'The X-Files: Year Zero' Coming This July From IDW

Courtesy IDW

IDW Publishing recently announced some news to makes fans of "The X-Files" very happy. An original tale and the case that "started it all" will debut this July in a brand-new five-issue miniseries called "The X-Files: Year Zero." The release reveals the plot, "In the 1940s, a shadowy informant known as 'Mr. Xero directed the FBI to a number of paranormal cases that would soon be classified as 'X-Files,' which were reserved for the improbable and unexplainable. When faced with an eerily similar 'Mr. Zero' in the present, Agent Mulder resolves to uncover the truth about who this mystery person is and their connection to these cases."

The talented team is introduced via the release:

The multi-talented veteran Karl Kesel ("FF," "Superboy") makes his debut at IDW as the writer on the series. Vic Malhotra (The X-Files: Conspiracy: The Crow) and Greg Scott ("The X-Files: Season 10") will be splitting art duties with Malhotra providing the art for the 1940s sequences and Scott drawing the present day storyline. Covers will be provided by Season 10’s Carlos Valenzuela, with pulp-novel-inspired subscription variants by Robert Hack ("Doctor Who") and a retailer incentive cover by Eisner Award-winner Francesco Francavilla for the first installment.

"The X-Files" Coming to a Tabletop Near You!

The truth is out there, and you will find it in your very own living room! IDW Games recently announced that this summer they will be releasing game based off of the early seasons of "The X-Files." Players can choose between Agents Mulder or Scully in an attempt to expose conspiracies while facing off against numerous villains. Read the full press release for all the details!

"Players will get the chance to take on the role of Mulder, Scully, and the X-Files team as they work to uncover global conspiracies and threats while going up against various members of the Syndicate.

“To me, there’s no more exciting title than 'The X-Files',” says IDW Director of New Business, Jerry Bennington. “Who wouldn’t want the chance to play as the wise-cracking Fox Mulder or the incredibly intelligent Dana Scully? And what show created more classic villains than 'The X-Files'? I still remember the first time I laid eyes on Flukeman; now we’ll give fans the chance to lose sleep all over again!”

Gillian Anderson to Write a Sci-Fi Book Series

Photo by Clara Molden

Gillian Anderson is returning to the world of science fiction, only this time, she's the one writing the tales! Anderson is officially adding author to her resume with the new sci-fi series "EarthEnd Saga," which will be co-written with friend Jeff Rovin. The pair are collaborating with new Simon & Schuster imprint, Simon451, and will be published this coming October.

The first book, "A Vision of Fire," will focus on Caitlin O'Hara, a child psychologist that specializes in working with children that have suffered trauma due to natural disasters and war. When she begins working with a deeply troubled young girl, her deeply scientific world views are shaken when confronted by mysterious forces. "Over the course of spending time and helping her and investigating the origins of the girl's trauma, Caitlin begins to realise that the girl's behaviour is tied to much greater forces in the universe, and as the story unfolds, she must prevent destruction on a grand scale," Anderson revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

When asked about the parallels between Caitlin O'Hara and Anderson's own Dana Scully, she stated “I also wanted a very strong female character, around my age. I would want to read something like that and I think other women would like to read."

'X-Files' New York Comic Con Recap

Photo courtesy DuchovnyCentral

After their blockbuster appearance at San Diego Comic-Con last July, the 20th anniversary tour of "The X-Files" continued at New York Comic Con last Sunday. Stars David Duchovny (Agent Mulder) and Gillian Anderson (Agent Scully) once again took the stage to discuss their time on the show and possibly another movie.

The panel began with the attendees singing happy birthday to showrunner (not in attendance) Chris Carter while Duchovny recorded it on his phone (check out our own Aaron Sagers' video of it here)

The topics discussed ranged from the actors not realizing how big the show would become, Dana Scully making science cool for girls, the fact that they've never read the "Season 10" comics, to the most awkward things they had to film, which involved climbing out of a slimy dirt hole and bees. When the panel host asked about their current projects ("Californication" for Duchovny and "Hannibal" for Anderson), Duchovny cut the moderator off and told him that the audience just wanted to talk about the "X-Files."

'X-Files' San Diego Comic Con Panel Recap

BY AARON SAGERS
(from MTV GEEK)

I want to believe in a third "X-Files" movie but the truth is not out there … yet. At one of the most anticipated panels of San Diego Comic-Con, stars Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, creator Chris Carter, writers Vince Gilligan ("Breaking Bad") and Howard Gordon ("Homeland") and a gaggle of other show scribes gathered for TV Guide Magazine's 20th Anniversary reunion panel on Thursday.

With a spooky Mulder-appropriate entrance, Duchovny and Anderson entered the panel in darkness, shining flashlights around as they made their way to the rest of the awaiting panelists and moderator Michael Schneider from “TV Guide Magazine.” And yeah, fans screamed – a lot. Much like they screamed a lot when “The X-Files” theme song played or favorite episodes or characters were name checked or questions of future reunions (or movies) were asked. In fact, seeing the band back together was enough to keep ‘Files’ philes in a constant state of fan euphoria.

