Illustrated Cities: Comics &amp; Architecture by Aaron Colter

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Illustrated Cities: Comics & Architecture by Aaron Colter

06/10/2010 4:13pm

Staring this week in Paris, original artwork from Mister X will be on display at the Cité de I’Architecture et du Patrimoine. Unless you’re familiar with the museums of France, you may need some clarification. First, the museum was founded to celebrate the rich architectural culture of France, and the rest the world, in 2007. Second, it’s hip to refer to the museum as “The Cité”, and it’s much shorter, so I’ll use the abbreviated version as I type out this essay, chain-smoking cheap cigarettes and drinking this bottle of red wine. Pinot Noir. Oregon’s great country for it, so don’t let anyone tell you there isn’t decent wine here in the States.

The Cité is displaying art from Mister X, along with pieces from Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo and other legendary works, as part of an exhibit titled ‘The Illustrated City’. Comics and architecture have gone hand-in-hand since the Sunday strips of yesteryear, however, rarely is this relationship pointed out. But think about it. Would Daredevil be as iconic without the dark angles of New York helping the character pop from the shadows? Would Akira be so haunting without the towering buildings of Neo-Tokyo?

Mister X is unique, however, in that the book isn’t set in a real city like New York, Tokyo, or London. It doesn’t build on existing structures to create a futuristic world like Blade Runner. And it doesn’t thinly veil the setting of an actual place to create something in vein of Gotham. The city of Mister X is wholly original in its design. More than that, the city of Mister X is a character.

Radiant City is the center of Mister X, not a backdrop like in most comics. It is the basis for the plot, the main driver of action, and the ultimate antagonist. Influenced by Art Deco and German Expressionism, Dean Motter explores ‘psychetecture’ in Mister X, the idea that a city’s architecture has tangible results on the emotions and thought patterns of its residents.

As if the radical notion of psychetecture wasn’t enough to propel Mister X to notoriety, the series was also responsible for helping creators like Jamie Hernandez and Dave McKean get their start in the industry. After twenty-five years, Dark Horse was proud to collect the original Mister X comics into a single, deluxe hardcover edition.

Mister X Archives retails just below $80, which is, admittedly, a good chunk of change. But, serious art and comic fans need this book. Coming in at almost 400 pages, the book is a visual delight in terms of interior art and design sense. On its release, the book garnered much acclaim, including Print Magazine’s Regional Design Award.

Now, if you’re reading this, chances are you’re not rushing to catch the first plane to Paris. If you are, and you’d like a companion, please leave your contact information in the comment section below, and I’ll get back to you right away. Still, I think it’s important to note that Mister X remains an influential and important piece of comic history, here in American, and in the world abroad.

Dean Motter currently has two other titles at Dark Horse, both of which incorporate aspects of antique futurism. Mister X: Condemned and Electropolis both retail for just under $15. So if you’re hesitant about picking up Mister X Archives, give those books a try. But trust me, eventually, you’re going to want the original collection.

If you have a moment, read an interview with Dean Motter by clicking here, where he goes into more depth about his creative process. And if you’re interested in learning more about the exhibit in Paris, Motter has posted a PDF of the brochure on his website that you can see by clicking here.

Aaron Colter is the Marketing Coordinator at Dark Horse Comics; which doesn’t really mean anything. He’s also responsible for all the action on Facebook and Twitter. He’s sorry about that one thing that one time, and promises it’ll never happen again.

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Illustrated Cities: Comics & Architecture by Aaron Colter

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