Alienated #1
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Acclaimed writer Simon Spurrier (John Constantine Hellblazer, Coda) and artist Chris Wildgoose (Batgirl, Batman: Nightwalker) present a subversive coming-of-age story about having all the power to change the world but the unready hands to truly wield it.
Three teenagers, each an outcast in their own way, stumble upon an unearthly entity as it’s born. As they bond over this shared secret and the creature's incredible abilities, it becomes clear to the teenagers that their cute little pet is a superpredator in the making—and it’s in need of prey.
Guided by the best intentions at first, the teens' decisions soon become corrupted by adolescent desires, small town jealousies, and internal rivalries, sending them into a catastrophic spiral of their own making.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Energetic artwork and an extraterrestrial element elevate this fraught tale of teen angst from Spurrier (the Hellblazer series) and Wildgoose (the Batgirl series). While wandering through the woods one day, high schoolers Samuel, Samantha, and Samir accidentally hatch an alien egg. The infant creature that emerges imbues them with nigh-godlike powers. They promptly spiral into cruelty, anger, and sorrow: Samir forces his absentee father to face him in a pocket dimension, Samantha confronts the ex who abandoned her after she became pregnant, and Samuel uses the creature to become an antiestablishment vlogger no one can ignore. The alien is visualized as an inhuman entity, rendered in fluid strokes of turquoise and orange. Though it acts primarily as a catalyst, it's arguably the heart of the story: the tension between its omnipotence and babyhood shapes the narrative's high points. At its best, this comic confronts the raw pain of adolescence with a refreshing lack of condescension. Unfortunately, it also settles for a few too many coming-of-age clich s, such as when Samantha's undone by a baby doll she's assigned in a home ec lesson straight out of a dated after-school special. The result is a decently done specimen of young adult sci-fi, but one that doesn't leave a lasting impression.
