Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Seth DamooseAre you addicted to aliens? Late night Encounters? Abductions? Probes? The XenoHolics are here to help!
Because everyone thinks they’re a bunch of nutcases, a support group that claims aliens abducted them try to prove that aliens are real. But that’s much easier said than done and they find themselves caught up in not just ONE government conspiracy, but TWO. Oh, yeah and along the way they learn who is lying about being abducted, and who is telling the truth.
A twisted new series about aliens and the crazy people who believe in them, by creators JOSHUA WILLIAMSON (Superman/Batman, DEAR DRACULA), and SETH DAMOOSE (I HATE GALLANT GIRL) with covers by DAN DUNCAN (TMNT).
I’ve never been abducted by aliens, but if it happens, I hope I find a better support group than the cast of Image’s new title Xenoholics.
See what we thought after the jump!
From Dear Dracula writer Joshua Williamson and Blacklight’s Seth Damoose, Xenoholics #1 introduces us to a small group of alien abductees who make up a support group obsessed with all things extra-terrestrial and the shared-experience of being taken by little green (or grey, or blue, or old) men. Basically, it’s Alcoholics Anonymous with even MORE jokes about being probed.
I really like the premise behind Xenoholics. A group of weirdos that no one else takes seriously hanging out and commiserating with others who’ve been through the same thing is a fine starting point. If Xenoholics was a comedy about the after affects of possible alien abduction, then I’d be totally on board. But it’s not, and quite honestly, I’m not sure what it wants to be.
After a slightly baffling opening scene (don’t open your comic with a character’s back to us and/or tell us you’ll continue the scene in issue five — that’s asking a lot; do you think I’ll still be here?), we’re introduced to Bob, a cop who was abducted and seemingly tortured by aliens. He’s got some issues, and has lost his family and maybe his job. It’s his first night at the Xenoholics meeting, and through him, we’re introduced to the rest of the gang. In addition to Bob, there’s the kindly old professor, the tough black guy, the hard-as-nails military man, the suburban house-mom who’s too sweet for words, the rebel rock chick, and Kyle, the nerdy intellectual.
I found Maven’s (“the tough black guy”) dialogue a little distracting, as he goes from being the cast’s every man early on to its every black man by the end. And, stereotypes aside, the rest of the crew are just not all that engaging either. We eventually see that none of them are quite what they seem, but it’s not super shocking when we do. I mean, we already know they’re weird and damaged, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the group. So what’s a little more weirdness?
There are some odd storytelling choices. About half way through, we switch perspective characters, when we drop Bob and start to follow Kyle. Since Kyle’s story looks like it’s going to serve the book’s greater narrative, I couldn’t help but wonder why we didn’t just start out following Kyle, but it’s possible this is something we’ll see throughout the series. Afterall, the book IS called Xenoholics, and not Bob.
Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say that at some point in the first issue, the one thing that makes the Xenoholics outsiders is thrown out the window when the rest of the world experiences their own encounter of sorts. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but if I do come back for another issue, it’ll be to see how the whole thing’s resolved.
And then there’s the foul language. I realize Xenoholics isn’t intended for children, and with that in mind, I say please guys, be my guest — DROP the f-bomb all you want. I’m cool with it being in my comics, my music, my TV and movies, just so long as it has some weight to it. But Williamson and co. would do well to remember that reading “bad words” is different than hearing them. There’s nothing wrong with a character swearing, but there’s all kinds of wrong when every character does it in exactly the same way every page.
While Xenoholics #1 suffers from some first issue jitters, it ends on a pretty nice cliffhanger and leaves you wondering if what appears to be happening is really what’s going on. Williamson and Damoose have done strong work before, and while I might not have cared for this first issue, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them figure it all out by number three or four.
Final Verdict: 5.5 – I’d flip through the second issue
