Review: Saucer State #2 - Is Saucer State the UFO epic youâ€™ve been waiting for?

We live in a strange world. It“s a place where facts are nowhere near as important as emotion or personal belief. This is defined as “post-truth”“. Saucer State #2 (IDW Publishing) is a sci-fi mystery, built for this post-truth world we live in.

Writer Paul Cornell and artist Ryan Kelly have invited us to witness the next chapter in the story they originally created in the well-received series Saucer Country. (Vertigo Comics). This is a classic UFO mystery tale which started in the UFO hotbed of New Mexico, and has now transported us to the power vortex of Washington DC. The creative team of Cornell and Kelly have done a superb job of continuing the overall story arc as if no time has elapsed since the end of the previous series. If you“ve not had the opportunity to read the previous installments in this series, there is no need to worry. Cornell does a great job of catching new readers up to speed with what seems to be a highly redacted government document. You“re introduced to the main characters, and given a good synopsis of the main events to date.

Most of us have read alien abduction stores or seen grainy out of focus UFO footage more times than we care to admit, but make no mistake, this story is very fresh. This issue starts with President Alvarado learning that an alien craft has entered our solar system and is on a direct course for our pale blue dot called Earth. According to calculations from her scientific advisers, it“s going to take a while for the alien craft to reach us, but she does not waste any time formulating her plan to manage the situation. She leaves no doubt as to who is in charge, even as she is having a difficult time reconciling her own experience with alien abduction. Was she truly abducted, or were the thoughts and images put into her mind by someone with a nefarious motive?
Cornell has created a world, similar to the one we live in, where it is difficult to know who to believe and what is real. This story is on par with The X-Files when it was at its best. The emotion shown in the illustrations by Kelly, add depth to an already well written story. The frustration, pain, and fear expressed by the characters bring the impressive dialogue to life.

Issue #2 of Saucer State delivers. After reading, you“ll be left with many questions, but in a good way. The crescendo is still building and has not yet been reached, but if this issue is any indication of what is to come, it will be well worth the wait.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Written by Paul Cornell
Artist: Ryan Kelly
Colors: Adma Guzowski

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Bryan Spaulding

In his free time, other than reading comic books, Bryan enjoys listening to his ever growing record collection and driving his 27 year old roadster named Mingo.