Mr. X Volume 1: Who is Mr. X - Paul Rivoche

Mr. X is a mysterious megalopolis master-planner gone mad. This is a dark, moody saga of his obsession to build a dream-the ultimate city-how that dream for perfection gets twisted into something far different, and the price Mr. X pays to fix a dream that has become the perfect nightmare.

Contains a special 8-page color feature!

In 1983, designer Motter invented a visually striking, enigmatic figure with a bald head, dark glasses, and black trenchcoat. Fleshing out the concept, he turned the character into Mister X, a brilliant architect responsible for Radiant City. Inspired by Le Corbusier's utopian vertical metropolis, the project boasted "psychetecture" designed to positively alter its residents' mental states. But the developer cut corners, and the city instead has a deleterious, dehumanizing effect. After suffering a breakdown caused by the drug he takes to avoid sleep, Mister X returns to try to reverse the deterioration. More fun than its ponderous premise sounds, the tale is enlivened by gangsters, glamour gals, and romantic intrigue. Rather than writing and drawing it himself, Motter enlisted alternative and mainstream comics talents, including Love and Rockets' Hernandez brothers, Sandman-cover-artist Dave McKean (this was his first published comics work), and a pre-Palookaville Seth, who all followed Motter's general story line and visual approach. The rotating hands hinder continuity some, but the grand design, equal parts Metropolis and film noir, carries the day. Gordon Flagg
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