Saucer Country #1
Publisher: Vertigo
Written by Paul Cornell
Art & Cover by Ryan Kelly
Colors by Giulia Brusco
Reviewed by Steve Seigh
Governor Arcadia Alvarado has got a lot on her mind. She’s mere days away from announcing her candidacy for President of the United States, and she’s already feeling quite overwhelmed. She’s a strong, beautiful, Hispanic, divorced, and may very well be just what America needs in a leader of this crippling nation. She’s got a crack team of eager specialists ready to dominate the political scene in her honor and it appears as if all the stars are alligned to usher her into the heart of America’s voters. There’s just one little problem … would-be President Alvarado may have just been abducted by aliens, and is ready for a hell of a lot more than just governing our nation.
I have to say, I was very impressed by Saucer Country #1. I expected it to be good, but I didn’t think for a moment that it would hit for me on the level that it did when I’d reached the last page. The book is filled with interesting characters that bring a lot to an otherwise political platform of storytelling. I’m not usually one to go in for politics in comic books (like, at all), but the addition of there being an underlying alien threat is more than pulling me into the scenario placed before us in this first issue. Throughout the book we meet several characters who all seem to be bursting with personality, that’s not always something you can get a feel for in just one introductory issue of a comic book. The distribution of information inside the comic is cleverly revealed and teases you just enough to keep you intrigued without going out of it’s way to impress you with the books “otherworldly” qualities.
I’m also enjoying the fact that so far we seem to be dealing with traditional sentient beings. There’s no blood and guts or tentacle beasts prowling the pages of Saucer Country #1. Some readers might be disappointed by this, but I find myself quite relieved, and would like to think of it as a nice vacation book from all the other interplanetary stuff lurking in my To Read pile. Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly seem to have a good synergy going as both styles of writing and art compliment one another to bring about a fun and exciting read.
I do believe that we’re in for one hell of a good time with this new series. There’s an overall cryptic tone to the book that is very welcoming, almost giving off a political X-Files vibe if you will. I get the impression that this story is going to be more about the people of America as they adjust to an impending invasion than anything else. The very idea that it’s the nation’s soon-to-be (I’m assuming) leader who is experiencing the contact with these beings first hand has me totally itching for another issue. It’s the perspective that sells it.
VERDICT
I’m not sure that there was much else that could have been done in making this an enjoyable first issue of a new comic book series. All of the elements for an intriguing story are there, now we just have to wait and see if the book can hold itself together and keep delivering the interstellar goods. A vote for Alvarado is a vote for change!
