette smoking man. There is also a cool set of drawings depicting the characters in different styles at the end of the graphic novel. My favorite of these has our heroes drawn as the Scooby Doo Gang. What fun! I'm going to preorder volume 2 right now.