Myles:
UFOlogy #4 continues the patient, methodical pace James Tynion IV and Noah J. Yuenkel have set for their science fiction tale and serves as reason as to why so many people should be checking out the insanely wonderful creator-owned work Boom Studios is putting out these days.
Tl;dr version of the story so far: Becky Finch is just trying to survive her teenage years without having to think about much else. Unfortunately for her, she’s marked (quote literally) by an extraterrestrial and thrown into a series of events she neither prepared nor asked for. Teaming up with Malcolm Chamber, the local “weird kid,” Becky finds herself searching for answers that may solve old mysteries that have haunted their small midwestern town.
It’s only four issues in, and each issue is reminiscent of a fantastic one hour show, serialized in such a way that it’s constantly telling one cohesive story, yet each part contains its own unique identity.
Sticking with that metaphor, issue 4 feels like the midseason finale. Everything that the team has been building towards starts to tie together all up until the fantastic cliffhanger that finds our two teenage protagonists in way over their head.
Matthew Fox and Adam Metcalfe‘s inks and colors are (forgive the pun) simply out of this world. The amalgam of realism and cartoonish styles pushes the book forward, allowing for a dreamlike, surreal ambiance when the science fiction takes a turn for the weird. It’s a lush, gorgeous book that propels an already excellent story into further greatness.
With a unique style and an excellent grasp of both story and the voices of the young protagonists, UGOlogy has consistently remain on the top part of my reading stack every time it comes out. It’s a book that all genre fans should be reading.
Patrick:
So we are passing a point of no return on Image Comics “Airboy” series by James Robinson and Greg Hinkle. Issue #3 marks the ‘heroes’ exodus into the unknown world of Airboy, and I think is kind of a litmus test for many. Will you continue with the series or not? For me the book has shown a great deal of progress and issue three is the best so far, so the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.
It is about this time in a story that we usually hit a doldrums, or get mired down with details about the world or the characters. ‘Airboy’ keeps things fresh with all three issues so far feeling and flowing very differently, each touching on similar themes in varying locales.
As we saw at the end of the last issue Airboy himself gets sick of the modern world, and drags James and Greg back into the fictionalized World War 2 analogue that served as the comic book backdrop. I found a lot of humor in that initial reaction as the creators in the book are likewise taken aback at the setting – despite they themselves creating a satirical version of themselves and the world they inhabit in issue #1. For me it is a similar reaction to seeing Robinson and Hinkle doing drugs and having a Devil’s three-way. I want to read other review of this series and count how many times the word “meta” is used to describe it – the word is apt. Robinson, as I said, though makes each issue feel fresh, and the dialogue is very funny, with some quips requiring second readings they are so subtle. Airboy’s dialogue seems more natural now that he is back on ‘home turf’ trans-dimensionally, so to speak.
This issue we really get to see Hinkle’s art shine as the full-color war-torn battlefield comes to life. The characters surrounding Airboy are beautifully designed, the colors are great, and we are spoiled to see multiple two-page spreads dripping with details and awesome aircraft designs. This is a bread and butter of what would of been like any other art job for Hinkle if he didn’t have to draw his own manhood every month or so.
There are a lot of great moments in this issue, too many to describe. I will say that every issue has had its own moments where I feel like there is some truth in the fictionalized avatars the creators are using that comes through. Some people might wish that they weren’t satirical caricatures, but drawn more closer to the actual men themselves, but really this is a comedic book, and I doubt either Robinson or Hinkle are as crazy in real life. We do get some emotion that comes through though that feels genuine, and I think shows Robinson’s writing style and personality well. Despite what I think is fairly trumped up reactions to certain aspects of the previous issue this book is extremely entertaining and funny. It is worth your time and you can pick up issue #3, poly-bagged for your sensitive eyes, today.
Read review of issue #1 of ‘Airboy’ here
Read review of issue #2 of ‘Airboy’ here
Drew: