Alienated #1: Three Sams

The concept of Alienated would be interesting enough; three normal kids stumble upon something weird in the woods and end up no longer normal. What really makes Alienated a great read, though, is the depth of characters for our three leads. They each have a persona they present and, as such hide the true secrets even from themselves until they find themselves sharing thoughts.

The art does a great job of helping develop these characters, most noticeable being Samir’s expressions and body language showing of his “trying to be cool” attitude. Then there is the pure beauty of the splash page towards the middle. Without giving spoilers, all I can say about the last few pages is…wow.

The other thing worth noting about Alienated is the lettering. When I started doing reviews, I was told lettering is something that is usually only noticed when it is done really good or really bad. And Jim Campbell does it really well. The nuance added in the dialogue, thoughts, and narration provides another layer of enjoyment to the whole issue.