By, Brian K.Vaughan, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente
Review by, Tom Zimm
Recap:
This issue starts where the last one left off: Liddy and Oscar have been transported into an alien spaceship after their brief initial meeting in Liddy’s yard. Issue #1 of this book provided the backstory of Liddy and Oscar. She is a landowner in southern Texas who is concerned about protecting her animals and property. He is formerly from Honduras seeking a new life in the United States. He leaves his country, faces trials, and perils on his way to the states only to be captured by an alien. Liddy meets with an ex-military person to get protection for her property and perseverates on how she can stay safe only to be captured by an alien.
Radar picks up a spaceship leaving the atmosphere in southern Texas near the Mexican border. Military personnel debate its trajectory but settle that it’s not of human origin. Meanwhile, Oscar wakes up in the belly of the ship that has captured him. He has a flashback to when he was a boy; he sees snakes and armadillos all around him. It sets the scene – it’s nasty in this spaceship. Oscar yells, “Somebody help me!” This scene makes the reader aware of Oscar’s emotional state and his vulnerability. It also asks the question: is Oscar the only survivor?
Oscar runs and lands in a pile of beach-ball-sized white and black cabbage-looking objects. While this happens, Liddy has a large femur bone in her hands and is swatting at things. She cannot speak Spanish, and he cannot speak English, as well. Somehow she has lost her clothes, which doesn’t add to the story, but rather makes the scene unnecessarily awkward. Oscar locates Liddy and gives her his coat. She demands that they find a way out. However, they stumble upon the remains of a decapitated horse. Oscar finds a sheath for a knife, which has gang insignia on it. Liddy puts two & two together and wonders if she blamed illegal aliens and the cartel for something aliens did. It serves to start the obvious conversation: how are Liddy and Oscar going to get along in the belly of this disgusting ship? Oscar interprets his situation as God punishing him for his sins. Liddy is angry and wanting to be free.
The second issue does little to pique my interest despite the strong start in issue one. The art is ok, nothing special. The dynamic between Liddy and Oscar is interesting because it shines a light on gender issues, racial issues, and hints at the rights of illegal aliens. However, now that both characters are in the belly of a spaceship that storyline feels watered down. I would recommend waiting for this to come out in trade and then check it out from your local library.
