Alienated Chris Wildgoose Featured Reviews 

“Alienated” #1

By | February 14th, 2020
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With an art team that’s fully in sync every step of the way, “Alienated” #1 is an impressive technical achievement. The real story, however, has yet to hit its stride. (Warning: may contain minor spoilers.)

Cover by Chris Wildgoose
Written by Simon Spurrier
Illustrated by Chris Wildgoose
Colored by André May
Lettered by Jim Campbell

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 super-predator 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.

As a comic book fan – much less a critic – it can be hard sometimes to disentangle the experience of reading a story based purely on what’s on the page versus the information we glean from secondary sources. Theoretically, we should judge a book based solely on what’s contained between the front and back covers and nothing else. All of the previews we’ve read, trailers we’ve watched, and random opinions we’ve heard at our local comic book shop shouldn’t factor in one bit.

In practice, it’s not that simple. All of the PR and buzz, conversation and noise surrounding a book’s release – especially a series debut from a pair of critically acclaimed, high profile creators – shapes our reaction and sways our experience. Ultimately, “Alienated” #1 both benefits and suffers from all the pre-release hype leading up to the publication of this new creator-owned series.

Visually, the book is a wonder. With three separate narrators – Samuel, Samantha, and Samir – each of whom delivers a running commentary via internal monologue, Si Spurrier’s script is absolutely packed. Without stellar contributions from each member of the art team, even a writer as proficient as Spurrier could not hope to tell such an intricate, multilayered story. Honestly, it’s not very often that a book’s lettering is so integral to the plot. Jim Campbell’s work here, however, literally colors our understanding of the serpentine, interwoven narratives.

Working in closely tandem with colorist André May, each of the three main characters is symobolized by a separate color palette unique only to them. Inside and outside – from their wardrobe to their innermost thoughts – each one of them projects either blue, green, or red. Mechanically, with each of their ruminations appearing in one of these colors, it’s a great way to follow who’s thinking what. Additionally, Campbell also uses other simple techniques to signify when thoughts are part of a telepathic “brainbud” conversation, as Samir likes to call them, or directed specifically at one other character. Frankly, Campbell’s lettering is so adept it’s hard to imagine fully digesting Spurrier’s script without such effective signposting.

Illustrator Chris Wildgoose’s inks are also exceptional. For one, his teen protagonists actually look like high school students, no mean feat in a world where actors in their late 20s routinely play characters a decade younger. They’re also compelling to look at, adorned with distinct, eye-catching details like Samir’s plaid hipster pants, conspicuously rolled up high; Samantha’s olive drab parka with its comically oversized hood; and Samuel’s “don’t talk to me” headphones with their big, black foamy ear cups. These highly specific, well chosen accessories all subtly suggest a certain character type without resorting to visual shorthand or outright caricature.

Similarly, the way Wildgoose creates a palpable sense of place is simply outstanding, especially in the woods and high school interior. Not coincidentally, these are the very same scenes where May’s colors are at their best. The woods have a dramatic, almost surreal red-golden glow, as though the trees have trapped the light of sunrise and refuse to let it go. The high school hallways and classrooms, by way of contrast, have an institutional putty-gray cast, accented just barely with pale greens and purples. Both environments feel distinctly otherworldly, but in very different ways, and neither one of them feels particularly safe. There’s an eeriness to it all that hints at things to come.

Artistically, “Alienated” #1 is the work of three visual artists at the top of their game. Unfortunately, Spurrier’s script is the piece that falls a bit short of the mark. With so much time and space devoted to introducing and developing the characters, there’s virtually no room left to explore the sci-fi themes on which the series is built. Without question, Spurrier’s dialogue is consistently provocative, revealing, and deliciously quotable. In that sense, it sometimes reads more like a stage play or character-driven indie film than a comic book. Meaning, regrettably, there’s plenty of isolation, insecurity and alienation, but not a whole lot else. Certainly, any first issue needs to create some mystery and pose questions yet to be answered. In this case, however, so far we’ve only been give the tiniest glimpse of the book’s intriguing vision.

Final Verdict: 8.1 Visually, “Alienated” #1 is a bold, ambitious achievement. As the first chapter ends, however, the story has failed to keep pace.


John Schaidler

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