Have you ever read a comic that you felt was written just for you? That’s probably something I’ve never said before because it’s actually an absurd notion, but that’s how the entire Mister X franchise feels to me. The era in which it captures in one that I’m personally obsessed with. The fusion of technology with the bygone era; the character designs and moxy grab my attention and then disappointment when they leave. Everything about this series/franchise pulls at my inner being and takes my breath away. Each issue is like falling in love and when it ends, it’s like a terrible break up. But as long as this series exists, I will subjugate myself to its emotional abuse because it’s worth it. The issue again is broken up into two stories, but they tie into each other flawlessly. The first story continues to be more about the world/city, while the second story picks a character to follow thus changing the narration. In the first half the tale picks up shortly after Mercedes being kidnapped. She finds herself being interrogated by a blind man whose senses have been amplified and functions like a human lie detector. He shows Mercedes a picture of Mister X and they decide that she’ll need to be broken in order to get the answers they want. Meanwhile, X returns to Mercedes apartment to find her gone. He solicits Rosie’s help in getting Mercedes back, but he might end up giving up the very thing that he gave her to protect for him.

The dialog grabs me with every issue. One of the characters begins sprinkling in French as she’s talking and soon it spreads to other characters until X shuts it down… with French. Its little details like that, that make the dialog so enjoyable and believable.  The new group of blind interrogators (at least new to me) also had amazing dialog due to their robotic nature of rules and order. The pacing for the story and the fantastic attention to detail is a huge success for this issue.

The art in this issue is simply amazing. The issue is mostly colored in dark purplish-blues and light green hues giving panels a stark contrast. The panels are off-putting because of this and convey the uneasy feeling that X is feeling to the reader, with the visual. I’m a huge fan of Motter’s character designs and the way he’s not afraid to experiment with their iconic styles. The change that Mercedes goes through in this issue was jaw dropping and I wish I could tell you what happens, but it would just be cruel of me. It blew my mind and raised so many questions and it was all done with the art.

I don’t know how to sell you on this book because again, it’s my book. It’s for me, it appeals to me and no one reading this is exactly like me. I do think that a large portion of the comic book reading market would actually love this series if they gave it a chance and so that’s what I’m recommending. Give it a shot, but know that no matter what… I’ll be reading this series for as long as it exists.

Score: 5/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Dean Motter

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: 6/5/13