Meteor Men by Jeff Parker and Sandy Jarrell
| Meteor Men by Jeff Parker and Sandy Jarrell | |
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| Category: Graphic Novels | |
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Reviewer: John Lloyd
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| Summary: A great sci-fi drama, with an old-school start we can all recognise leading to something really quite special. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 128 | Date: October 2014 |
| Publisher: Oni Press | |
| ISBN: 9781620101513 | |
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Meet Alden. He's only at high school, but as his parents have died the farm is his – his and the couple of professors the smart kid hangs out with. One night a large gathering forms on an ad hoc basis to watch the Perseid meteor shower – and one of them unexpectedly lands. The rock is Alden's as it landed on private property, but the planetarium's main scientist is keen for science to learn from it – or that it should pay for Alden getting through university. But the rock has a lesson much bigger than even that premise could provide for – it wasn't a hundred per cent rock. And Alden also owns a much greater connection to what was inside it when it landed…
Yes, it has been done several times before – the nasty from outer space riding along on the tails of a meteor shower. But this spin on it is just an excellent revision of the whole idea. All the creators show great work – I hardly mention colourists in these reviews but the subdued palette here grounds the work in the real world, and falls alongside the script as being mature and unshowy. It's a great plot – there are excellent reveals of just what is happening, there is high drama from the shadows as the authorities get to be more involved, and there is still Alden's character.
The artwork too has a top quality to it – it looks like it could have come from any time in comix in the last twenty years (there is a sort of retro feel to it with Alden's vintage flag T-shirts) and carries the plot with a nice crisp line. Even when the most unusual things are being presented it doesn't take long for the mind to read the panels, and that strong narration keeps on kicking away at giving us what we can hardly devour quickly enough.
Yes, it is a quick read – and this is one of those rare instances when we could have wanted for more. Perhaps the characters could have been introduced to us in a better way – I was stumbling a little as to who's who for a while. But it is Alden's story. And it's a great story, to the very end. So where now for it? It could easily be filmed – and could easily be ruined by being filmed. Before then there are truly vintage pleasures to be had in this cracking little book, and fans with a taste of classic sci-fi will find it very agreeable indeed.
I also rate Trillium by Jeff Lemire - someone who fits in the major comix houses going off on a very personal and unique tale.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Meteor Men by Jeff Parker and Sandy Jarrell at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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