Review: ‘Blue Book’ #2 Reflects On The Emotional Horror Of The Unknown
by Tony Thornley
Blue Book was clearly about the fear of the real world horrors of the UFO phenomena. Starting with the story of the Hills is one of the best ways to do more than just tell a scary story about aliens, and that’s why this series more than just the surface level of the concept.
James Tynion IV, Michael Avon Oeming, and Aditya Bidikar continue their journey into the unknown.
The Hills have returned home. They have lost hours of time on their drive. All they remember is the flying saucer and the figures inside. This is just the beginning of their story.
Tynion takes the historical facts of what happened to Barney and Betty Hill and makes it personal. The conclusion of their horrifying abduction takes the first third of the book, and the script is sparse, making it even scarier. Oeming and Bidikar bring that to life too, giving them both shell-shocked looks and haunting dialogue. The opening of the issue is one of the scariest things I think could have come from the series, and it’s up there with some of Tynion’s best scripts.
The issue continues to build on that, with a journey that’s equal parts an exploration of PTSD and horror story trying to find answers about their experience. Tynion narrates it with a factual detachment but the dialogue shows both of the Hills struggling with what they’ve been through. Oeming brings that to life- Barney is haunted and detached, Betty is determined and a little bit angry. We can see it on the page in the faces and body language, and Tynion and Bidikar create a pattern and familiarity with that in the dialogue that we as readers can relate to.
Oeming and Bidikar’s back-up story is a fun quirky diversion to end the issue on. It’s a story that I think I’ve heard before, but they make a factual weird tale wistful and fantastic. It’s a great supplement and bit of intellectual dessert following the building horror of the lead story.
This series gives life to a story I’ve heard before on a level I hadn’t considered. It’s a great telling and wonderful example of how to pull of a true story in comics.
Blue Book #2 is available now from Dark Horse Comics/ Tiny Onion Studios.
Overview
This series gives life to a story I’ve heard before on a level I hadn’t considered. It’s a great telling and wonderful example of how to pull of a true story in comics.
