Dark Horse Comics
Writer/Artist/Cover Artist: Dean Motter
Published: April 22, 2015
Price: $3.99

As you might expect Mister X has a glorious retro feel to it right from the get go. Firstly, blue tinted opening pages give way expertly rendered grey toned flashbacks, all coupled with Motter’s distinctive heavily shadowed artwork. Motter does not stop there either and populates the pages with realistically drawn characters, making a welcome change from the primary coloured steroid abuse concoctions associated with most mainstream comic books.

The Amazing Staro is staging a comeback, using magic as his platform for election to Mayor and wants his former assistant Sobriquet (a name designed to slip off the tongue with ease) to assist him in this endeavour. Meanwhile, Mr X is trapped in one of Houdini’s old water torture cells whilst in Electropolis (gotta love these names) zombies are ravaging the city. All producing an epic mash-up of horror, old fashioned sci-fi (if that’s actually a thing), a fleeting nod to super-heroes and a hearty wink at magic. All the bases are covered in glory.

What more could you possibly want?

The three-part structure might be a tad confusing if this is the first issue you pick up but if stylish production and off the wall plotting are your thing, I’d suggest digging up some back issues and immersing yourself in the weird and wonderful world of Mr X.

X definitely marks a high spot here!

Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews editor: Stephen Hooker