If you look past the series’ staples — “The truth is out there”, “Trust no one,” “I want to believe” — you can’t get any more classic X-Files than this.
This weird show about aliens that no one thought would amount to anything spanned eleven seasons and two movies, and this quote started it all.
“Sorry…nobody down here but the FBI’s most unwanted.”
OK, so technically there was some dialog before that, I guess — something with men in gray suits, blah blah blah — but the first Mulder/Scully interaction is where it’s at. She walks into that basement office, he tries to be snarky and fails (because Dana Katherine Scully, MD, is Not. Taking. His. Shit. from day 1, so brilliant) and…the adventure begins.
It’s perfection. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch the pilot episode. Again.
Last weekend I flew to Montréal for Comiccon. It was huge; definitely bigger than the one we went to in Boston a few years ago. There were costumes galore and lots of places to sit quietly and people-watch. I’d originally planned this trip because David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were both slated to make an appearance, but Gillian had to cancel. I decided to go anyway; I still wanted to meet David, and this con would be easier to wrangle than NYC.
Mitch Pileggi (Skinner) and William B. Davis (Cigarette-Smoking Man) were also there. I bought a selfie with Mitch; he was incredibly nice about making time for everyone, asking questions, etc. He’s very kind, and doesn’t talk through his teeth at all. Apparently he reserves that stoicism for Mulder and Scully.
Ready to go!
It’s Skinner!
This place went on forever.
Comiccon mood ™
Lotsa Little Ponies
Special.
The panel
Hnngggg
The three actors also did a Q&A panel, which was underwhelming — it was advertised as a “Special Event” and tickets cost extra, which probably should have been a red flag. The moderation was sub-par and the fan questions weren’t screened, so there were a lot of repeats. I cringed, a lot. It wasn’t worth the cost of admission, but oh well.
Of course, I got a photo with David:
It’s a picture of a picture so it’s not great quality, but who cares? JUST LOOK AT HIS FACE. I got a side hug. I’m never washing my sweater again.
He also signed one of my prints (I don’t have a photo of the print with the signature handy, so you’ll just have to trust me!) Eventually I’d like to get Gillian Anderson’s autograph on the same print. Between that, and a photo with both GA and DD, and I think my fandom life will be complete.
But the best part of this trip arguably had little to do with Comiccon, and everything to do with my friend and colleague, Kathryn, who made for excellent company while I was in her home city. We had a couple A+ meals (sushiiiiii) and she showed me the most amazing dessert place.
In a wonderful bit of serendipity, she also found these two artifacts while cleaning her house this weekend:
The first is an August 1995 sci-fi magazine with the infamous all-white photo shoot. The second is a script for an X-Files episode that doesn’t appear to have aired. Maybe a spec script from Tim Minear, who wrote a couple X-Files episodes in 1998 (and wrote for a bunch of other shows as well). I can’t wait to read it!
I also had a chance to walk around the city a bit. I haven’t done much solo travel for fun, but I could see this becoming a thing in the future.
I’d started collecting X-Files fan art a couple years ago, knowing that eventually I’d have an office to decorate, and what better way to make the place feel like home than with art inspired by my favorite TV show?
I wanted to give credit where credit is due and list the artists who made this little corner of Phile heaven possible! Clockwise from the Cigarette Smoking Man Funko Pop in the upper left:
Missing Time /Justin Cybulski – Lots of X-Files and other pop-culture themes here in a minimalist graphic style that I love. It’s hard to choose a favorite!
17th&Oak / Pete Ware – Alas, it looks like this print is no longer available, but it’s one of my favorites because the quotes are so relevant to the characters, and I’m a sucker for neat typography. I also have a Walking Dead poster of Rick in the same style that has yet to find a home on my walls.
Calobee Doodles / Caroline Moore / aka me – Yeah, I put some of my own stuff up. I may replace it with others’ eventually, since it feels a bit weird to have my art on the wall. These two (Milagro and Fight the Future) are my favorites from the Episodes series.
Nan Lawson – Another artist who does a lot of pop-culture-inspired work. I love her style (as you can probably tell, since her prints currently dominate the wall in number).
The Gorgonist – So much great detail and humor in this print, it’s central on the wall for a reason. I have this illustration as a t-shirt, too!
Nan Lawson (again!) – I love that she focused on Scully in the top print, and the bottom print could have been hung either way, but I purposefully put Scully upright, shamelessly playing favorites.
Bad Witch Alert / Charlotte Foley – This one’s cute, almost rustic in style. The characters are contemplative, almost peaceful. Looking at it makes me all calm and happy. I also have her vinyl stickers, but don’t know what I want to do with them yet.
