Dark Horse Comics
Tiny Onion Studios
James Tynion IV and Michael Avon Oeming‘s exploration into all that’s alien is back, and I couldn’t be any happier! With Blue Book 1947, I surmise that this second series will be about those alien sightings that made that year impactful! Their stylized retelling of the most famous cases in UFO history gets right to the story that started the craze. And what I find fascinating is in how this writer connects the dots that I feel have not been explored elsewhere! I don’t even recall a lot of shows doing that. What’s presented draws on more than one story in order to make it serialised for a comic book readership.
It wasn’t just Kenneth Arnold finding something unusual navigating the skies over Washington State that day, on June 24th, 1947. Instead, there were Fred Johnson and Ethel Wheelhouse, to name a few, and perhaps even more! Some people may have even taken what they’ve witnessed to the grave, but we’ll never know.
The impact his sighting had on a nation is excellently explained, and when I took a peek at what the next issue is about, it seems the Pacific Northwest was ripe with a lot of “encounters.” Flight 105 was heading to Pendleton, Oregon when the pilots there had a personal experience too. Pretty soon, these individuals would team up to investigate this phenomenon and with this as the basis of series two, to see how this comic book ties it together has me more excited than watching another UFO documentary. It’s rare to find a program that offers new reports.
Tynion IV most likely found connecting this group’s adventures to another case not too difficult, as much of it has been documented. And until the story about the Roswell Crash gets included in this study, I won’t know what’s going to happen until this final issue’s release. There’s only four comics planned, and it’s unfortunate. I’m already craving for more.
At least Michael Avon Oeming shows he’s up to the challenge of realising the story in all its wonderful black and blue glory. In this series, it looks like he has pulled all the stops to really give this visual presentation akin to a neo-noir experience.
As for the side stories that’s included for this release, it started with a bang! The Dungarvon Whooper is a well-known song by Michael Whelan and legend about an alleged murder at a Canadian log camp which happened long ago. To see it drawn in monochrome is effective, and I enjoyed reading about this tale all over again! Props goes to Zac Thompson, Gavin Fullerton, and Aditya Bidikar for retelling a story that’s better than what I recall from Creepy Canada! Sometimes not every interpretation stands the test of time, and this one helped reignite my fondness for these old folk tales.
I’m glad that this series is back, and I hope more series are planned. What this team offers is more than your standard retelling of the best known cased in UFO lore. There’s some thought to suggest someone is in the know. And maybe this creative team knows why Earth is a planet of interest. It’s just as blue too when viewed from afar. And isn’t that what the title of this book is about?
5 Stars out of 5
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