'Mister X: Razed' - Comic Review

I think The Return of Mr. X (1987), the first graphic novel by Dean Motter and the Hernandez Brothers about Mr. X, is a masterwork of comics. It includes the first several issues of the original set of comic books, probably the first six: the Hernandez Brothers left after issue six and were replaced by Seth, who isn't mentioned in the credits of The Return of Mr. X (thus my assumption that it's only six - or less - episodes). And because I like that one graphic novel so much, I keep returning whenever I see a Motter graphic novel at the library. The latest of these, published by Dark Horse Comics in November 2015, is Mister X: Razed. Motter's afterword includes a phrase that sums up almost the entirety of Mr. X's milieu: "... yesterday's vision of tomorrow ..." He's also admitted to a strong interest in "sleeplessness and somnambulism," which covers Mr. X himself ... well, that and drug addiction.

The Return of Mr. X is a more cohesive and continuous story, where this book is very clearly a series of several comic books and plots brought together. Subjects, settings, and protagonists vary, although Mr. X himself shows up momentarily in almost every episode. He varies between saving lives and taking falls: he's not the compelling character he used to be. Some of the stories are mildly entertaining, but this can't begin to compete with the original.