Aftershock Comics 2019
Created & Written by Eliot Rahal
Created & Illustrated by Clara Meath
Coloured by Mark Englert
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
It’s the news story of the century! Oliver Flores – the kid on the face of every milk carton in New Mexico – has been found. Recovering at the hospital, Oliver is finally able to reveal where he’s been for the last nineteen years: Along with his stepfather, he was abducted by aliens. And the only real problem with that is...no one believes him. Not the detectives from his case, not the doctors who treated him, not even his biological dad. They’re all convinced Oliver is suffering from massive trauma. Meanwhile, no one seems to notice the suspicious Strangers in Black trying to silence Oliver for good.
There is something totally unique about this book and not only in the premise but also in where some of the writing takes us. I have said it before and that's Eliot is able to take the reader off-script so that they become engaged in the story in ways that are going to be unique for each individual. For me it's the whole issue surrounding his parents but for further details you'll have to read the story because I am not about to give more away. That being said you might find other aspects of the story that make your mind wander and think about how this is unfolding for you.
The story & plot development that we see here with the release of information and how it affects the way we see things is really rather well done. The character development here is interesting and how we see the introduction of characters and what supposed role they are supposed to play are being presented in a spectacular manner. When we add in the pacing here and how we see the twists, turns and revelations explode on the scene we get this ebb & flow that makes reading this even more thrilling to experience.
I really am enjoying the way that we see new characters being introduced here. The opening where we see Nomar and what he experiences gives me hope that we'll see him again soon. But to see the policeman who was on the case when Oliver disappeared well I understand him and his scepticism and unyielding opinion that aliens don't exist. This woman that the state supposedly sent, one Doctor Laura James, she on the other hand is lying and not whom she claims to be. That much I can see and whether I am right or not well we'll see. Her actions here make me want to bitch slap her into next century, and if the writing can evoke this kind of emotion out of me then imagine what it can do to you?
The interiors here are really nicely done. The linework is solid and not overly done and how it is able to bring out this attention to detail is marvellous. The way that faces and facial expressions are rendered here bring out so much emotion and feeling from the characters and especially the eyes. So much so that they become this focal point and it's utterly fantastic. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a stunning eye for storytelling. While I would like to see more backgrounds being utilised what we're seeing here is okay. The colour work here is phenomenal! The way that we see the hues and tones in a base colour being utilised to create not only shading and shadows but definition in the body's musculature as well defining the bone structure in the faces is beyond outstanding.
This is far from your typical alien abduction story and what we are seeing here is only scratching the tip of the iceberg. I cannot wait to see which directions this story takes because the set-up has been phenomenal thus far and I can only imagine what's waiting for us.