Comics Review: "UFOlogy" #1

- by Ninja Ross, 9 April 2015

Ufology is the study of anything to do with unidentified flying objects. It’s about spending time looking up at the stars, going through countless testimonies and watching the Alien movies! More importantly, it is also the name of the brand new comic book from writers James Tynion IV and Noah J. Yuenkel and artist Matthew Fox.

Click to enlarge

The book follows Becky Finch and Malcolm Chamber, two high school students in the small, Midwestern town of Mukawgee. Finch is a rebellious teenage daughter of the town’s sheriff, while Chamber is the son of local UFO fanatic/radio host.

Both are suffering from the biggest problem known to mankind: being teenagers. Finch is trying to avoid getting into Stanford, while Chamber is busy trying to find aliens with his father. Maybe not the most average teen problems you’ve ever heard of.

Besides that, we’re also given hints about an alien encounter involving Chamber’s dad ten years prior to the setting of this story. It’s all very mysterious!

Being a first issue (of six!) this one is dedicated to introducing characters and setting up story elements. It’s a difficult task to keep a reader interested AND do all of this, having to use the limited space to the fullest. But Tynion and Yuenkel manage to lay the foundations of the story without things feeling clunky or rushed. The pace feels natural.

Chamber

Finch. Becky Finch

Finch and Chamber aren’t friends to start with. They barely even recognise each other. They also only have one scene together in the first issue! It’s a well written scene, with the two of them bouncing off each other with insults and dismissals.

Both Finch and Chamber are easily likeable characters, with Finch never hitting the “snotty little shit” part of rebellious teenager, while Chamber is a good mix of oddness and wit.

Quon & Tim

The story itself obviously has a long way to go, but there’s plenty here to make you want to check out the second issue: We have aliens, the government, spirals and a small town hiding a mystery. These are things that I demand in everyday life.

But you can’t have a comic book without art! Thankfully, there is art here. It’s provided by Matthew Fox, who you may remember as Jack Shepard in Lost.

It’s interesting to See Fox turning to comic book art! And he’s really good at it, too. One can only assume talent is measure by how good your jaw looks.

Fox has a very distinct style, which is occasionally reminiscent of Paul Pope’s work. Everything looks good in this book! Fox’s work has a nice vibe, which makes the book feel like a classic sci fi TV show, while still keeping things nice and fresh.

It's Matthew Fox, everybody!

It’s easy to compare this book to the likes of X-Files and Twin Peaks. While it is clearly influenced by these shows (and more), it still has its own unique atmosphere and the story is plenty different from anything Mulder and Scully ever got up to.

The best thing for you to do is go buy it. It’s a good comic! It has mysterious alien stuff, great characters, great writing and it looks pretty darn good, thanks to actor/artist Matthew Fox! What MORE could you POSSIBLY need?


Wow, Matthew Fox! Amazing! Do you think he ever gets tired of "Lost" jokes? Tell us in the comments!

Tagged: comics, Reviews.

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