Saucer Country #14

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

I'm disappointed that Saucer Country, one of the few new series from Vertigo over the last few years to really grab my attention, could not last for more than fourteen issues in the current comic book climate.  There is good news though, because creators Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly have apparently made plans to continue the series with another publisher soon.

And so, that means that readers who have not checked out this excellent series should be snatching up the trades or recent back issues, because this is a great comic, and my hope is that when this book is being handled by a publisher who is more about promoting creator-owned books than corporate, written by editorial fiat ones, things are really going to take off.  These days it's all about the creator-owned book anyway...

In this issue, the Presidential race comes to its end, with the outcome you have always expected.  Presidential politics take a back seat to the alien stuff though, as Professor Kidd and the Governor's security team uncover the truth behind the two 'magic friends' who have been visiting the Professor since the series began.  This book has always been as much about governmental conspiracy as it has been about aliens (and perhaps those are the same thing), and that paranoid, secretive world gets exposed a little more in this issue.

Originally, this book was supposed to end with a tag line identifying it as the end of "season one", and that feeling is very present throughout this issue.  Cornell isn't wrapping up the story so much as finding a good place to pause it, and I hope it's not too long before things resume.  Meanwhile, and for the first time ever, I'm only reading one monthly book from Vertigo, and that's a strange feeling.

Saucer Country #13

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

With time running out on this series (I think there's only one issue left before it's getting canceled), Paul Cornell just keeps upping the stakes, and making things ever more interesting.

It's election day, and all signs are pointing towards Governor Arcadia Alvarado walking away with the White House.  This has all sorts of people nervous, as the GOP contacts her most trusted advisor to reveal that they know about her belief in UFOs, although they aren't ready to act on that knowledge.  This raises some interesting questions about the veracity of Alvarado's running mate's assertions that the President is himself an alien.

As well, the Bluebirds, a group of engineers who study alien technology, reach out, although their overture does not receive the response they expected.  Most interestingly, Professor Kidd is led on a hunt by his tiny otherworldly advisors, although he seems to know more about them than they would have expected.

Cornell crams a lot of stuff into this issue, and its amusing to realize that, while all of this is going on, people around the country are at the polls voting.  Ryan Kelly is doing some incredible figure work in this book, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

Saucer Country #12

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

It really is unfortunate that Vertigo has pulled the plug on this excellent series as of its fourteenth issue, because Paul Cornell is really hitting his stride here, and the book becomes ever more enjoyable.  He has said in interviews that he intends to continue the series in some way when the rights revert to him and other considerations make it possible.

What this tells us is that Cornell will not be coming close to finishing off the storyline in the next two issues, and I'm okay with that.  As it is, it does feel as if he's condensing the story somewhat, seeing as how two issues ago, Governor Arcadia Alvarado was stuck in the middle of a heated primary fight, and now she's reached the final few days before the Presidential election which could put her in the White House.  That means we missed out on any number of good stories set on the election campaign trail, which is unfortunate.

There's not much sense of time having passed, but some changes have set in for our characters.  Professor Kidd has finally revealed to Arcadia that he is often visited by the tiny figures from the Pioneer space probes, and of course, she's now decided to keep him at more of a distance, a decision he does not take well.  We also learn a great deal about what Arcadia's former rival, Senator Kersey, experienced at the hands of some very different aliens (think of the ones from V).

This has been a very unusual comic, blending modern politics with alien abduction mythology, and I for one, have found it to be an amazing read.  Ryan Kelly returns to the art for this issue, which makes me very happy.

Saucer Country #11

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Mirko Colak and Andrea Mutti

It was announced recently that Saucer Country, like every Vertigo book that I enjoy not called The Unwritten, is going to be ending in a few issues.  Knowing that, and knowing that Paul Cornell doesn't have the space to tell the end of the story the way he would like to, I would have expected the pace of these last few issues to pick up, but that is not the case here, as he instead introduces a completely different element to the series.

Michael is Governor Alvarado's ex-husband, her close friend, and the person that was with her when she was abducted by aliens.  We've seen him as a self-pitying drunk, and we know that he has been manipulated to believe that he was behind the recent assassination attempts on Alvarado and her security team.  What we didn't know is that as a child, he saw and spoke to fairies.

This issue opens with Michael and Arcadia visiting the farmland in Colorado where he grew up.  He talks about how he and his older sister made up imaginary stories about fairies, and how one day, the fairies appeared to them as real creatures.  Their appearance also helped solve a different problem for Michael's sister.

