Some Thoughts on The X-Files Season 10 and Transmedia Storytelling

[memories_child]

The big news in The X-Files fandom this week was the announcement that series creator Chris Carter has officially signed on as an executive producer to IDW comic series, making the comics the official season 10.

Comments

[firefish]

[memories_child]

Haha, I knew what you meant!

I'm holding off making a judgement for now, but I'm inclined to agree with you that they won't be S10 because they're comics, not a TV series or a film. I do think there are hierarchies of format within fandoms (I think you get it on the flip side too, with Batman fans arguing that the comics are a more 'true' version of the character than the films are) and when you've got a primarily televisial text, moving it to another format makes it less áuthentic' (for want of a better word). Still, I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with them.

[memories_child]

Haha, I was thinking about you and your love of affect when I was writing this ;)

Talking about the comics and the second film, here and on my blog, has made me think a lot more about my relationship with different aspects ofThe X-Files transmedia. I was talking to this about Matt a while ago, in relation to canon, and how things like the XF books and the PC/PS games are viewed differently to the series and film(s) in XF fandom. While I haven't done any sort of quanlitative research on this yet I don't know of any fans who consider the Kevin J. Anderson books canon, or who cite the Topps comics when talking about what happened in TXF universe, or who consider the PC game in the same way as an episode. And I find that really interesting especially when compared to other fandoms like, off the top of my head, Harry Potter where you have the books, the films, the school books and Pottermore. (Will talks about canon and expanded universes in Using the Force, which is worth a read.) So I think you're right that different transmedia texts

[memories_child]

I really love all of this you're working on - wonderful, wonderful stuff. Have grapes. :)

Yay grapes!

I've read some conflicting stuff on Pottermore and its relationship with canon (some of which I discuss in my chapter in this book ). On the one hand I can see the arguments for its being canon - being authorised (and written) by Rowling, etc. but on the other hand it's like the arguments I've heard over Dumbledore being gay - it's only canon if it appears in the series text (by which they mean the books or the films). If it's not in them then it ain't canon. And I think it's the same with the school books too. They replicate some of what was said in the original books but there's a lot more stuff in there too. And what about the pre-series charity story about James and Sirius - is that canon, or expanded universe, or alt!canon?

but even fic has the power to draw heavily/well on specific actor's interpretations of a character, to invoke them strongly even in prose, and sometimes to the extent that lines are blurred a bit - how?

[foxestacado]

I am really getting used to the idea that season 10 could be in comic book form. It just won't be the same as the television series, or even a film. Part of me doesn't even want to accept film #2 as canon, it was so awful to me (and I watched it once in the same room as Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and I felt so embarrassed for them), and until that point, I had never dismissed part of the series/films as not canon.

The extension of the mytharc is definitely an appealing factor. I will be a slow adopter, as usual, so if you and others tell me it's good, I might go and pick them up later :)

[memories_child]

I do know what you mean. I'm holding off making a judgement for now, but I' definitely think they won't be the same in comic book format. Like I was saying to firefish when you've got a primarily televisial text, moving it to another format makes it less áuthentic' (for want of a better word).

I was also just saying to littlegreen42 that IWTB and S8 and 9 live in my head as some sort of alternative canon. They felt to me not that true to the characters, and so to some extent S1-7 and FTF are the 'real' X-Files and anything after S7 is a quasi, alt! version.

Still, I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with the comics and I'll definitely be posting my opinions about them come June!

[memories_child]

That's a really interesting point and one I hadn't considered. I'm...not entirely sure what I feel about IWTB! I saw it about 9 times in the cinema and I haven't watched it since then. I defended it a lot, but it's certainly not the idea that I had of what Mulder and Scully would be doing. I think in some ways I view IWTB (and S8 and 9, I think) as alternative canon. I mean, they have to be canon because they were produced by FOX and 1013, CC was still the executive producer, etc. etc. but I don't necessarily think anything that happened post S7 was true to the characters or the series, so it exists in a different space in my head

[maybe_amanda]

They can CALL it the official tenth season all they want. It's not. Cuz I said so, that's why.

MaybeA, bringing ruthlessly incisive logic to fandom yet again.

[memories_child]

I wish I had a 'like'button for this! ;)