Indie Comix Dispatch: Blue Book #3

3.23/5.0 StarsRating if the Book Were a Movie: PG

Creative Team

Writer: James Tyrion IV, Michael Avon Oeming
Art: Michael Avon Oeming
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
Cover: Michael Avon Oeming, Dani, Cliff Chiang
Editor: Greg Lockard, Daniel Chabon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Ratings

Story: 3.8 Stars
Interior Artwork: 3.4 Stars
Cover Artwork: 3.4 Stars
Dialogue: 3.4 Stars
Mechanics: 3.0 Stars
Editing: 3.0 Stars

About the Book:

This book continues the story of the couple who had an alien encounter. Now revealed to be Betty and Barney Hill, as they try to piece together what happened the night that all their memories disappeared.

Reviewer’s Notes:

This story continues with the couple that seem to have been abducted in New Hampshire, now revealed to be the real life Betty and Barney Hill. While numerous stories have been written about this couple some say that it was as much about racism as it was alien abduction, as the couple was in real life mixed race.

While I will remain neutral on the subject of whether or not the abduction actually happened or whether or not it was about racism, I will say that something must have happened for the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) to send someone out to actually investigate the events.

In this story they end up seeing someone who helped soldiers deal with after effects of PTSD by using the skeptical skill of hypnotism. I am skeptical as the family and I once went to the local seasonal fair and I was asked to try it by the wife to no avail. I am not saying that it does not work for no one, just that it didn’t work for me.

Since the name of the individuals in the story have now finally been mentioned it goes to show that this story is based loosely or otherwise on actual people and that is something that I find fascinating as until their passing, they professed that everything they said was absolutely true, to the point that there is now a monument plaque at the location where they claimed it happened in New Hampshire.

The story remains to be interesting and keeps the attention of the reader. Beginning to actually name drop real people, the connection to actual events makes a this all the more plausible.

The cover artwork continues with the tri-color scheme that the previous books followed save for the added fourth color for the eyes of the extraterrestrial beings that are behind the basis of the story. The added color is eye-catching and makes the “aliens” a little more menacing upfront, adding mystery to the book, and for those that have not followed so far, it would be enough to gain interest in the story, follow this genre of comic, or even are interested in actual events.

The interior artwork continues the tri-color look here as well. I think that the look adds to the mystery of the story on a whole. The clean sharp lines with the minimal color shows the anxiety that Betty and Barney are going through during this entire process of the memory loss and trying to figure out what actually happened perfectly.

For those that are interested in extraterrestrial, alien life and visitation. Then this story fits that bill and is sure to leave the reader following the story and possibly even looking up the actual events that this story is based on.

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May the historical documents of the imagination always inspire! Thanks for reading!