John Rozum

For a book that collects a comic starting with issue #1, this really gets going in media res. It's full of exotic supporting characters who get defined on the fly. While the Xombi's powers are the result of hyper-technological "nanites," his friends and foes seem to be mostly supernaturally religious/occult in their origins and orientations. They seem to have some larger background, because they shared in an earlier series, but they are all sort of quirky and enigmatic anyway: the tone is show more closer to Bob Burden than Jack Kirby. Superpowered nuns and rabbis are funny, right? Although the original Xombi from the 1990s became involved with the larger DC superhero milieu, this reboot sequence (by the original writer) is more contained. The origin story is not rehashed, but rather dribbled out through incidental allusion.

I was motivated to pick this up to read because the art looked good: Frazer Irving provides expressive painted panels throughout, and there are a generous number of full-page tableaux. The six issues of the new series conclude a distinct plot arc "The Ninth Stronghold," and the 2009 re-debut of Xombi in The Brave and the Bold 26 is appended to these. Scott Hampton's art in the latter is looser and more expressionistic. show less

A memorable two-parter where the Scarecrow reinvents himself as a one-man reign of terror, sans the crutch of the fear gas he usually relies on.

Very nice art, good story. Some of the characters have unusual, interesting backgrounds; for instance, the protagonist is Korean-American. An ally of his with superpowers is a rabbi who can create golems to aid them. Another is Catholic Girl, who (of course) wears a plaid skirt. Nun the Wiser, Nun the Less, and Nun of the Above are also colleagues. Kim is a scientist who develops powers when injected with the nanovirus he created, becoming virtually invincible and immortal. (But not show more completely, because where would be the fun in that?) The plays on words are also entertaining. show less

A graphic novel spin-off from the hit television series. Made up of four different stories and cases for Agents Mulder and Scully to investigate.

Surrounded - The Agents are called in to investigate a suspicious death at a compound of anti government militists. The body has been skinned and it turns out to have been mutant dust mites from a failed scientific experiement by one of the house mates. He makes it away safely at the end carrying a sample of the mites with him.
Crop Duster - A show more strange tale about little green frog men that only one person seems to be able to see. He was part of a secret project called Crop Duster making chemicals to spray on people modulating their behaviour. There is a twist at the end involving his abused wife and the chief of police.
Soma - The best tale in the set by far about a series of Indian women found to have died by spontaneous human combustion with traces of the mushroom Amanita Muscaria (the red one with spots on that Alice sat on with the caterpiller which is poinsonous and causes hallucinations). It turns out to be a cremated husband looking for his wife who feld to America after not having enough faith to join her husbands funeral pyre.
Skybuster - Massive flocks of ravens are killing the employees of HAARP which is an organisation destroying the environment producing mutant animals and trying to control peoples minds. The ravens are linked by a Native American tale where they created the world and humans, gaining revenge for them now destroying what they created.

Not a very good read, more for die hard fans of the series only. I felt the stories were too short and under developed although Soma had some good ideas and artwork. show less