Adding another notch in Vertigo’s coffin, “Saucer Country” was cancelled prematurely, long before it could reach it’s intended ending. There will be more, potentially soon, but as it stands, should you even want to come back?
Written by Paul Cornell
Illustrated by Ryan KellyArcadia finally learns the “truth” about the alien invasion—but what she chooses to do with that information will change the world forever! Don’t miss the FINAL ISSUE of this mind-bending series!
The worst thing in the world is kicking something when it’s done. It feels petty, occasionally cowardly and unhelpful. When a book gets cancelled and doesn’t get to tell it’s full story, it seems pretty par for course that a review is going to use such useless platitudes as “oh, well, it sure is a shame that the book didn’t get to tell it’s full story,” because we know this. It is a shame that two creators weren’t given the full opportunity to convey their story as they had intended; no one is really arguing that.
It’s just such a shame that “Saucer Country” didn’t get to go out on better terms.
This is a book that seemingly has had an uphill battle. It’s surprising, really, as the creative team is pure dynamite – Cornell is the man behind several succesful and critically acclaimed runs at Marvel and DC, and Ryan Kelly is one of the best in the business, with his work on books like “Local” acting as essential reading for any artist doing a spin on a slice of life comic. There’s no reason a book that combined these two talents shouldn’t have been a smash, but for whatever reason “Saucer Country” didn’t seem to get it’s footing. Perhaps we don’t live in a good time for sci-fi books with a political focus, perhaps we no longer live in a climate where Vertigo titles are immediately given the benefit of the doubt, but whatever the case may be “Saucer Country” didn’t find a strong enough audience to last more than fourteen issues, and the finale is stark reflection of that.
See, the thing is that by the time you reach the final page of “Saucer Country” #14, you’re not in too much of a different place from where you started. “Saucer Country” #14’s main issue as a finale stems from the fact that too much has to happen in too little a space for the series to even attempt to reach some kind of dramatic conclusion, but only one real conclusion is actually reached. The book has so many questions and so little answers (which is partially to be expected), but the few answers we’re given just open even more broad questions. It’s not that this is a shock or a surprise, but it’s a let-down; no true closure is reached, because some of what the book reveals was a foregone conclusion anyway. The book telegraphed a few of it’s story points to the point that this issue is mostly full of “yup, saw that coming” moments in front of an open-ending, and as a single piece of narrative it fails to create enough intrigue to leave the reader wanting more.
It’s mainly because, this far into the book’s life it doesn’t seem clear that Cornell and Kelly are sure what they want the book to be anymore. Surprisingly, a book titled “Saucer Country” has played it very close to the vest as to what the alien involvement with the series is, and even to the end it’s questionable; they’re definitely there, but for no real purpose. No grand plan is revealed, no compelling reason to help motivate our protagonist beyond basic sci-fi tropes of wanting to rebel against a form of invasion. Arcadia is in basically the same place as where she started the book, except with a little more power now. It’d be one thing if this were an arc finale, because on that criteria the issue would be fine enough – a bit average while a door is closed, but more are opened and there’s still things to be done. But this is the book’s last stand in an unknown future, with an ending that’s not so much the close of a season but rather the last gasp of air before death consumes.
Continued belowIt’s sad, really — the book had so much promise in the beginning, and where it’s ended up now (as harsh as it is to say) pretty much shows you why the book got cancelled. The book’s most compelling aspect is that there are aliens in the shadows, but fourteen issues in it’s not much of a compelling factor anymore. There are too many plates spinning and so little focus to any one aspect that we’re not sure what the main point of the book is anymore. Is it just a political thriller? Is it a sci-fi story? Is it a comedy of errors, a dark comedy, a tragedy? “Saucer Country” needs a stronger identity because it seems that the news of cancellation beat the book down, and we’re looking at a book that basically looks like a prize fighter told not to fight or it’ll die, yet it fights anyway and has a heart attack in the third round. And that’s not entertaining for anyone. It’s just a bit sad.
This isn’t to inherently knock the creative team, mind you. For all intents and purposes, Cornell and Kelly do make for a great pairing. Cornell’s wry sense of humor and fascination with UFO culture is clear and translates well enough in the book, even if some of the scheming is a bit too twisted to follow. Kelly’s character work is fascinating as well, bringing different forms of depth to the various main players of the book and allowing us to connect with each character for very different reasons: Arcadia’s humanity, Kidd’s mix of Mulder and Scully, or even Chloe’s sassy attitude. Cornell and Kelly make a good duo and are a pretty good reason to check out any book, but there’s not enough in “Saucer Country” to latch onto beyond that basic element. The book just never managed to stand out despite the talent involved, and as an ending the book is severely lacking in anything to truly convince readers to come back unless they’re fans of Cornell and Kelly. That’s not a bad reason, and it’s certainly enough to sell me on any other book either of them is ever involved with, but at the moment it’s not the most compelling reason for more of this.
So “Saucer Country’s” finale is a bit underwhelming, but that’s to be expected. It wasn’t the planned ending of the series, but rather the one it was given no choice but to have. Cornell has promised that he and Kelly have future plans for the series to be done at some point, and hopefully when that day comes it’ll alleviate the sting of this ending. For now, though, what we’re given is a forced conclusion with an optimistic ending for a series that never quite got its act together. Cornell and Kelly are two great creators and “Saucer Country” could have been something truly great if given time; unfortunately that’s not the case, and this is all we’re left with.
Final Verdict: 5.0 – Until next time.
