Pop Goes the X-Files

The truth is out there. I want to believe. These two phrases are synonymous with the iconic television show The X-Files.

What was The X-Files? It was super soldiers, black oil, and alien bounty hunters. It was government cover ups and conspiracies on top of conspiracies. It was a little boy who knew what you were thinking and a baby with unlimited potential to help the human race. It was the Lone Gunmen and the FBI. It was Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully fighting the good fight against the Smoking Man.

Now, just in time for its triumphant return to television, Funko Pop has released (cue theme music) the first wave of X-Files Pops.

The first wave includes: Agent Mulder, Agent Scully, The Smoking Man, and an alien.

 

Agent Fox Mulder was once an upcoming profiler for the FBI. That was until he was awarded the X-Files for catching a high profile serial killer. After that it didn’t take long for the other agents to start calling him “Spooky Mulder” behind his back.

The Agent Mulder Pop is posed like many of the male Pops with a gun in hand with a clench fist. His suit is a perfect replica of the one worn on the series (except for the last couple of seasons when he wasn’t wearing a suit). The badge clipped to his pocket even has a small picture of the Mulder Pop. It’s small details like this that make Funko Pops very cool.

 

Agent Dana Scully turned away from a promising career in private medicine to join the FBI. In the very first episode she’s partnered with Mulder to debunk his work on the X-Files. Scully was always the Yang to Mulder’s Yin. At times it was frustrating that Scully doubted Mulder even after seeing some of the crazier things that had occurred. However, Scully was right there to the very end.

The Scully Pop is just as detailed as Mulder. You can even see the knot tying her coat together. It’s amazing detail, but why is Dana holding a flashlight? Sure, she was the skeptic at the beginning of the series, but as it went on Scully was firing just as much lead down range as Mulder.

The pose is also somewhat frustrating. The Pop is posed as a woman who is demure and fragile. Scully wasn’t a fragile woman. She went through being abducted, cancer, and the deaths of her father and sister. A pose fitting someone who took life on the chin would have been more appreciated.

 

I don’t condone smoking. I don’t condemn it either. However, I do approve of The Smoking Man. The Smoking Man was the man we all loved to hate. He had his fingers in a lot of  pies over the course of nine seasons. He was one of the original architects of the government’s cover up about the aliens. He was a shady even when he was being honest. He was always a thorn in Mulder’s side and caused just as much pain for Scully. The Smoking Man is hands down one of the best villains to grace the small screen.

The Smoking Man, with its brown suit and gray hair, would be just a generic Pop if it weren’t for one small detail- his cigarette.

 

It’s great Funko included it. A few years ago, DC Direct released a nice figure for John Constantine. DC Direct decided not to include Constantine’s ever present “fag” because they thought it would be a bad influence on kids who bought the figure. At the time Hellblazer (the title John Constantine appeared in) was being published by Vertigo. Hellblazer was one of the more graphic titles coming out at the time (think lots of blood and cursing). A cigarette should have been the least of DC’s concerns. So, it’s nice to see Funko include the Smoking Man’s trademark Morley. Even better, the Pop is holding the cigarette the same way as the character in the series. It’s little details like this that go along way in making these Pops very cool.

Whether it was fighting the future or hybrid species, aliens were always at the heart of the matter. The alien in the first wave is a good representation of the aliens we saw in the various episodes throughout The X-Files nine year run. The traditional black circles Pops have for eyes are perfect for an alien. In addition, the alien is one of the few Pops that have eyelids. Smaller details include nostrils. A lot of Pops have noses, but few have nostrils. It’s a nice detail to go along with the alien’s very long fingers.  Also, its grey just like Mulder said they were in the very first season. It’s actually one of the better Pops to come out in a while.

 

It would be awesome if future waves included: Alex Krycek, Assistant Director Skinner, the Lone Gunmen, Agents John Doggett and Monica Reyes, Morris Fletcher, Mr. X, and Deep Throat.

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