The X-Files is returning to comics this winter from Dynamite Entertainment, with Joe Harris writing and Riley Brown on art. Announced August 13, 2026, the series brings FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully back for new paranormal investigations set after the television series, under a license from Disney Publishing Worldwide.
Harris is not a new name here. He wrote more X-Files comics than anyone alive, and Dynamite bringing him back is the clearest signal yet about what kind of book this intends to be. But the more interesting question is not who is writing it — it is why Disney, which owns a comics publisher outright, is handing this property to somebody else.
What Dynamite actually announced
The announcement covers a new ongoing X-Files series launching in winter 2026. Joe Harris writes, with art by Riley Brown, whose credits include Dead Acre: Black Badge. The stories pick up after the events of the TV show, though Dynamite has not clarified whether that means after the original 1993–2002 run or after the 2016–2018 revival seasons — a distinction that matters a great deal for where Mulder and Scully stand when the book opens.
Harris framed the return in personal terms, saying the series has “always been sacred” to him and that he is “over the moon” to work with Dynamite. Dynamite CEO Nick Barrucci was blunter about the business logic, calling The X-Files “the next jewel in the crown for us at Dynamite in working with Disney and entering 20th Century territories.”
Who is Joe Harris, and why does his return matter?
Harris wrote IDW’s The X-Files: Season 10, a 25-issue run published from 2013 to 2015, and followed it with Season 11, an eight-issue series that ran 2015 to 2016. Those books were treated as canonical continuations of the show at the time — series creator Chris Carter was credited on Season 10 as an executive producer of the comic.
That track record is the point. When a licensor restarts a property, the safest hire is the person who already proved they can write it at length without breaking it. Harris has more X-Files script pages to his name than any other comics writer, which makes him a low-risk choice for a license Disney presumably wants handled carefully.
Original insight: why this went to Dynamite and not Marvel
Here is the part most coverage skipped. Disney owns Marvel Comics. It does not need a licensee to publish comics. And yet The X-Files — along with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, which Dynamite relaunched with Kelly Thompson — is going to an outside publisher.
The reason is that these are not Marvel-shaped books. Marvel’s direct-market business runs on a shared superhero universe where every title feeds every other title, and its finite retailer shelf space is allocated accordingly. A licensed television tie-in has no such gravitational pull. Historically, licensed TV comics at big-two publishers have underperformed relative to the shelf space they consume, because the readership does not cross over into the rest of the line.
Dynamite’s entire business model is the opposite. It is built on licensed properties — the company has run comics for everything from Red Sonja to Vampirella to James Bond — and it is structured to make a 20,000-copy licensed book profitable in a way a publisher chasing 100,000-copy superhero launches is not. So Disney is not passing over Marvel out of neglect. It is routing the property to a publisher whose economics actually fit it.
That framing also explains the pattern. Buffy, Angel, and now The X-Files are all 20th Century-era properties arriving at the same publisher inside about a year. This is a systematic licensing program, not three separate deals.
The timing is not a coincidence
The comic was announced one day before Chris Carter’s R-rated director’s cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe premiered on Hulu and Disney+, and roughly six weeks after Ryan Coogler’s new X-Files pilot for Hulu wrapped production.
Read together, those three things describe a property being deliberately warmed back up across every format Disney controls, with the comic serving as the cheapest and fastest-moving piece of it. A comic can be announced, solicited, and on shelves long before a streaming series clears post-production, which makes it a useful way to keep a brand visible while the expensive adaptation is still being built.
X-Files comics: publisher history at a glance
| Publisher | Era | Notable run |
|---|---|---|
| Topps Comics | 1995–1998 | The original monthly series, 41 issues, running alongside seasons two through five |
| Wildstorm / DC | 2008–2011 | A seven-issue revival supporting the second feature film, plus a 30 Days of Night crossover |
| IDW Publishing | 2013–2016 | Joe Harris writes Season 10 and Season 11 as canonical continuations |
| Dynamite Entertainment | Winter 2026 | Harris returns with artist Riley Brown under a Disney license |
What collectors should watch
First issues of relaunched licensed properties are a mixed bag as speculation targets — print runs are usually modest, but so is long-term demand unless the show itself has a moment. The variable worth tracking here is the Coogler pilot. If Hulu orders that to series, a first issue published months earlier becomes the only recent X-Files key on the shelf.
If you are new to thinking about which new releases are worth holding, our guide to comic collecting fundamentals covers how print runs and demand interact, and our breakdown of comics worth investing in during 2026 applies the same logic to current books. Storage matters too once you start holding first prints — see our comic storage guide.
Frequently asked questions
When does the new X-Files comic come out?
Dynamite has said the series launches in winter 2026. A specific on-sale date has not been announced. Expect a firm date once the book appears in a monthly solicitation catalogue, typically about three months ahead of release.
Is the new X-Files comic canon?
Dynamite has said the series is set after the events of the television series, but has not specified whether it follows the original run or the 2016 to 2018 revival, and has not used the word canon. Harris’s earlier IDW run was positioned as a canonical continuation.
Who is writing and drawing the new X-Files series?
Joe Harris writes and Riley Brown draws. Harris previously wrote IDW’s Season 10 and Season 11 comics, giving him more X-Files comic scripts than any other writer.
Why is Dynamite publishing X-Files instead of Marvel?
Disney licenses its 20th Century-era properties to outside publishers whose business models suit licensed titles. Dynamite has also recently relaunched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, indicating a broader licensing arrangement rather than a one-off deal.
Sources: The Beat’s announcement coverage, ICv2, and publication records for the IDW series.
