The X-Files Season 10 is IDW Publishing's 2013 comic book revival of the television series The X-Files, continuing the canonical adventures of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully after the events of the second movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Produced by TV series creator Chris Carter, the comic gives the storyline a major contemporary overhaul, now telling the story of the government/alien conspiracy in the context of uncertain, paranoid, Wikileaks-driven New Tens as opposed to The '90s. Also promised are sequel stories featuring prominent "Monsters-of-the-Week" from the show.
It is now up to "Season 11".
The season 10 and season 11 revival miniseries of the TV series does not continue
the canon of the comics.
"Cold Cases" is an Audio Adaptation of the comics, and was released on Audible on July 18, 2017, featuring the voice talents of David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, and more.
The X-Files Season 10 provides examples of the following tropes:
- Aborted Arc: In the series finale, the Cigarette-Smoking Man told Mulder that alien colonization would commence on December 22, 2012. The cast and crew openly considered doing a third movie that would explore that plotline if The X-Files: I Want to Believe made big enough returns. (It apparently didn't.) It is now 2013 and in issue #3, Mulder accuses the Cigarette-Smoking Man of playing another mind game with giving him the 2012 invasion date, declaring that it never happened. No explanation has yet been provided for why the date was missed.
- All Myths Are True: Though most likely non-canon, the "Conspiracy" mini-series has the Ghostbusters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Crow and Transformers being real within the X-Files world.
- Alternate Continuity: As a result of the 2016 revival miniseries.
- Arc Words: G-23 really does bring out the worst in people.
- Artifact Title: This comic began publication before the series was revived with an actual Season 10.
- Back from the Dead: The Syndicate members, thanks to cloning.
- Bad Future: In the final issues of Season 11, we see the devastated world that will result from alien colonization with Mulder and Gibson apparently the only humans left alive, all because Mulder interfered in Gibson's plans. Present day Gibson shows Mulder this, which causes Mulder to play along.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: In the Season 10 comic "Chitter" when Scully learns from Mrs. Hoynes that the Chittering God wants her as a tribute, she holds a trowel to her throat.Scully: You both...might be right about me. About what hurts me...and what I feel... but you're not getting any of it!
- The Chessmaster: Gibson Praise, who has been manipulating Mulder and Scully since the last arc of Season 10 and for most of Season 11.
- Christmas Episode: The Season 10 and Season 11 Holiday specials. The Season 10 holiday special is a standalone issue, but the Season 11 holiday special continues the Myth Arc of Season 11.
- The Cameo: Frank Black from Millennium (1996) shows up in the religiously-themed Season 10, issue #17.
- Cloning Gambit: Gibson Praise in Season 10, issue #25.
- Continuity Nod: In the first issue, Scully gives a shot to a little girl named Emily, trying to make a rapport with her and remarking that giving the shot "might have hurt me more than it did you." Perhaps a reference to her short-lived daughter of the same name from the fifth season, no?
- Double Agent: AD Morales is introduced as a mole working for the Cigarette-Smoking Man, but is later revealed to actually a member of the Faceless Ones, working to rout out colonization collaborators.
- Expendable Clone: The Cigarette-Smoking Man, The Well-Manicured Man and other Syndicate members. Later Gibson Praise.
- Faking the Dead: The Lone Gunmen.
- For Inconvenience, Press "1": As a wounded Scully is being pursued by the Acolytes.
- Glowing Eyes: How to know you've run into Acolytes.
- In-Series Nickname: Mulder's nickname "Spooky", referenced in the first issue.
- It Has Been an Honor: At the climax of Season 10, the Elder says this to the rest of the cloned Syndicate, right before they all die for the final time.
- Kill It with Fire: How the Peacock clan finally meets its demise, in Season 11.
- Also at the end of Season 10, the Cigarette-Smoking Man, as he blows up the Syndicate's cloning labs in Guantanamo.
- Kryptonite Factor: Just like on the show, magnetite is toxic to the aliens.
- Mushroom Samba: In Season 10 issue #19.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Gibson Praise
- Shout-Out:
- To Star Wars, in Season 10 issue #19.
Cigarette-Smoking Man: Bill Mulder thought he'd helped destroy the menace of Project #G-23.Mulder: Everybody lets their parents down sometimes. And you can keep dreaming of us ruling the galaxy together as father and son. This is where you cut off my hand and I leap to almost certain death to get away from you.- To Star Wars again (Alderaan), and to Star Trek (Klingons), in Season 11 issue #1.
- Thanatos Gambit: Gibson's ultimate goal is to trick the colonists into thinking he's a collaborator and gain their trust, so he can suicide bomb them with magnetite.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: One of the Peacocks is actually a beautiful woman. Ugliness apparently skips a generation every now and then.
- Timey-Wimey Ball: The lost time effect of UFO encounters is still here, as per the show. It's explained as a result of the ships' method of travel warping space-time. Gibson exploits this to show Mulder the Bad Future that will result if he interferes with Gibson's plans.
