IDW Publishing 2017
Written by Paul Cornell
Illustrated by Ryan Kelly
Coloured by Adam Guzowski
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Paul if you’re responsible for that “Calling occupants of Interplanetary most extraordinary craft” that is running through my head right now i’m not sure whether to smack ya or shake your hand. Also it makes me wonder just how many people even know that song exists or would have thought it nothing more than a next issue headline or story chapter heading. Good Golly i’m old lol or am I just in the know heh?
While this may indeed be a sequel and the conclusion to the Saucer County arc it’s also a stand alone story. So yes it’s new reader friendly but I’d still recommend you read the first arc because well it’s just that good. I like that Paul fills in a few details so that if you didn’t read it you can catch up to speed and as a reminder of what’s transpired for those who have read it. Very well done indeed and one of the better uses in which it’s been lately.
So here’s the gist Arcadia Alvarado was supposedly abducted by Aliens with her husband when she was Governor of New Mexico. Now it’s two years later and she holds the highest office in the land, President of the United States. With her new position she’s finally in a place where she hopes she can uncover the truth behind that night. With a team of trusted confidants at her side and an ex-husband who seems to have already lost it we’re welcomed to a world of conspiracies, power and madness the likes of which you’ll never forget.
I have to say among the things that impresses me about this book is the kind of characterisation that Paul brings. Right from the opening we’ve got a career politician who knows being a believer in this sort of thing is career suicide and yet that night plays over and over in her mind. So what does something like that do to someone’s mental health? We see what it’s doing to Arcadia whether she’s willing to admit it or not and it’s good stuff!
Ryan and Adam do some stellar work on the interiors here. Ryan is able to really deliver some great emotion which emanates off the characters facial expressions. It’s part of why the characterisation of this book is something I keep mentioning. The utilisation of page layouts through their angles, perspective and those backgrounds, which are incredibly well used and help set the right mood, tone and feel, really tell the whole story more fully than the words can. The ebb and flow of the story really is with the artwork here and it is so strong.
So what you have is a strong willed woman in a position of power to uncover the truth of her own past experience. Kind of like if you merged House of Cards and the X-Files which if you think about it should stagger the imagination but Paul, Ryan and Adam make it work perfectly. Amid all the subterfuge and misdirection there’s a story about self-discovery and finding a way to cope with whatever befalls you.