Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Plot overview of ‘Alienated’: Earth is deluged with the bodies of dead aliens, but one family finds a survivor and attempts to understand what happened to his species.
“Today marks the day that extraterrestrial aliens have made contact…”
This six issue comic book series by Taki Soma and John Broglia (art) starts dramatically with a shocked family watching a live broadcast where a reporter announces that dead aliens are being found across the globe, while she stands right in front of one of the bodies. A pretty good opening that immediately sets up the basic premise.
The first chapter opens on a world strewn with alien corpses, but one retired grandpa, TJ, stumbles upon a survivor, a nearly dead alien hiding in his closet. Channeling his inner movie hero, TJ gives it CPR and brings it back to life. The rest of ‘Alienated’ then follows TJ and his grandkids, Lily and Winter, as they form an unlikely team, protecting their new extraterrestrial friend, simply called “Alien,” from the world’s dangerous curiosity.
From fan conventions and alien crazes taking over the world to TJ and his grandkids teaching their new alien buddy English (and doing a surprisingly great job at it), ‘Alienated’ is all about frenzy, family, and friendship. The first three issues don’t cover a lot, but they do have some bits that are weirdly relatable. It’s a a story that pokes fun at our obsession with the unknown while reminding us that the most human thing about us might just be how we connect with something completely different.
The artwork is colorful, bright, and slightly old-school, and the funniest part about Alienated is the alien’s character design, a very cliché human-like form, almost like E.T., with big beady eyes and a shriveled grey body. Most of this comic-book is engaging due to the old-school artwork and colors, because quite frankly, the story isn’t exciting or gritty enough to work in black and white. For instance, in one of the later issues, TJ hilariously dresses up like a thief out to rob a bank, in black shirt, black pants, black beanie, to go on a covert mission to ‘rescue’ somebody, which wouldn’t have the same comical effect if this weren’t a color comic.
Since each issue is only 25 pages long, by the time the characters in ‘Alienated‘ have the chance to grow on the reader, the story is already over! The comic books tend to focus more on the personal dynamics between the human characters, like TJ’s blooming romance with a lady at his care home, or the bickering yet supportive sibling bond between Lily and Winter.
Since the alien is mostly learning how to communicate in English through the issues, it’s only in the finale that it’s able to explain what really happened to the others. So, there’s a strong element of mystery over the fate of the deceased aliens and what could happen next. There aren’t any villains in ‘Alienated’, although one nutty grandfather who lives in the same care home as TJ, spots the alien and tires to stir up trouble by trying to expose the alien.
Will TJ and the kids manage to keep their alien friend safe from the world’s growing obsession? Can the alien ever make it back home? And is Earth at risk of meeting the same fate as the other aliens who perished upon arrival? In just 24 pages, the creators wrap up Alienated with a whirlwind finale, one that is rushed and may feel slightly underwhelming, yet ties up many of the story’s lingering questions.
I would only recommend this if you’re in the mood for some quick, low-stakes sci-fi comic-book series, with colorful, cartoon-y artwork.
Rating: 3 on 5. Alienated is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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