With news of an X-Files on the horizon, what better time than now to dive back into the unexplained mysteries of UFOs, aliens and questionable 90s fashion choices. Okay, maybe not that last one, but the first two are definitely present in “UFOlogy” #1 coming at us from James Tynion IV, Noah J. Yuenkel and Matthew Fox. Check out our spoiler free review of “UFOlogy” #1 below to find out why you should be checking this one out.
Written by James Tynion IV & Noah J. Yuenkel
Illustrated by Matthew Fox
What’s to Love: James Tynion IV has already blown us away with his original series The Woods and Memetic, and now he’s teaming up with Thrillbent co-writer Noah J. Yuenkel (The House in the Wall) and artist Matthew Fox (Long Walk to Valhalla) to bring us a story about aliens in the Midwest. It’s reminiscent of films like E.T. and Super 8, and TV shows like Twin Peaks and The X-Files.What It Is: Becky Finch never wanted to be special. She just wanted to be a normal high school student in the small, Midwestern town of Mukawgee. Malcolm Chamber wanted something more. A destiny. An answer from the stars. When Becky is marked by an alien’s touch, she’ll stumble into a mystery she never wanted. A mystery that almost ripped apart both their parents’ lives 12 years ago. She’ll need the help of her eccentric young classmate, Malcolm, as she finds the power within herself to uncover the truth.
James Tynion IV is a very interesting writer to me as kind of exploded into comics as he got to prove himself on one of the grandest stages of them all: “Batman”. Providing the backup stories (back when DC still did those) for Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s early days on “Batman” sounds like an easy way to get buried, but Tynion’s deft writing shone through and has, for me, created some of the best moments of that series. He then became a more prolific writer throughout DC as he wrote some annuals “Batman”, wrote “Talon”, took over “Red Hood And The Outlaws” for a bit and was even part of the team behind “Batman Eternal”, but it wasn’t until he took a step away from DC and tried his hand at creator owned work that he became what can only be described as one of my favourite writers. With “The Woods” and “Memetic”, Tynion showed a strength in writing the young and the misunderstood thrust into a world they don’t understand in a way that made me fall in love with those works.
Why do I bring all this up? Well, because he’s gone and done it again, gosh darn it. Teaming up with co-writer Nah J. Yuenkel and artist Matthew Fox, Tynion brings us “UFOlogy” from BOOM! Studios, a series where mysterious happenings are occurring in a small town in Wisconsin that may have to do with the strange lights in the sky. The easy, quick for “UFOlogy” is this: if you read and like “The Woods” or “Memetic”, then you have to read this book. If you haven’t read either of those series, go get those and this issue because you’re missing out on some really good comics. And, obviously, if you didn’t like either of those then this likely won’t be fore you, but, hey, maybe third time’s the charm?
Tynion and Yuenkel establish firmly off the bat that this series is a mystery and, as with all good mysteries, wants the reader to establish a connection with the characters before plunging them into the murky, unknown waters awaiting them. One of the smartest moves “UFOlogy” pulls is that each of its characters all have a history that is established throughout the issue, but only some of it is actually gleaned from their dialogue with other characters. Becky, for instance, is established as seemingly wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps into law enforcement and is frustrated as she feels her life being controlled by adults. We’re shown this as we follow and see her interact with other characters through the story instead of just having it told to us through narration so while we slowly form a connection with Becky and her struggle, we still want to know more about her. The same goes for Malcolm, who may or may not have a history with UFOs and alien encounters, and the mysterious unnamed kid who seems to really want to hang out with Becky for some reason.
Continued belowBy focusing on these characters and their history immediately, it gives the story a lived in feel. We’re coming into these peoples’ lives as they’re happening and all we’re getting is a snapshot, with dialogue and actions being all we have to glean these characters’ backstory. It’s a fantastic writing move from Tynion and Yuenkel and it means that the mystery of the UFOs and the events of the latter half of this issue aren’t just the only mysteries in the issue; getting inside the characters’ heads constitutes solving a mystery in its own right, much like with real people. This is a good thing as it not only breathes life into the story and gives the reader an immediate connection into the world if they work for it, but ease the fact that the events of the latter half of the issue are pretty obtuse.
With the aforementioned “spoiler free” aspect of this review (because I want people to enjoy this book on their own terms without me telling them how it ends) hampering how I explain this, I’m going to try my best. “UFOlogy” is a mystery, right? A mystery with a coat of science fiction, sure, but a mystery at its core. This issue’s big hook for reader’s to come back for the rest of the series are two separate “Wait, what the hell just happened?” moments. They’re both moments that show that the events of the issue take place in a much larger world than originally thought and that the kids we’ve followed throughout the issue who think their experiences in small town, Wisconsin are the whole world are in fact just very small fish in a very large pond who stumbled on something maybe they shouldn’t. However, they’re both moments we have no context for as readers in that if you were to ask me what actually happened in each moment, I don’t think I even know that well. Thankfully, Tynion and Yuenkel’s writing throughout the issue means that the characters and their own personal mysteries are why I’ll be coming back to find out if these two events are expanded on more.
While the writing from Tynion and Yuenkel created an issue with a mystery at it’s core, wearing the skin of a science fiction story, it’s Matthew Fox’s artwork that grounds the issue in a sense of real world drama. Fox’s artwork is perfectly suited for this series, there is no other way to describe it. Right from the first page I was struck by the way Fox brought the setting of a small town in Wisconsin to life as we see what can only be described as a cinematic page showing a downward pan from the moon, down the town in the distance, still draped in snow as the sun peeks over the mountains in the distance and, finally, in the last panel, introducing Becky to the reader as she runs through the snow. It’s a page that immediately shows the measured pace and layout of Fox’s work as well as his very clean and concise style. Add on top of that the colours by Adam Metcalfe that drapes the town in hues of orange and purples as the rising sun ushers in the dawn, but separates the town and Becky with a line of trees a vibrant green against the blue-tinged snow.
The opening page is a perfect example of how Matthew Fox uses layouts to convey everything the reader needs to know right on the page. Remember when Steven Soderbergh stripped away the colour and sound from Raiders Of The Lost Ark to show how the blocking and cinematography was so good that you could still tell what was going on? Matthew Fox’s layouts are so precise and pristine that you could have probably published this issue without dialogue and it would still be enjoyable. And that’s not even mentioning the two fancy two-page spreads in the issue that let Fox show off a little in how he conveys information on the page. The cross-section of Malcolm’s room stands out as a real highlight of the issue.
“UFOlogy” is off to a great start. Taking the best elements of James Tynion IV’s writing from “The Woods” and “Memetic” and throwing them in a blender with Noah J. Yuenkel with a great balance of mystery and science fiction and layering some unbelievably fantastic art from Matthew Fox and you have an issue well worth reading. Sure, the last few pages may have been a little too obtuse for what they were trying to do, but the depth of character writing and the gorgeous artwork more than make up for it. This is another jewel in the crown for BOOM! Studios and is definitely a book not to miss.
Final Verdict: 9.1 – You should check out this issue. Yes, you. You sitting at your computer screen or with your tablet or phone. Go out and buy this issue because it’s a good one.
