Why isn’t this series an ongoing already? Really selfishly I want it to be a weekly comic, but I don’t see that happening and I would never want to see a dip in the quality of art or story. This idea is probably one of my favorites in all of the comics I’ve read in my life time. All of the elements combine to make a well-crafted and believable world that resembles our own while engulfing two of my favorite genres. Our duo travel to Seattle, but along the way Harry becomes lost in his thoughts. He questions his detective skills on this case and remembers his home planet and his love that’s waiting for his return that’s looking less and less likely. They decide on a hotel for the night and we’re taken into a Harry’s past again. It’s a great sequence that shows how quickly he learned the language and really the culture as he began with baby books and moved up to advanced reading and text books, but then his reading took a focus on mysteries… at least lately.
The next day they head over to talk to Shannon’s roommate. They ask a few questions and she tells a few lies, but she’s truly mournful for the loss of her friend/roommate. Harry and Asta head to Shannon’s classes and look for people who “stand out” to Harry. He spots two as the class lets out and they each track down one. Harry’s dude is very compliant and reveals a pretty big window into Shannon’s personality, while Asta’s runs from her. She tracks him down and the dude couldn’t be more different from the other kid, but he confirms an aspect of Shannon’s personality.
The way this issue ends is great and while I have a guess about the ending I’m so uncertain that I’m not going to bother writing it here. That’s what’s really great about this story is that it nails the mystery genre, but still has the Sci-Fi aspect due to Harry being an alien. Those two aspects make this a very entertaining series and this issue in particular a fantastic read. No matter how much I read this story I can get over how amazing the concept is. I really hope that there is another series planned after this one because I know that the main story isn’t going to be done with the next issue.
The art is as fantastic as the writing. The sequence with Harry learning to read and the jumps in his development are all the more real by his expressions and from the realistic book covers. The ware on the books and the tattered imagery makes the world all the more real. As strange as it sounds the coloring is what makes this story feel like a sci-fi and mystery novel. The color hues play to both genres and make it a bit indescribable for me, but it’s something you’ll understand when you look at it. It screams “Sci-Fi” when appropriate and “mystery” when needed as well.
This is one of the best ongoing mini-series in comics right now. I’m very much looking forward to the ending in the next issue, but I know I’m going to be bummed out when I’m forced to wait for the next installment. In that way it’s like a good mystery novel always leaving you wanting more even after giving you so much already. If you missed out on the start of this volume or series then I would highly recommend you track down all the previous issues for purchase. If you enjoy mysteries and a bit of sci-fi then you’ll love this genre defying series that nails both.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Peter Hogan Artist: Steve Parkhouse Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/9/13