Mad Cave Studios 2021
Written by Liezl Buenaventura
Illustrated by Xavier Tárrega
Coloured by DJ Chavis
Colour Assists by Barry Hall
Lettered by Joamette Gil
What do you do when you find a crash landed alien in the woods? Well, if you are Tommy Murphy you take it to the vet. After getting discharged, the newly named furry creature, Orion, is ready to discover all of the luxuries this small town has to offer. Can Tommy keep him in check, or is he reaching for the stars?
I love a good all-ages story and this one is certainly turning into something akin to Explorers’ and I’m perfectly okay with that. I mean Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix plus that other kid (Jason Presson) and we’ve got the casting kind of right if not more ethnically diverse here. Tommy and his attachment to Orion isn’t so odd and I find it actually quite endearing and I hope had I found someone like Orion when I was that age I would have done the exact same thing. Through there is one thing I think kids do forget about and that’s there’s always someone listening and even though they are generally ignored there’s that one old man who has no business in your business but interferes anyway.
I like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented extremely well. There are those moments that remind of being a kid and having no cares in the world and then others that remind you someone is always watching and that’s creepy. The juxtaposition of these things doesn’t go unnoticed. The character development is interesting and while Tommy and Orion try to communicate and you can literally feel the frustration coming from Orion it’s extremely represented. Then there’s old Jeb again and he’s the spoiler here, he spoils everything though I would prefer to think of him as the town drunk or hobo, regardless this is one dude who we know instantly. The pacing that we see is marvellous and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we’re enraptured by the events.
I am enjoying the way that we see this being structured. With how we see the layers within the story continue to grow stronger and new ones emerge add those extra dimensions to the story that make it pop. How we manage to see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is delightful.
While the interiors are an all-ages style it is extremely nice to see how backgrounds are incorporated into the book. They not only enhance the moments, bring this town to life but they show depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story as seen within the composition of the panels. The linework is is great and how the varying weights are being utilised to showcase the detail work that we see is marvellous. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective within the panels show a very talented eye for storytelling. The colour work we see is great! I like how the various hues and tones within the colour are being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. The various techniques for laying colour down are also a highlight for me to see.
What boy, or girl for that matter, hasn’t wished for something like this to happen to them? An alien that looks like a pet crash lands and you save them hopefully bonding in the process and helping them survive. Also I love the fact that Captain Dirk is Captain of his starship and it is who Tommy seems to admire most in this world. This is so well told and so enjoyable and is something the entire family can enjoy.