There’s already a lot going on in the first issue of UFOlogy from writers James Tynion IV (Batman Eternal, The Woods) and Noah J. Yuenkel (The House in the Wall) and artist Matthew Fox (Long Walk to Valhalla). Two young teens, both outcasts in their own ways, serve as our entry point, our heroes who are about to find themselves way in over their heads. She has a sheriff for a dad and is smarter than the average bear, surrounded by a group of people that want nothing but what they consider the best for her, though her best may be different. He sits on his rooftop each night giving reports to a local radio station on what he sees happening in the night skies. His dad is the DJ on the radio station which is run out of their home. These two teens don’t get along, but we already know they’ll have to – as they’ll be thrown together.

This book spends much of its first issue letting us get to know its character, which is refreshing, because they are refreshing! And, it allows us to see the creators’ passion for the subject spill forth, which quite honestly was enough to hook me. The dialogue is smart, the art expressive, the colors magical, and the lettering whimsical. Every element of this book is strong, creating a time and a place that transported me into this small Midwestern town, a winter wonderland that’s always covered with a layer snow and threatening a perpetual dusky hour. Where even though you’re in the middle of town, it still feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. From the very first words spoken, the rhythm of the DJ dad waxing poetic about the heavens that reach beyond our physical world, but not beyond our imaginations, I welcomed this book with open arms. Actually, even before that – the cover art grabbed me immediately!

And, of course, aliens, but that part I’ll leave to you to discover when you buy the issue.