moodyAs the title suggests, this is a prequel comic book series to The X-Files (similar to shows like Smallville and Gotham really), and tells of the exploits of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as teenagers. Some of the content is taken from the series canon, while others (mostly the main characters' teenage friends) are completely original.
I had not read issue 1; this was a present from a trip to the US and purchased in a comic shop out there, but there were useful recaps about what happened previously. The comic is set up so that on one side you have Scully's story, and then you turn over to the other side to read Mulder's. Unlike the series by Joe Harris, this also appears to be aimed at younger audiences.
Scully's story features Captain Bill Scully, who was killed off in his first appearance on the show, and principally involves young Dana Scully investigating the death of her Sunday School teacher (referenced in the show's 7th season, in the episode "Orison"). Fox Mulder's story involves the discovery of what may be alien blood after Fox and his friends follow a mysterious girl into the woods; it also takes place shortly after the abduction of Samantha Mulder.
Overall, I liked the way the teenage versions of both main characters are characterised; there was some crossover between the two stories, mostly because of a character who showed up in both of them, and I am not sure if the plan is to intertwine the plots even further, although I am hoping the writers aren't planning to rewrite the show's backstory by having the teenage versions of Mulder and Scully meet.
I do intend to obtain further issues from this series and see how far it goes; it does feel like something that could be turned into a TV show for kids, and I am keen to find out what happens next.
Next book: Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies (J.K. Rowling)