This is an odd issue.  I'm not sure how it fits into the larger story, which has dealt with alien abduction and governmental conspiracy.  Paul Cornell makes a thematic connection by discussing how the 90s were all about recovered memories of child abuse, while the 10s appear to be about conspiracy at higher levels as a way to explain society's and individual peoples' problems.

This issue is drawn by Mirko Colak and Andrea Mutti, who have a very different style than regular series artist Ryan Kelly.  The book looks very nice, but I do prefer the way Kelly draws Arcadia, with a little more weight and gravitas behind her.

I'm sad to hear that this series is ending soon, but I know that I'm going to enjoy what's left of it.

Saucer Country #10

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

This issue of Saucer Country has a couple of terrific moments in it that make it clear to me that this is a book that is designed to last for a while, and really explore more than just the alien-abduction aspect of its story.

Governor Arcadia Alvarado is in Las Vegas for a Democratic primary debate.  She's just been shot at, and now, after a separate shooting incident, two of her security staff are dead.  Michael, her ex-husband and fellow alien abductee, believes that he may be the person responsible for this, as does the reader.

The debate, which happens this issue, promises a couple of surprises, and we also learn what happened to the woman that Professor Kidd has been looking for.  The word 'conspiracy' gets tossed around this issue a fair amount, and it's beginning to look more and more like multiple forces are working behind the scenes to control or influence Alvarado's campaign.

Cornell has a complex plot working here, but what makes this book work is the strength of the characters.  From Michael's self-doubt to her female advisor's skill at planning the campaign, this book is pretty memorable, and with Ryan Kelly drawing the hell out of it, absolutely gorgeous.

Saucer Country #10

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

The last issue of Saucer Country ended with a masked gunman approaching Presidential candidate Governor Arcadia Alvarado outside a campaign appearance.  This issue, we learn that the gunman has missed, but his actions have had an effect on the entire Alvarado campaign, as these things are wont to do.

This issue focuses a lot more on the actual politics of the series, as Arcadia meets with her chief rival, and plots her way forward with her campaign team.  The UFO-hunting side of this comic is relegated to Professor Kidd, who has received a tip about the identities of 'Mork and Mindy', the Men in Black-like figures who visited an alleged abductee.

I love this aspect of the comic.  Cornell has been examining any number of legends about UFOs in America, and has been stringing them together in some pretty creative ways.  His reasoning behind the Men in Black visits is both plausible and humorous, and fits nicely with what has been happening in this comic.

This series works very well, as a blend of politics, conspiracy, and strong characterization.  The identity of Arcadia's attacker is pretty surprising, even though Cornell started telegraphing it last issue.  I look forward to seeing the consequences of his next attack next month.

Saucer Country #8

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

After two issues of data dumping concerning the existence of aliens and their technology, Paul Cornell returns to his main plotline, as Governor Alvarado prepares herself for a debate during the Democratic primaries.  Her opponent is a pretty smooth player, and Alvarado is still readjusting to life after her abduction.

Cornell gives most of the main characters some space of their own this issue.  The Governor's ex-husband was abducted with her, and he's also having a hard time, missing time, and having some difficulty managing reality (as we see in a beautifully executed, if complicated, scene).

Professor Kidd is using the campaign as cover to investigate other instances of abduction, including that of a woman who may have been on the alien craft the same evening as the Governor.  This is putting him on the trail, and quite probably the radar, of the 'Men in Black', who have a very peculiar way of keeping their existence out of the media, and paying homage to one of my all-time favourite TV shows at the same time.

Cornell is doing some very cool work with this series, and Ryan Kelly is one of the best artists for this book.  He excels at drawing real people, and putting them in real situations.  Few artists can pull off books that involve a lot of scenes of people sitting around talking as well as Kelly can.  This is a great title, and it proves that Vertigo still has some life in it.

Saucer Country #7

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by David Lapham

The first thing that needs to be pointed out about this comic is that despite the fact that the cover credits regular series artist Ryan Kelly with the art chores, this issue was actually drawn by David Lapham, which was a treat, as he seems to be writing much more than he draws these days.

This issue works as a perfect counterpoint to the last.  That one had Professor Kidd, Governor Alvarado's UFO expert, expound on his theories surrounding the mythology of alien encounters.  This month, we visit with the Bluebirds, the shadowy group of scientists who are gathering information on alien visits from a technological perspective.

Astelle, the newest member of the Bluebirds, has come out to Nevada to meet with the man in charge (I have no idea what his name is), and he gives her a lengthy presentation on the history of their group, which has coalesced around the journals of an American WWII pilot named Joe Bermingen, who after a close encounter during the war, became the foremost expert on alien flying technology at Lockheed.

