What happens when a planet finds out they are not really alone in the galaxy? Jeff Parker, Sandy Jarrell and Kevin Volo look at this and more in “Meteor Men” from Oni Press and come up with a mixed bag that almost reaches the sky meteors fall from.
Written by Jeff Parker
Illustrated Sandy JarrellOn a summer night, Alden Baylor sits in a field watching the largest meteor shower in human history.
What begins as teenage adventure becomes something more–the celestial event brings travelers who will change the world completely, and Alden discovers a connection to one of them. How does a young man who had to grow up fast handle the invasion of his planet? Can Alden keep humanity from oblivion?
From writer Jeff Parker (AQUAMAN, HULK) and artist Sandy Jarrell (BATMAN 66) comes this story of adolescence, friendship, and hard decisions.
Are we alone in the universe? If there’s something else out there, what are they like and will they visit us with good intentions? Many writers and artists have visited this topic before but because so many try, there are lots of versions that fall flat. “Meteor Men”, while it isn’t a complete home run, is a heartfelt and nostalgic approach to what happens when aliens land on Earth.
“Meteor Men” tells the story of Alden Baylor, a high school aged boy who has recently lost his parents to a drunk driver. He lives on a farm that he inherited from his parents with his uncle Phil, an astronomy professor, and works at a gas station in town. “Meteor Men” opens on this farm with Alden, his uncle and lots of kids from school watching a meteor shower. The evening doesn’t go according to plan as the meteors crash all over the world unleashing aliens upon Earth. One lands on Alden’s farm and sets him on a course that changes his life.
I’ve started watching The X-Files for the first time and I’m addicted to watching rovers on Mars, so aliens have been on my brain lately. I’m not a conspiracy theorist but I think it’s impossible to believe there’s nothing else out there; “Meteor Men” has found perfect timing in my life which is probably why I picked it up this weekend at New York Comic Con. While there are some aspects of the story that let me down, this was overall a solid look at the age-old alien invasion story.
For the most part, the pacing is fine. There are a few places within the story that things drag a little bit and unfortunately the page count doesn’t feel fully utilized. I found myself wishing certain things were fleshed out more while other parts could have been left out or compartmentalized better. There’s a reveal about the aliens that is great, but it comes in a little late. These things keep the book from being something extremely special.
Alden Baylor is really the selling point of “Meteor Man”. If he weren’t as well developed as he is then I think this book would have fallen apart and been mediocre. Alden is a kid that you really believe in and identify with. He functions as the eyes of the audience and the heart. This is really his story from the first page until the final twist at the end. Alden is likable because writer Jeff Parker doesn’t try so hard to make him “hip”. He’s a kid that’s been through stuff but does his best to honor his parents’ memories all while navigating the natural obstacles of being a teenager. Alden also reacts to the events around him naturally. He doesn’t try to be a hero. His natural curiosity and his good heart decide what he does.
Lately, I think we’ve seen many writers and artist push the youth movement. While that’s great, there are many times where it’s too forced and the kids come off totally unbelievable. Alden is believable and he gets you invested in what happens to him. It focuses the story better. This isn’t an isolated story but Parker and Jarrell do a great job framing the story through him.
“Meteor Men” feels like it was inspired by films like E.T. and Super 8 in the sense that there’s still a lightness to the events that are happening. This isn’t a dark book despite the subject matter, but it also doesn’t have a multitude of jokes within the dialogue. Parker balances the tone very well which is something we see him do in “Aquaman”; he understands how to write a dramatic story without going to a dark place. Like E.T., the younger cast has the heart while the adults are clueless and cruel. We saw this in a lot of 80’s movies geared at kids so it feels like those films had a bit of an inspiration. However because of this, many of the characters outside of Alden fall flat. The government characters are too one dimensional. Villains who are straight villains are great and useful, but they still need to have a little more to them and not be too predictable.
Continued belowSandy Jarrell consistently gives fans great work and “Meteor Men” is no different. From beginning to end, this is a really beautiful book. The designs of the characters are nothing we’ve never seen before but they are done in Jarrell’s distinct, clean style and are unique when compared to each other; no character looks like another and Jarrell is working with a large cast. Alden shines again here because he’s the most fleshed out human character artistically. I loved how full of expression he was. His curiosity came through and his bewilderment came through. Jarrell really sells it.
The aliens have fresh designs that borrow from some archetypal aliens. They have characteristics of the tall grey humanoids but are taken to another level. Much of why the aliens work so well is dependent on how fantastic of a job Kevin Volo does on coloring duties. This book is vibrant and alive. He uses different shades of blue and it is something I haven’t really seen done when creating alien designs.
“Meteor Men” is far from a perfect graphic novel but it is worth your time and money, especially if you enjoy alien-centric science fiction. Jeff Parker, Sandy Jarrell and Kevin Volo add yet another memorable and quirky book to the Oni Press catalog.
Final Verdict: 7.3 – “Meteor Men” is a story that feels familiar but sells you with its well developed main character.
