Review: Saucer State #1
Lifetime reader of comics and fan of Planet of the Apes. When the two combine I can barely contain myself. Image, Boom and Titan comics fight for shelf space with Doctor Who DVDs.
Saucer Country is back. It is now called Saucer State and is published by IDW Publishing but Paul Cornell is still writing and Ryan Kelly is still illustrating and all of the cast are back to spread intrigue and conspiracies. In a time of unbelievable politics, the notion of a President who has been abducted by Aliens doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
Review: Saucer State #1
Synopsis
In Saucer Country, Presidential hopeful Arcadia Alvrarado was on the presidential trail while trying to find out the truth behind an ‘Alien abduction’ experience she shared with her ex-husband. Only a few close friends and colleagues know about it and they all have very prominent views.
At the end of Saucer Country some truths were revealed as hoaxes while others remained shrouded in mystery.
And Arcadia became President of the USA.
Saucer State starts a few weeks down the line, Arcadia had been sworn in and started to use her new position to investigate the UFO phenomenon. Her closest advisor, Harry Brooks, is trying to help Arcadia balance her new role with her ‘secret’ but this is proving difficult; especially since she is suffering from nightmares that are slowly wearing her down.
Joshua Kidd, an expert on UFOs, has been allowed access to a lot of top secret information but the lack of detailed data just fuels his belief in conspiracies. He is also learning how to use the brain-altering microwave device which was part of a manipulative plan to coerce Joshua and Michael, Arcadia’s ex-husband.
Michael is still seeing fairies and Chloe is meeting with Republicans. A lot is happening.
Analysis
‘A lot is happening’ is a very simple and honest way to describe this first issue of Saucer State. There’s a two-page catch up which is very short and succinct and the action kicks off.
Paul Cornell sets his continuing story a short time after the end of Saucer Country, just enough to create new questions about what the characters have been up to. Cornell has written a story that flows seamlessly from one character to another, reintroducing them and their current situations without having to flood the comic with expositional pages. The lead from each character to the next works via the conversations that the characters are having; the comic book equivalent of the dissolve from a television show.
There is enough from each character to keep the fans of Saucer Country happy but also, more importantly for a new title with a new publisher, the narrative is easily accessible so you don’t need any previous knowledge. Cornell has writing credits for both Doctor Who and Elementary which explains why Saucer State is a beautiful blend of science fiction and mystery.
After certain reveals at the end of Saucer Country, this follow up starts almost back at the beginning with no clear idea if the Aliens are real or imagined or a cover up. There are themes of abuse running beneath the entire narrative; abuse of position; abuse of relationships; potential physical and mental abuse. It would appear that no-one is above manipulation to get what they want. Each character has some unattractive character flaws, even the heroes of the piece. This is a nice touch from the writer to help the reader identify with the character’s decisions even if they can’t identify with the situation. Cornell has created a diverse cast of people, of humans and not just clichés and stereotypes. You can both hate and love each one of them, picking out what you like and dislike.
This characterisation is carried through into Ryan Kelly’s artwork. His focus is on the people, their expressions, their body language. As a reader you get as much information from Chloe’s coy head turn and desk perch than you get from several pages of dialogue. Kelly understands the need for subtlety in the character depictions and gestures because so much of what is happening is going on beneath the speech, beneath the surface conversations. Arcadia’s frustration and exhaustion isn’t spoken of in every meeting that she attends but it is ever present in her stance or facial expression.
Saucer State grabs the scripts complexities of a government conspiracy and turns it into a visual treat. The fantasy elements of the art are fitting for each situation and reflect different characteristics of the people who interact with them. The ‘Grey’s’ in Arcadia’s dreams are eerie and unnerving whereas the Space Fairies in Michael’s hallucinations (or not, it remains to be seen) are playful and a touch ridiculous.
Between them Cornell and Kelly have taken the best elements of shows like The X-Files, mixed them with classic B-Movie clichés and layered it all over the top of a very modern political drama: that vile republican seems rather familiar in attitude and demeanour.
Saucer State issue 1 is a must read if you enjoyed the previous outing for Arcadia and co. If you’re new to it all, pick it up and you won’t be disappointed.
Intriguing
A return to the political drama/UFO conspiracies for Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly and it is as if they haven't been away. The style, the pace and the brilliance picks up straight from where Saucer Country left off. A wonderful read for old and new fans alike.