IDW Publishing 2015
Written by John Fawcett, Graeme Manson & Jody Houser
Illustrated by Alan Quah & Cat Staggs
Coloured by Chris Fenoglio
Alright whether you want to admit it or not Alison is one of the more complex and interesting clones there is. She comes across as the suburban wife and soccer mom but she’s tough as nails and more than a bit scary. Getting a glimpse of her life growing up is fantastic since her background has been talked about but seeing it is amazing.
From the first time she and Donnie have sex, in the back of the car mind you, to ten years later when she’s slapping him around for replacing the papers with porn, which if you saw was incredibly fun to witness. Then going back to college and Donnie’s meeting with Dr. Leekie who I haven’t realized I missed till now and learning he was supposed to court her as part of a work-study job ooo that’s something I wasn’t really aware of. Reservations and his love for Alison didn’t stop him for keeping it going did it oh snap.
I love seeing the couples retreat therapy and learning just how controlling Alison can be that Donnie changed his last name to hers when they got married instead of the other way around. He’s kind of a pushover isn’t her, so desperate to be in love with Alison and spying on her for the stipend not to mention paying off his student loans I’m not sure much about his life with Alison, even since High School, has been the truth. Then again when they tell her parents they are getting married the terms well that explains things.
I’m not sure that the alcohol drinking turning it into a huge problem was the way to go but darn if the girl doesn’t like to drink. Then moving past couples therapy and onward to Cosima and the two trying to nail down her Monitor. It’s funny that with everything she and Donnie had been through she didn’t automatically put him at the top of the list and instead she targeted the woman we saw her confront in the series.
I want more of Alison and Donnie they have such a dysfunctional relationship and still love each other and they are so mismatched it’s almost I Love Lucy comical but with Scandal/Revenge background so yeah she needs more attention for sure. This whole look at her life and recapping for fans of the show and serving as the absolute best introduction to her character that will create new fans is one of the reasons this franchise is going to be as popular as it will become.
The interior artwork has been just as amazing as well. Seeing Donnie struggle with his weight throughout their time together has been subtle but impactful and Alison well you can still see that sense of control she has to have in her presence on the page. It’s really extremely well done to convey the kind of emotion this group does. Even when she starts to lose it and break down she still has that sense of properness and control behind it and you see that through the artwork here this crew is doing some damn good stuff.
This makes a nice companion piece to the television show and serves a better introduction to the characters to get people involved in watching it.