Yo Creo en Arcadia Alvarado
You can always count on Vertigo to deliver some groundbreaking comics that challenge the norm. Since March has started, Vertigo has been releasing new books that are prime to take their place among Vertigo's elite that now houses American Vampire, DMZ, Sweet Tooth, Fables, The Unwritten, and the perennial favorite, Hellblazer. With the successful release of Fairest now complete, and with Voodoo Child and The Deadwardians on the way, Vertigo has released a book that is poised to be a standout hit on the shelves. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Saucer Country.
Join me as I review the first issue of this new series. Don't forget your tinfoil hats.
Paul Cornell, fresh off his stunning work in the first arc of Stormwatch, as well as currently writing the epic of Demon Knights, treats comic book fans and readers with a refreshing new series that's drawn by Ryan Kelly, about Arcadia Alvarado, a divorced Mexican-American governor of New Mexico who is on the cusp of running for the presidency of the United States. But in Arcadia's case, she was abducted by aliens.
The concept may seem a little unorthodox at first, but as the inaugural issue progresses, it makes perfect sense. The fact that Cornell has made Arcadia a person with so much layers to her character is commendable, because he shows her as a woman that's driven, confident, good-natured, intelligent, and most importantly, vulnerable, due that she still has these fragmented memories of her encounter with the aliens that abducted her.
One of the things that this book manages to do is that it does a good job of fleshing out the cast of characters in this series. From the lead character in Gov. Alvarado, to her ex-husband Michael and her bodyguard Fausto, you get a sense of all the hoops that Arcadia has to jump through on a daily basis, on top of being a governor in New Mexico. As the issue goes on, characters like Chloe Saunders, Gov. Alvarado's Republican strategist and Prof. Kidd contribute to the lively nature of this book, ensuring that this series is anything but repetitive. Even her banter with Harry, her chief of staff is equipped with the dry humor you can appreciate in this book. Cornell also dwells into Arcadia's encounter with the aliens, giving the suspense that is very welcome to read.
It'd be downright criminal to not mention the contribution of Ryan Kelly on pencils, as well as Giula Brusco on colors. It can be easily reminded of the style that Francesco Francavilla uses in his work; not immediately styled in noir, but dark enough when it needs to be dark, yet appropriately light when it comes to scenes that need attention, i.e, the Governor's announcement.
In conclusion, this book is worth all the praise it has coming its way. The book can easily be described as if The West Wing met the X-Files and had a love child, that thankfully, doesn't look like Martin Sheen or David Duchovny. This book is about a woman's path to presidency, her fight to expose these beings that plan to invade the planet, and most importantly, it makes you believe in her ability to succeed.
As the title of this review says in Spanish, I believe in Arcadia Alvarado. Give this book a read, you'll believe in her, too.
5/5 PICK OF THE WEEK