Whatever the reason for my oversight, I’m happy to be able to pass along the news that X-Files writer Frank Spotnitz is helming the release of a new X-Files comic book special under DC Comics’ Wildstorm label.

Comic Book Resource interviewed Spotnitz, who told them that this special comic will be set between seasons 2 and 5 and will be a standalone “monster of the week”story.

“It would just be too difficult to address how fluid the world of the X-Files is at this time. So it just made easier to set it in the past.”

“It’s in classic X-Files mode. Mulder the believer. Scully the sceptic. And scary,” said Spotnitz. “It’s simpler than an episode would be because it’s shorter than the length of an episode. It’s fun to be back in that world and have Mulder and Scully investigating a new case. It’s a different mode than the mode of the movie, which is set six years after the series ended. They are both in very different places in their lives in 2008 then they were when the TV series was going on.

“It’s like revisiting Holmes and Watson when they were at the peak of their adventures, as well.”

I’m totally pumped about this now. The comic arrives on the 23rd of July, only two days before the X-Files: I Want To Believe movie hits theaters.

The special will be illustrated by Brian Denham, who has done a lot of stuff with Iron Man: Hypervelocity and Nova, along with Avengers Giant-Sized Special and some others.

He posts stuff on his blog from time to time, and here are some samples of his Iron Man work.

That’s going to be a fun week. It’s also the same time as Comic Con in San Diego, which I am planning on going to for at least a day if possible.

What do you think, are you pumped for an X-Files comic?

Yeah, I’m SURE they had a problem with it. I’m pretty certain the people of Vancouver hold the X-Files deep in their hearts after five years of filming the TV series there. In fact, the series popularity may have helped the town’s filmmaking profile:

“It would please me to no end to think that we were helpful to Vancouver, because this was the perfect city to film this particular show in,” Mr. Duchovny said. “When we came here, we barely knew what we were doing, and as we got better, the crews grew with us.”

Over the course of the filming, lots of secrets were thought to have been discovered by the paparazzi that followed the crew around as much as possible. Earlier in the production, we posted the shots of a wolfman that set the internet ablaze with excitement, only find out it was a cleverly staged act to throw us off.

It happened again a few days ago when pictures of Mulder and Scully kissing started circulating. That appears to have been a big show as well:

“We staged that,” Mr. Duchovny told reporters at the Sutton Place Hotel, where media were informed Anderson would not attend due to illness.

“It’s been a two-way street,” says Mr. Carter of the prying eyes. “To tell you the truth, I would like to make the movie secretly and put it out there on July 25, have everybody get a gift they could open.”

Carter reiterated that X-Files 2 is a standalone story, without any connection to the previous film or the TV series in the way of the overall mythology. This should help pull in those unfamiliar with the series.

“We’re not doing an exercise in nostalgia to appeal to the fans of the show,” said co-writer and producer Frank Spotnitz. “We saw this as an opportunity to introduce the characters to people who may have been too young . . . It has a reason for being, even if there’d never been a television show before.”

The movie will pick up 6 years after the end of the TV series.

WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction and motion picture event held yearly since 1987.

No clue yet when we’ll get a high quality version of it, hopefully soon and we’ll pass that on to you.

Gotta love the fans in the background hootin’ and hollerin’ at every single thing…especially seeing Gillian Anderson and then at the end with the applause.

Also, if you are looking for a bit more information about the X-Files sequel, iFilm posted a little article about the panel of four that appeared at WonderCon 2008: Chris Carter, Frank Spotniz, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. They talk about the sequel, some of the hardships of getting back into their old roles after such a long break and other things.

Looks pretty good, I cannot WAIT for this movie. July 25th!

Of course, I’m scared to know too much about the plot, but it’s not like this deals with the Cigarette Smoking Man and the Alien Conspiracy or anything, so it shouldn’t be that big a deal. Still, I’d rather go into the theater not knowing what I’m about to see.

Via The Movie Blog this morning, I found a link to XFilesNews.com, which has a ton of set photos, with some of my favorites posted below. You can check out the rest of them here. (The also makes a new site to add to the sick number of RSS feeds in my Google Reader)

Seeing David Ducovney and Amanda Peet together already filming scenes just makes me all giddy inside. The only downside is that none of the photos have Gillian Anderson in them. She made being an FBI agent sexy.