Fanboys Anonymous

A masked vigilante known only as X dispenses justice without mercy to the criminals who rule the decaying city of Arcadia. When muckraking blogger Leigh Ferguson snoops down the wrong alley, she gets swept into X’s bloody war with a politically powerful crime lord!

That is the solicitation for tomorrow's release of Dark Horse Comics' X Volume 1: Big Bad.


Maybe only a few of you out there know of this character, but when 2013's series marked his return, he made waves. Even having never known or heard of X, I'm not surprised. With writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Eric Nguyen pulling gears, this hooded and caped vigilante—dubbed Dark Horse's most brutal and exciting character—should be on the radar of comic fans, especially those leaning towards darker antiheroes.


So who is X?

A vigilante based in the fictional city of Arcadia, the amnesiac citizen John Smith 24—injected with an experimental serum before he lost his memories of who he was—was supposedly killed and his body dumped in the river at the orders of crime boss Carmine Tango.


Some time later the dark vigilante, marked by a red "X" across his mask, appears in Arcadia, brutally battling it out with the city's organised crime elements. This character has the power to heal, but also possesses a sort of "blood memory," meaning that his body remembers every injury he sustains and will heal quicker the next time he suffers the same injury.

X is also distinguished by his attitude towards criminals. He gives everyone one chance only, marked by a slash across their face. If they do not change their ways, that slash will become an "X" and he will kill them. As the tagline reads, "Crime doesn't stand a chance!"

Aesthetics-wise, I myself am sold on the amalgam of some badass favourites here—Batman, Black Panther, Deathstroke, and Crossbones. The character is a little moodier than his sources, in fact.

Originally created for Dark Horse in 1993, X was first brought to us by Steven Grant, Doug Mahnke, and Jimmy Palmiotti in the pages of Dark Horse #8. The character's eponymous series ended in 1996, only to be relaunched last year. Despite the massive hiatus, it's safe to say that this otherwise exceeded expectations.


Sound off! Have any of you read X before? Let us know what you think. Comments below and thanks for reading!