Bermingen's story is an interesting one, as he bumps up against the American government, NASA, and the original 'men in black'.  This is a very good series, and I like how Paul Cornell got things up and running for five issues before pausing to fill in the necessary back-story.  I am ready to see things move forward again though, as we get an ever-larger view of the world that Cornell is working with.

Saucer Country #6

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Jimmy Broxton

Saucer Country is turning into a much more complicated and complex series than I first imagined, and where I was enjoying it before, now I'm also starting to respect it at a different level.

Paul Cornell uses this one-off issue as a way to reassess much of what has happened in the series so far, and place it in the larger context of the mythology and legend of UFO encounters and abductions.  Basically, this entire issue is given over to a presentation by the Harvard professor that Governor Alvarado has hired as her election team's inner circle's abduction expert.

In the first arc of this series, we learned that the Governor, who is running for president, and her ex-husband, had been abducted.  We also learned that a number of different interests have a stake in this situation, and that the entire country, if not the world, could be in danger.  The Governor decided that she would use her unique position, access, and political momentum to investigate and hopefully save the day.

So, in this issue, the Professor takes us from the earliest possible alien encounters - Romans meeting the gods, fairies taking humans to their lands, right up through Roswell, Communion, and Spielberg movies.  Through this issue, Cornell explores the social construction of aliens in the mind of the public, and how popular media has influenced it.  He shares the origin of the 'flying saucer' shape, and how it came to be perceived differently after the popularity of The X-Files showed something different.

I haven't spent much time reading about the history of this belief or sub-culture, so I don't know to what extent Cornell is making things up, or is relying on the historical narrative.  Everything he presents (through the character of the Professor) lines up neatly, and appears consistent.

This issue is drawn by Jimmy Broxton, best known for his brilliant work with Cornell on the under-rated Knight & Squire mini-series that DC put out prior to their relaunch.  Broxton uses a variety of styles and approaches to the various strange things he has to draw - I particularly liked the Roy Lichtenstein quality given to the page showing the first UFO sighting.  I love Ryan Kelly's work on this comic, but would not object to Broxton doing the occasional issue.

Even though we are only six issues into this series, this makes a very good jumping on point, especially for anyone with an interest in alien encounters who may not yet be reading this.

Saucer Country #5

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

Well I've been pretty intrigued by Saucer Country since it began, I had one concern with the book that I didn't even realize until I read this issue, as Paul Cornell put that problem to bed.  Basically, the series is about Arcadia Alvarado, the Governor of New Mexico, and her campaign for President of the United States.  Just before declaring her intention to run, Arcadia and her ex-husband were abducted by aliens, giving her a new purpose for running (she is convinced that the aliends pose a threat to the country, and that she is the only person who will be able to use her office to stop them).

My problem was that Arcadia was being portrayed as someone to whom things happened, not as someone who took charge.  I know that every Presidential candidate has to give up a certain level of control to her handlers, advisers, and security personnel, but I also imagine that they are the ones driving the car, and I didn't really see Arcadia in that role.

That changes with this issue, as she pulls of an impressive feat while being hypnotized by a disreputable therapist who had already caused her ex-husband to change his story while under his influence.  The hypnosis session gives us our best look at what actually happened to Arcadia and Michael, but that doesn't mean that the therapist, who had already broken his non-disclosure agreement before even treating her, got what he wanted.

Cornell has been keeping this pretty mysterious in this comic.  We do know that there are at least two groups with an active interest in alien visitation, but neither of their goals are clear yet.  Ryan Kelly is the perfect artist for a book like this, and his collaboration with Cornell feels very smooth.  This is an interesting comic.

Saucer Country #4

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

Paul Cornell is structuring this series with mysteries piling up upon mysteries, as Governor Alvarado (that's her name right?  I think this is the second straight issue that doesn't say it) tries to figure out what happened to her and her ex-husband that night right before the series began.

The ex shows up at her office, and sits down to explain his version of events, although Professor Kidd doesn't believe him, especially after he finds out that he'd gone to Dr. Glass, the hypno-therapist.  It's becoming increasingly clear that a number of different groups are involved in the 'alien business' in New Mexico, but that the elected officials who run the place have no clue about any of it.

Cornell's doing a great job of creating a sense of intrigue in this series, and Ryan Kelly is doing his usual phenomenal job of drawing the book.  This issue in particular has a number of scenes that are 'talking heads' only, but he fills his pages with more than enough drama to keep the interest level high.

I don't think that sales on this book have been all that impressive, so I implore you to check this comic out if you ever enjoyed The X-Files, or if you are just interested in a well-written political drama about alien abductions.

