Mister X: The Archives

Starred review from November 24, 2008
Almost 25 years after he first haunted the streets of the dystopian metropolis known as Radiant City, the mysterious Mister X returns in this beautifully restored collection, showcasing the comic's entire run. The brainchild of Toronto-based graphic designer Motter, the first issue of Mister X
appeared in 1984 and introduced readers to the shadowy title character who had returned to Radiant City after a long absence. Purporting to be one of the city's original architects, Mister X is determined to repair the broken metropolis, which has gone mad as a result of his own invention of “psychetecture,” wherein buildings can alter a person's mood or neuroses. In order to accomplish his task, Mister X must forgo sleep entirely, with the help of a drug known as “insomnalin,” as well as battle a revolving group of thugs. The landmark series, with its nods to German expressionism and Bauhaus, introduced readers to the early work of several artists who would become influential in alternative comics, including the Hernandez brothers (Love and Rockets
) and Seth (Palooka-ville
). A treat for longtime fans and new readers alike, this journey through one man's waking nightmare is still an eyeball-popping visit to a stunning retro future.

December 1, 2008
Mister X was among the early successes of the nascent independent comics movement of the early 1980s, when the Big TwoDC and Marvelbegan losing their stranglehold on the medium. Its toxic setting was Radiant City, a metropolis whose postmodern architecture (an uneasy m'lange of art deco, Bauhaus, German expressionism, and film noir) drove inhabitants mad. Mister X, purportedly the citys architect, had forsaken sleep to work ceaselessly to find a cure. The serial was conceived by designer Motter, who turned over much of the writing and nearly all the drawing to hired hands, most notably Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, just beginning their long run on the landmark Love and Rockets, and future alt-comix luminary Seth, who had yet to perfect his elegantly simple graphic style. No matter who was involved, Motters background as a record- and book-cover designer meant that style was always at least as important as the erratic and convoluted story line. Although unmistakably a product of its era, Mister X remains a visual and conceptual treat a quarter-century later.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)