BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO

Dean Motter is returning to familiar territory with a new chapter in his perennial fan favorite series, Mister X. The four-part Condemned series is a retelling of the origin, so those who don't know where to begin with this character will find this an ideal jumping on point. Motter told THE PULSE, "[Mister X: Condemned is] more serious, it's darker, less satirical, but still features the original dramatis personnae. And has a very different ending."

THE PULSE: When we first talked about Mister X, when Dark Horse was getting ready to release a huge hardcover collection, you told those uninitiated that Mister X originally was "a combination of Fritz Lang's Metropolis and the '39 Worlds Fair." Now, twenty-five years later, how, if at all, have your influences evolved or changed? What inspires you today working on a character like Mister X?

DEAN MOTTER: My influences are more informed, and I dare say the audience is probably more hip to some of my hobbyhorses that were more obscure at the time of the original series. There have been other creators that have taken to similar subjects and influences since then. So I can't get away with such a broad pastiche as before. From film noir to the retro-future, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since I was one of only a few people playing there in 1984.

THE PULSE: You also said the last time we talked, the new four-part series Mister X: Condemned, was kind of like the Batman Begins of the franchise. How so?

MOTTER: I'm re-telling the original tale, but it isn't as a much a burlesque. I compare it, in terms of approach-- If the original tale compares to Tim Burton's Batman this version compares to Nolan's film. It's more serious, it's darker, less satirical, but still features the original dramatis personnae. And has a very different ending.

THE PULSE: What's Mister X facing in these four issues? How is his new adventure here different from some of the past things he's been involved with in Somnopolis?

MOTTER: We see a city council bent on purging the city of its psychological plagues by demolishing the afflicted sections of town. Mister X has returned to save his creation by finding a way to repair it. But the council is somewhat corrupt. We also learn more about the city's underworld and the competing architectural forces that caused the condition in the first place. And there is the serial killer known as City Boy who is terrorizing the already disturbed citizenry.

THE PULSE: Having that twenty-five years plus of further experience now that you didn't have when you were first working on the series, how has that given you some insight on what current comic readers now might be expecting from a series of this nature? What kind of edge do you feel you have now that you might not have experienced then?

MOTTER: The current readership has seen a huge improvement in the quality of comics in the ensuing decades. We did Mister X when the direct market and independent comics were quite young, and much of what we did was very reactionary. Today the writing has to be more deft, the back stories must have the density of those created for video games. And the films in the past years have raised the bar as well. I can now employ obscure references and much more subtlety than before.

THE PULSE: Mister X is a series spoken of in the same breath as Maus, Love & Rockets and Watchmen, among other notable works of the time; how does it feel to have your saga regarded so highly and still thought of, even being out of the public eye ...?

MOTTER: It's gratifying. And while the original series frustrated me in many ways it did cut new ground. I'm proud of it, and happy that it is shown off properly in Dark Horse's new Archive edition. Another thing the new series allows me to do is to address some of the flaws.

THE PULSE: What are the challenges of capturing that lightning in a bottle again? I mean, considering this series is so well regarded, what kind of trepidation do you face telling a new tale of these "classic" characters, especially since fans of the series have such high expectations?

MOTTER: I'm counting on fans being interested in the new vision (and its inside references) and new readers- who may only be familiar with the original by reputation being able to pick it up without having to do any “homework.”

THE PULSE: When you're in Mister X's world, what drives you the most? How is creating in that atmosphere different from recent works or other projects you've been involved with?

MOTTER: I am most familiar with his world. I spent so many months developing Radiant City (with collaborator Paul Rivoche.) Other projects are driven by either already established continuity (like Dominic Fortune) or the real world. I confess I prefer historical worlds, which sometimes gets me pigeonholed as the 'retro-guy.' But any milieu is fine with me-- but I write or bend the rules in Radiant City.

THE PULSE: What excites you about the chance to introduce this character to a whole new audience and gain a new generation of readers?

MOTTER: Having seen the audience reaction to Tim Burton's films, to Dark City, to Fifth Element, Sin City etc. as well as books like Kavalier and Clay and the continued reverence for Will Eisner's The Spirit, I feel there is a larger, more experienced readership than was available to us when we did the original series. I have a lot of stories to tell.

THE PULSE: You've worked outside the world of comics more than inside, what brings you back? What makes you want to still create new works? Why are comics in your blood?

MOTTER: Comics is where I first learned my craft. [Jim] Steranko was one of the first graphic designers I ever studied as a designer, and that was because of the business he was in. But I grew up devouring [Frank] Frazetta, [Wally] Wood, Creepy, Eerie etc.. Of course college broadened my horizons. But even my early work in the music industry was influenced by artists like Roger Dean and other fantasy illustrators. So the roots are always there.

THE PULSE: How much of this miniseries is done? Will it all come out on time? Had you completed the whole work before an issue was solicited? What are the advantages to working in that style?

MOTTER: We were hoping to complete the entire series prior to solicitation- but unfortunately, the economics required I do all the art, lettering and colors myself, and we have fallen a tad behind. We wanted the series to launch around the release of the November Mister X: The Archives. But at this point all four issues are scripted, two are colored and lettered, the third is penciled. We'll be close.

THE PULSE: The last time we talked, you mentioned a Dominic Fortune story, has that been published? If so, where can PULSE readers find it? If not, when is it coming out and who is working on it with you?

MOTTER: The Fortune story, a six-part series, is being illustrated by Greg Scott and set to run in Marvel Presents sometime next year. I hope to make it a prelude to a mini-series of the Marvel Universe between the wars, before spandex.

THE PULSE: What other projects are you working on in or out of comics?

MOTTER: Mister X has taken up much of my time, including two 'episodes' in the fine art magazine ARTreview and the Dark Horse myspace/DHP story [check it out here: http://myspace.com/darkhorsepresents?issuenum=13&storynum=3] not to mention a metal lunchbox for Tin Collectibles.

I am designing and assembling three Ray Bradbury graphic novels, the first being Farenheit 451,illustrated by Tim Hamilton. Paul Rivoche and I are working on an issue of The Spirit for DC. I just finished designing and contributing to Vanguard's The Definitive Frazetta Directory.

There are projects in various proposal stages for Vertigo, Marvel, and others as well as some motion picture properties which are being developed. I recently did a Wonder Woman illustration for the Wonder Woman Day Breast Cancer Auction. More can be gleaned at www.deanmotter.com/news.htm

The first issue of Mister X: Condemned should be in stores this December.