New Comics, June 19: Zombies (and vampires) and 'The X-Files' returns

BY DAVID BERCK


There is plenty of stuff to talk about this week, but we've managed to distill the excitement down to a few featured titles. Aspen is beginning a new series with their flagship character, Aspen Matthews, bringing together a bunch of characters from their multiple spinoff serieseseses. It's kind of like having Mork, Mindy, Laverne, Shirley, Joanie and Chachi all come back for a season.

Except better.

Max Brooks' new series about the conflict that would rise should vampires collide with zombies. The X-Files also returns to comics and our hearts with the beginning of season 10! And, lastly, we wrap up what has been promised to be a universe altering series in Age of Ultron from Marvel. It's certainly been universe-altering within the alternate world, but how will it affect the main Marvel universe? So much to see! Let's get to it!

Chris Carter will 'executive produce' 'X-Files' comic

Courtesy CBR, IDW

Remember that X-Files comic we reported on in January? Well, if you wanted to believe in it, now you have a little more to be excited about because creator Chris Carter will be executive producing the book as a Season 10 continuation of the show when it hits shelves this June.

As covered in Comic Book Resources, the news came out of Emerald City Comic Con that the IDW book would be written by Joe Harris (BPRD, Vampirella and even Creepy) with Michael Walsh handling the art. And Harris added that Carter would be "personally reading outlines and scripts, providing feedback and suggestions."

Harris also reveals the book opens some time after the (forgettable) 2008 I Want To Believe movie sequel. The initial story arc involves a "pretty deadly mystery that's connected to the now-shuttered X-Files division" and someone who wants to bump off all who were involved with it. The writer said he hopes to bring the vibe of the show -- which had its finale in 2002 into the modern era of WikiLeaks, drone warfare and the Patriot Act.

As for Mulder and Scully, yup, they're still together. But their relationship is complex, said Harris.

Personally, I think this is a great idea to keep the show alive for X-philes. A movie is possible; David Duchovny recently told Jay Leno that he'd be Mulder for the rest of his life, and that he, Carter and Gillian Anderson are "always on board" for a sequel 20th Century Fox wants it.

But the great part of a comic continuation of the series is that comic books aren't limited by budgets, actor's schedules or studio rewrites. And the writers working in comics often-times craft far better stories than some movie screenwriters. Let's face it, Ghostbusters is probably doing far more to preserve the Ghostbusters legacy than a third movie would.

So I'll be "tuning in" to read an X-Files Season 10 -- if for no other reason, just so I can see how a coupled-up Scully can put up with Fox's incessant sunflower seed and porn habit.

-Aaron Sagers

Do you want to believe ... in a new X-Files comic by IDW?

Courtesy IDW

Great news for fans of Fox’s long-running science fiction series The X-Files. We’ve just learned that IDW Publishing is in the works with Twentieth Century Fox to publish a new comic series based on show. They also plan on re-releasing classic issues that ran from 1995-2009.

According to IDW’s President/COO, Greg Goldstein, "The X-Files is a classic property that helped redefine fans' expectations for the science-fiction and horror genres. The possibilities for new comic stories are virtually unlimited!"

The site also quotes Jeffrey Godsick, President of Fox Consumer Products, "The fans of The X-Files have remained loyal to the series since its conclusion. What better way to continue the show's legacy and give back to them than through new stories in a different medium. IDW has worked with a number of our Fox properties, and we know they're going to do great things with these iconic characters."

The news comes after we wrote in December about a potential series reboot and new movie. So until that happens, this is a good gift to fans -- and a nice way to keep the franchise alive and introduce it to new readers.

MTV Geek says the series will be available this June but that there’s no word on who will be illustrating or writing the new series or where it will pick up.

Are you as excited as we are to see what Mulder and Scully are up to? We’ll keep you updated as more details become available.

-Larissa Mrykalo

'X-Files' movie, reboot on way?

From left: Spotnitz, Duchovny, Anderson, Carter

If you’re an X-Phile, you’ve been seriously missing what was one of the greatest science fiction shows of the '90s. The show had something for everyone and provided the fodder for successful shows (read: Fringe) that came on the heels of its final episode on May 19, 2002.

Recently, former X-Files writer, Frank Spotnitz sat down for an interview about his BBC spy-drama, Hunted with DenofGeek.com. During the interview, the possibility of us again seeing David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in their iconic roles came up.

When asked if he foresees the show ever pulling a Star Trek and returning to the small screen, Spotnitz said, "I wouldn’t be surprised at all."

"I don’t think I would have anything to do with it but you know, for better or for worse, these things are titles of big corporations, like Star Trek belongs to Paramount and The X-Files belongs to Twentieth Century Fox and it’s a huge asset in their libraries so I can’t imagine they would let it sit languishing forever."

This "news" does come only a few months after Duchovny and Anderson publicly voiced their willingness to return, on separate occasions.

As for the potential for a third movie, Spotnitz said he and creator Chris Carter have talked for years about what would be the "climax of the alien colonisation story that began the series." But as far as a script or any move forward? Well, the truth may be out there, but any solid plans are not.

