By Jarred A. Luján — Alienated #1 is out this week, and I must confess — I probably would not have bought this book if I weren’t reviewing it. It’s nothing against the creative team (at all), but this sort of teen dramedy just doesn’t typically appeal to my tastes.

I have another confession to make now, however — I loved Alienated #1, which is a really damn good comic. So, let’s dive right in!

The first thing that sticks out about this book’s writing is how well it captures the sentiment of being a teenager. I mean, my god, these characters feel like real kids. This book is an honest recapturing of that feeling of being young and having some really heavy stuff in the background (more on that later.) As I was reading this, I kept trying to figure out a way to make high school even more awkward, and the only way it could’ve been was if someone else could read my thoughts. The way this book captures that idea and that sentiment, those feelings, feels so perfect. This all feels very real.

Further, I’m not sure you could craft a trio of better characters. These kids are so easy to root for, and they’re also varied. My guess is that no matter who you are, at least one of them has something going on that you can relate to. Maybe not their traumas, exactly, or the dark lives they may have at home, but the way they feel is so organic and natural that there’s something inherently familiar about them. There’s some truly stellar writing going on here, in terms of the characters and the sentiment captured.

The art is obviously gorgeous as well, and I don’t think anyone really needs me to put that out there, but I will. I like that this comic is broken up into chapters, but more importantly, this whole book feels very busy. Balancing three characters at the same time with different perspectives seems like a daunting task, but it’s handled super well. Chris Wildgoose really seems to handle each character with a similar amount of time on the page — meaning, nobody gets left out. More importantly, the way he handles the subtle changes when each character is thinking about their darker moments does wonders for establishing emotional tone. That’s important in general, but particularly here: this is a tremendously emotional story, so having those artistic notes make it into each beat is stellar.

Truthfully though, André May is really a star here in his own right. The color work absolutely RULES. My goodness gracious, the use of red/green/blue to specify each character and the way he utilizes it on that AMAZING double page spread really creates something special. I don’t know if there is something in the water over at Boom! Studios that has really brought some INCREDIBLE color work out lately (or in the water purchased by their freelancers nation and worldwide), but it happens here again.

Of course, Jim Campbell on letter duties has his work cut out for him. Here’s the thing: this book is CENTERED on communication. The major alteration to how these three communicate is really the moving force of the plot, so Campbell has a lot of hoops to jump through. Truthfully, this is handled wonderfully as well. The book remains readable without any sort of hiccups. it’s some absolutely incredible work and aspiring letterers should be taking notes.

Overall: Alienated #1 is a stellar first issue that launches a story overflowing with heart. In an era that often repeats ideas for the sake nostalgia and an easy buck, it is refreshing to read something that feels familiar yet wholly new. I love it. I9.0/10

Alienated #1
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Chris Wildgoose
Colorist: André May
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
Solicit: Acclaimed writer Simon Spurrier (John Constantine Hellblazer, Coda) and artist Chris Wildgoose (Batgirl, Batman: Nightwalker) present a subversive coming-of-age story about having all the power to change the world but the unready hands to truly wield it. Three teenagers, each an outcast in their own way, stumble upon an unearthly entity as it's born. As they bond over this shared secret and the creature's incredible abilities, it becomes clear to the teenagers that their cute little pet is a super-predator in the making - and it's in need of prey. Guided by the best intentions at first, the teens' decisions soon become corrupted by adolescent desires, small town jealousies, and internal rivalries, sending them into a catastrophic spiral of their own making.

Jarred A. Luján makes comics, studies existential philosophy, and listens to hip-hop too loudly. For bad jokes and dog pictures, you can follow him on Twitter.