Special Edition: NYC: Writer Joe Harris Talks About IDW Publishing’s ‘The X-Files: Season 10,’ Mulder and Scully, And A Walter Skinner Solo Story! [Exclusive]

Even though Fox "Spooky" Mulder and Dana Scully have been living quietly under the government's radar, there are still unanswered questions left about the upcoming alien apocalypse. Now the FBI needs these two retired agents to return to duty and continue to solve the unexplained cases that involve the weird and supernatural. IDW Publishing continues to believe the truth is still there in The X-Files: Season 10.

At the Special Edition: NYC, writer Joe Harris spoke with MStars News about how the concept for Season 10 came about, the return of previously thought-dead Alex Krycek in issue #12, and his plans for future installments of the exciting popular series.

MStars News: Tell me how you became involved in The X-Files: Season 10.

Joe Harris: Well, I guess I had an ongoing conversation with Chris Ryall, the Editor-In-Chief at IDW. I had recently come out with Great Pacific. He had congratulated me on it. We had been talking about what I might do there. He floated the idea of The X-Files to me. He asked if I was a fan. I immediately said, "F*ck yes!"

Really over the course of a weekend, I came up with a take for what became not only our opening story arc, Believers, that would drag Mulder and Scully back into action, into this newly minted conspiracy involving aliens and governmental secrets. I put that together. I also came up with the idea where we would go after that. We would a do a sequel to Flukeman. We would do all these other things. It came to me really quickly because I am a fan and I knew this would be a well-received property. It was the twentieth anniversary and fans hadn't had a fix in a while. So I knew it was going to be special.

So IDW loved what I came up with. Fox loved what I came up with. And then, it came to the attention of Chris Carter that IDW was going to a book. And he expressed interest in being involved and he became our executive producer. [Carter] has been really fusive and complimentary of the way we have taken the property and these characters.

That's the very long version of how I became involved. It actually happened really fast.  It came really quick. I have been honest and true with what I want from the very beginning.

MS: Is Season 10 a continuation from the last television season, or a sequel to the last X-Files movie, I Want To Believe?

JH: It's a continuation of everything in canon, so all of the above. The way that we built this, the way that we structured it, it is very much the present-day quote-unquote real adventures of newly rechristened FBI agents Mulder and Scully. It takes place however long after the second movie actually is. In the X-Files, we try not to de-age anything. It's all got its history behind it. And that's it. This is officially what is happening now to the characters and the process.

MS: In the TV series, it was always Mulder is the believer and Scully is the skeptic. What's the direction now in their relationship?

JH: Well that's the classic paradigm. It works best when Mulder is perhaps over excited about something where he see paranormal. Scully is naturally going to throw cold water on it. I just think that's how their dynamic works best. But keep in mind, they have been so many things together. It's already been subverted.

There was a time when Mulder was very much not believing in his cause anymore. Scully had very good reasons to finally believe in what was happening.  So all of that matters. All of that factors in to how they approach the situation.

Naturally, she is a scientist; she is a doctor. She is an evidence-based person even though she is a woman of faith. She's the one who is going to be skeptical and Mulder is going to be the one with the crazy theory. That's the way the show works. That's what the people want.

MS: You've written characters such as Alex Krycek, Walter Skinner, and John Doggett. Which character do you want to explore more in the series?

JH: Oh Wow! All of them have futures in the series. Krycek is a little bit of a question mark because you don't really know what's up with him yet. He's one of the mysteries that is going to be explored. How is he back? Why is he back? Skinner did in fact shot him in the head. We didn't ret-con that out.

Of everyone that you're talking about, I would love to do a standalone Skinner story. That's something I'm trying to find a place for it. Just a spotlight issue where it's just Walter Skinner. That's high on my priority list. You're going to see that in Year Two of the series.

At some point, we have plans for Doggett, Reyes too. We have plans for lots of mystery people that you will find out in time. Yeah, I want to do more with the Lone Gunmen. They're all on my agenda.

MS: Do you prefer wiring the Monster-of-the-Week storylines or continuing the alien conspiracy?

JH: I love them both because together that's what The X-Files is. We're trying to recreate that feeling where you would watch a season's worth of episodes and really look forward to the continuation of the mythology. But man, were those standalone episodes awesome with some creepy stuff going on! So I want to maintain that.

Frankly, the way we structured it, the myth arc stories are usually going to be five issues. So by the end of a five-issue arc, I'm excited to do one to two issues storylines just for the change of pace. Hopefully the people that are reading like that rhythm as well.

MS: What can you tease about issue #13?

JH: Well you know we brought back the black oil. You know we brought back Alex Krycek. I can say this all comes together for a very unfortunate turn for Mulder and Scully. That's my tease for you. There's some shocking stuff. With the end of issue #13, the beginning of issue #14, I'm really proud of this Pilgrim series. Lots of the stuff I bring to my collaborators, my editors say, "it's like "Holy Sh*t! They're going to go nuts when they see this!"

I hope they're right! I'm excited! That's my teases for you! Lots of black oil menace, the arising Neo-Syndicate. We'll see what the conspiracy is and who the players are. You're going to see more of that. And more about Alex Krycek, who I just adore writing.

MS: What other projects are you working on now?

JH: Right now, I'm still writing Great Pacific, my monthly book for Image Comics. I'm going to have a new series in 2015 from Image, at least one with artist Martin Morazzo. We'll be doing an announcement at some point later this year, early next year I do think. I got a bunch of new things I can't talk about. I have a new monthly series with Dynamite. I have a new series with Oni Press, as well as some really big X-Files surprises people are going to be hearing about not that far from now. Think by the end of the year, there's going to be some awesome stuff that I'm involved with The X-Files.

Readers can catch up with The X-Files: Season 10 Vol.1 and Vol.2 at IDW Publishing. The upcoming issue, The X-Files: Season 10 #13, hits stands on June 25.

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