The 1990s was filled with some of the best television. You already know of my obsession about Twin Peaks. Around the same time that I was discovering David Lynch and Mark Frost’s masterpiece, Fox debuted another science-fiction show that would capture my attention for most of the decade. On September 10, 1993, Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder would begin investigating unexplained and strange phenomenon in The X-Files. What would have happened if there was a crossover episode? Wrapped in Plastic co-editor Craig Miller imagined such a thing for the back cover of Issue 12 released in August 1994.
FAMILY PORTRAIT – THE BLUE ROSE FILES
In Craig’s illustration titled “Family Portrait,” he paid X-Files Agents Scully and Mulder with Gordon Cole’s team from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me including Albert Rosenfield, Dale Cooper and Phillip Jeffries.
I love that Craig used this publicity shot taken by Mary Evans from Lynch’s 1992 film as inspiration. It was taken on the set constructed in the now demolished St. Cabrini Hospital once located on Boren Avenue in downtown Seattle, Washington.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower peeks from behind the assembled Agents.
THE X-FILES
Issue #12 of Wrapped In Plastic was the first issue to have a huge amount of space devoted to this awesome show. I wasn’t complaining when the issue arrived as it quickly became one of my favorite shows along with Star Trek – Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5, Stargate SG-1, and more. Damn the 1990s were cool.
Looking at some of the phrases used to describe the show in this 1990s advertisement, one could easily see how they could also apply to Twin Peaks.
Imagine “The Blue Rose Files.”
The truth may be out there but, to paraphrase Special Agent Chester Desmond, I can’t tell you about that.
CRAIG MILLER FROM WRAPPED IN PLASTIC
Craig Steven Miller (seriously, his middle name was “Steven”) was a co-editor for Wrapped In Plastic along with John Thorne. He was born on Sept. 27, 1959, in Columbus, Ohio (wait a second, that’s my hometown too!). Sadly, Craig passed on November 7, 2012 at the age of 53.
During his lifetime, he was a writer, artist and publisher of magazines, including “Wrapped in Plastic” and “Following Cerebus.” A graduated from from the University of Texas, Arlington, in 1982 with a degree in liberal arts, Craig worked for Lone Star Comics and Science Fiction.
A devoted father to Jennifer, he regularly attended church, and shared many of the same traits with his mother. They were caring, understanding and loving to everyone. “Everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place.” Craig was preceded in death by his mother, Ruth. Survivors: Daughter, Jennifer; father, Howard; sister, Jolene; nephews, Austin and Trevor; and special friend, Sandra.
I met both of these wonderful gentlemen during the 1996 Twin Peaks Fan Festival in Washington state.
I finally saw John again on February 29, 2020 during the Fayetteville Comic Show in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was the greatest Twin Peaks fan gathering before the dark times, before the COVID-19.
ARTIST ROBERT ALVORD FROM WRAPPED IN PLASTIC
Artist Robert Alvord brought wonderful colors to several of the early issues of Wrapped in Plastic, including the very first issue released in August 1993.
Robert spoke with David Andrew from ComicBookAndMovieReview.com on March 24, 2017 about his career:
What are your own origins, Robert?
I have read and collected comics since I was 8 or so and I am 53 now. Yeah. That’s right. I’m that old guy whose into comic books. Most of my life I have either been drawing and writing my own comics or dreaming of it. Way back in the 90s I self-published a comic called “Omega Force” It was a single issue, black and white, comic book, and it was fairly successful for an Indie black and white comic, selling over 2500 copies. My second issue was interrupted by a job offer as a color guide artist at Malibu Comics in California.
I did the coloring thing for a few years and then moved back to Texas and started illustrating children’s books for a company called Lyrick Studios (the Barney people). After three years of drawing purple dinosaurs, in 1999, I decided to move on and sought employment at a startup dot com, designing and illustrating a children’s website. It turned out to be a bad year to make that move. That job though led me to programming and website development. Programming is my 9 to 5 and pays the bills but I have never completely stopped dreaming of creating my own comic again. So, here I am.
More recently Robert published a Pulp Horror, Pulp Science Fiction style comic book titled “The Shadow Watchers” whose protagonists are also more Pulp Heroes than “Super.”
Here’s to The X-Files, which I’m glad are in my family of interests.