Saucer Country #3

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

With this third issue of Saucer Country, writer Paul Cornell more or less shifts the tone of the series from what that seemed rather personal and small, to one that could become much more sweeping and epic.  Prior to this issue, we knew that Governor and Presidential candidate Alvarado believes that her and her ex-husband were abducted by aliens, who at the least probed them.  It appeared that the book was going to follow the Governor's candidacy, and how the people around her were going to react to her belief in this rather shocking thing.

In this issue, the Governor barely appears (and her first name is not even mentioned).  Instead, we follow the supporting cast around, as we learn that belief in abductions, at least in New Mexico, is much more common than anywhere else in the US, and that is probably because it's a pretty common occurrence.  Or, if not that, something else strange is happening in that state.

This issue gives a lot more play to Professor Kidd, whom Harvard has suspended.  He's gone to work for the Governor's campaign, and spends much of the book discussing the 'mythology' of alien visits.  His absence at Harvard has been noticed by a group of rich abduction enthusiasts called the Bluebird Group, who I imagine we'll be seeing a lot more of.  Also, Alvarado's ex continues his hypno-therapy with an analyst who also seems quite knowledgeable about abductions, and the involvement of giant rabbits in the abductee's memories of the event.

This is a very intriguing book, and it looks like it's going to have enough going on that it will be able to fill in some of the gap being caused by so many of Vertigo's best books having ended recently (DMZ, Northlanders) or ending soon (Scalped, iZombie).  With Ryan Kelly drawing it, I'd be happily reading it even if the writing wasn't this good.

Saucer Country #2

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

I find myself much more intrigued this month with Saucer Country, which reads very smoothly.  Governor Arcadia Alvarado has just announced her intention to run for President of the United States, and then informed her closest adviser, and her recently-hired campaign manager that she believes the Earth is under threat of alien invasion.

Clearly, that announcement doesn't go over too well (especially with the Republican manager), but Arcadia calmly explains that she is not going to jeopardize her chances of gaining the office, and that she intends to use it to help combat the threat, but that she is going to keep that a secret.

All of this hinges on the events that took place just prior to the beginning of the first issue.  Arcadia and her ex-husband were in their car somewhere in the desert, but neither of them remembers what happened.  Arcadia visits a doctor, who confirms that she was anally raped, but she has no memory of it.  The ex goes to a hypno-therapist, who also turns up some interesting results.

Gaining prominence in this story is a Harvard professor who has been sanctioned for his unorthodox opinions on the topic of aliens.  Now, the Alvarado campaign is reaching out to him, although he doesn't yet know why.  Cornell is spending these first couple of issues getting his ducks in a row, and the intrigue is building palpably. 

I am also really liking Ryan Kelly's work on this book.  Arcadia must be a difficult character to draw - Kelly shows her as a confident and Presidential candidate, who is also dealing with a great amount of uncertainty in her life.  All of this comes across in the art, which is pretty amazing.

Saucer Country #1

Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Ryan Kelly

It's kind of a shame that Saucer Country had to debut the same week as Saga, because while this is a very good comic, it is definitely going to be overshadowed by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples's masterpiece.

Saucer Country is a dense first issue - I went back and counted the pages, because Cornell and Kelly fit a lot into just 20 pages.  The book introduces the readers to the Governor of New Mexico, Arcadia Alvarado.  She is a divorced Latina Democrat who has been considering taking a stab at the Presidency.  When the book opens, she is in a car with her ex-husband, and something strange has gone on.  He has some cuts and bruises, but neither of them can account for the last couple of hours.  Obviously, this has her security team quite upset.

As the book progresses, Arcadia wrestles with the decision she has to make - whether she should announce her candidacy or not.  She hires a Republican strategist, who suggests that by suggesting that her ex-husband was abusive, she would be able to lock down large numbers of votes.  Arcadia's bad dreams suggest something like that may have happened to her, but her epiphany, during a speech about illegal aliens, has more to do with the extraterrestrial kind.

This is very much a comic of the moment, and I like that it is being written by a British writer who is able to explore the American political zeitgeist from an outsider's perspective (which, being Canadian, makes sense to me).  We seem to be touching on a lot of the themes that make Americans jumpy - immigration, abortion, and race, and that's always interesting.  I wonder how this comic has played on Fox News.

It's very nice to see Ryan Kelly working on a monthly title again.  I've been a fan of his since I started reading Local (still one of the greatest comics I've ever experienced), and I feel that he's an excellent artist to pull off a series like this.  I'm on the fence with most of the rest of the new wave of Vertigo titles, but expect to be with this one for the long-run.