The whole polka-dot-tie-over-striped-shirt-with-slicked-back-hair look is something you don’t see so much today, and you didn’t even see much in the ’90s. The other agent dude in this episode is kind of a 1980s Gordon Gecko holdover.
Two things that happened a lot in the early episodes: someone from Mulder’s or Scully’s past getting involved in an X-File (thus creating Personal Interest), and Scully getting threatened by monsters so Mulder has to come rescue her. The thing is, Scully looks capable of ramming her fist down the throat of just about any monster when sufficiently ticked off, whereas Mulder’s clearly going to do a girly scream if things get hairy. In this case, though, Tooms coming out of the heating vent at Scully is frickin’ scary. You remember the girl crawling out of the TV in The Ring? It’s like that but speeded up. Even Scully is going to lose it when that guy grabs her ankle.
Technically there are no laws against being a 100-year-old liver-eating stretchy mutant, so it’s easy to see why he checked out OK.
I want more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another moment I thought was super creepy was at the end when Tooms is making a new nest for himself in the holding cell.
And I was oddly touched by the scene of the old cop reading the news of Tooms’s arrest.
I admire the way this episode features a stretchy guy and manages to make it all work even though it has virtually no special effects.
I feel like a lot of the old episodes ended with Scully and Mulder not actually accomplishing a lot — for instance in this episode where it’s strongly implied that Tooms escapes again. I’m not a big fan of this sort of ending, at least not when it’s that common.
Jacob, I know what you mean. I loved the X-Files but a continual source of frustration for me is that they were NEVER able to “win” in any meaningful capacity. The X-Files sort of popularized this kind of ending (the good guys just aren’t able to get one over the bad guys) and TV sort of ran with it, to varying degrees, ever since. It’s nice that our heroes don’t always win, but it gets fatiguing when that always happens.
This is brilliant. I just read your three wee comics & they’re fabulous. I hope you keep doing this!
Oh my God. I am SO glad this exists. And so glad YOU are the person making this comic.
This is perfect! Cannot wait for more!
hahaha Scully has Tooms slung over her shoulder!
These comics are GREAT. Keep up the good work!
I think this is my new favorite webcomic ever! I was just recently revisiting the first season on Netflix, so when I found this I was just tickled! Great job. I hope you keep it up =D
Shaenon,you are a genius! This is so brilliant. Can I make you more fan art for this? 😉
I LOVE the X files! Tom (My brother,Kim’s husband) told me you did a cartoon about the X files , so I had to check it out! Great job~
Thank you. As a long time fan, I have definitely enjoyed these first eps and can’t wait to see more
Bars he can squeeze out of with his stretchy power… hahaha
I always loved more the MOTW episodes rather than the Mythology ones… although in that episodes the characters relationships evolve much than in the others. But MOTW episodes were so creepy and sometimes funny or nonsense (and sometime happened they were boring) … I really loved them ahahaha and I think they are very suitable for this kind of strips.