Alienated

Spurrier is a superb writer.Read all his work.It's as simple as that.

This graphic novel is incredibly good! A runaway train of intense teen emotion and drama, with a darkly psychedelic scifi thread running throughout.Although very much set in the present day (and for good reason) it also reminded me of shows like Stranger Things and E.T., but with a darker twist. A perfect mix of both nostalgia and the now.The art is stunning. I loved the warm, autumnal colours and then the strange departure into colourful madness when things get out of this world. The drawing style fit the tone of the book so well and the design, body language and facial expressions of the characters really blew me away! It's so impressive when an artist can make their drawings act so well. Like watching a performance.This book is slightly darker in tone than my usual reads (which admittedly are on the very light side) but it was really refreshing to see a different take on the familiarity of kids finding a monster/alien. Some readers might find it useful to know that there is a short scene where a character self harms, for example, and to my eyes this delicate topic is handled very well, feeling relevant to the story and that character's personal journey.Highly recommended. I wouldn't be surprised if this was picked up for an adaption.