Although we want to believe we'll be seeing more Mulder/Scully action one day, nothing seems likely any time soon.

-Larissa Mrykalo

Erin Ryder changes 'Destination' to 'Chasing UFOs'

Erin Ryder, courtesy NatGeo

BY AARON SAGERS

If the truth is out there, a team from the National Geographic Channel might be the best shot there is of finding it. But the network’s new docu-series, Chasing UFOs, ups the ante in the search for answers from The X-Files believer/skeptic duo of Mulder and Scully, and adds a third character – the “skeliever.”

Enter Erin Ryder. Haling upstate New York, Ryder has an extensive resume of producing shows that range from topics such as parkour to Pussycat Dolls to, most recently, the paranormal. She is a skeptic who wants to believe – and might have enough reasons to do so after the first season of the NatGeo show, which premieres with a two back-to-back episodes tonight at 9 p.m.

Ryder is already known to fans of the unexplained by her work as co-executive producer and on-camera adventurer on the Syfy monster-hunting show Destination Truth (which debuts its fifth season on July 10 at 10 p.m.). But in Chasing UFOs – also from Truth production company Ping Pong Productions – Ryder takes the lead as her team looks to the skies and into the shadows.

Along with UFOlogist James Fox and skeptical scientist Ben McGee, Ryder serves as co-executive producer and field researcher in a pursuit that often takes them into a dark territory of extraterrestrial sightings, alien abductions and government conspiracies. In the first episodes alone, the team heads to Texas and encounters a town where more than 30 residents claim they saw mysterious lights flying above them. Then there are is the retired military brass who warns that a large-scale cover-up is in place – a warning that hits close to home when the team believes they’re being followed. And yes, there is a lot of investigating and running around in the dark - which is a fun draw of the show.

But instead of only pursuing theories and eyewitness accounts - and playing with lots of cool gadgets - Chasing UFOs also attempts to pursue the science behind E.T. experiences. For instance, the show is working with SETI (the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) to send an outer space, crowdsourced reply to the "Wow! Signal" of 1977.

Erin Ryder joined us to discuss her leap from monsters to aliens, and open up about the science, skepticism - and lots of bleeped-out swear words - of Chasing UFOs, along with some inside info on the new season (and future) of Destination Truth. (After the jump...)

Lousiana swamp monster caught on cam - Or maybe Photoshopped

Contessa Brewer of MSNBC has picked up a story from an NBC affiliate in Baton Rouge, La., of a creature popping up in a Berwick hunter's motion-activated wildlife cam.

Apparently, the man whose camera picked up this photo on a friend's private property wishes to remain anonymous but claims the cam was destroyed but the memory card remained intact.

The NBC33 affiliate already featured the photo twice by 10:45 today and have also posted it on their Facebook page.

Any why not all the coverage?  I personally love any monster story that gets locals and news reporters talking, and it gives producers a chance to use The X-Files theme music.

Although I'm guessing this is a Photoshop job or some alien iPhone photo app (not unlike the ghost apps we mentioned before).

Plus, this photo has already made the rounds and appears on a photobucket profile and archery Web site with an 11/30 time stamp (shown here), as opposed to the 12/4 stamp shown in the news package.

As far as the glowing eyes, it's time for a science lesson.

If the photo were somehow legit, and this was an image of a nocturnal swamp monster, the glowing eyes wouldn't be that surprising.  Many animals who operate at night posses a reflective layer behind their eyes called the tapetum lucidum.

This layer allows animals, like my dog here (who I'm pretty certain isn't a complete hellhound), to see better in low lighting. It also causes a mirror effect when a photo is taken and the light is reflected back, creating a glowing illusion.

Chhhaaapstick no more: 'Mothman' author dies

Unless you're a hardcore UFO fan, the fact that John Keel died on July 3 doesn't mean much. But it should matter for fans of paranormal pop culture.

Before the paranormal became a mainstream part of popular culture and every cable channel had its own parapop show - and even before Leonard Nimoy was In Search Of... - there was John Keel.

Keel was a journalist and one of the original ufologist (although he preferred to be called a demonologist). He coined the term Men In Black to describe menacing creatures in human form, and he's probably best known for writing The Mothman Prophecies about the winged creature in West Virginia. From a paranormal standpoint, Keel didn't buy into aliens. He instead hypothesized that everything etc.) was connected and actually a ruse for something bigger.
under the paranormal umbrella (poltergeists, UFOs, monsters, vampires,
As a result, many outside the paranormal community regarded him as a crackpot.

Still, Keel impacted pop culture. Other than the Will Smith movie, his book was the basis for the mediocre 2002 Mothman Prophecies movie - which inspired my headline based on a scene where a demon-voiced Mothy whispers to Richard Gere about lip balm (Weirdest. Product Placement. Ever). And did I mention the Mothman museum in Point Pleasant, WV?

Also, one of my favorite The X-Files episodes, "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'," is a great nod to Keel's life and work, and features none other than Alex Trebek and pre-gov Jesse Ventura as men in black.

Keel's death didn't get much ink stateside, so thanks to the Telegraph for the coverage.
-aaron sagers