X Marks the Spot?

I've started reading the old Dark Horse series X (collected in X Omnibus 1&2). I didn't read any of the Comic Greatest World titles when they were released, because I thought the idea of Dark Horse doing a superhero line was distasteful. They should be better than that! At the time that Eclipse and the other indie publishers were folding, they stood out as a success. Doing a line of publisher owned superhero titles seemed cheap. I still feel that way, but decided to give the omnibus a try because Steven Grant wrote the entire series and the Wikipedia summary sounded promising. I also appreciate that the omnibi save me the trouble of having to track down spin-off/crossover issues that continue the story (my #1 gripe about superhero comics).

The series itself is pretty good, so far (I’m about halfway through the first omnibus). X isn't really a superhero. He is a murderous vigilante attacking both corrupt city officials and Mafiosi, who’s ultimate motives remain unclear. X isn’t necessarily fighting for truth, justice and the American Way. And if he is, at least he’s not spouting off about it. Though full of over-the-top “comic bookiness”, the series is grounded by dealing with street level issues. No aliens, other dimensions or gateways to hell. Even X’s costume is realistic enough to be almost embarrassing. Seriously, you could whip up a version of it at home, pretty easily. X sometimes looks like an incredibly violent luchadore. This believability is ultimately a plus and I appreciate the series gritty and violent tone.

The weakness of the title is the universe it takes place in. Dark Horse was determined to launch a whole universe at the same time, which means that characters from other titles pop-up, sometimes uncomfortably. If Dark Horse had slowed it down, launched only X and then let the universe expand more organically, it would have lasted longer. I think that if X were started as a stand-alone showcase of what Dark Horse would like to do with a superhero universe, it would have become a very popular title. I think the yoke of Comic Greatest World right out of the gate bogged the series down and stole some of its thunder.

As it stands, X is an intriguing story, marred by the occasional disruptive ‘guest appearance’.