She was abducted by aliens. Now she’s the President. She’s going to use the power of that office to find out what really happened. But will they let her?

Saucer State is the sequel to and the conclusion of the Hugo Award nominated Saucer Country and brilliantly mixes politics with a bit of The X-Files. Actually, a lot of The X-Files. That’s also not a bad thing at all as the two concepts mashed up make for an intriguing story. Usually, when we get this sort of tale the government is behind the conspiracy or it’s focused on an individual fighting for the truth. Instead, the government, in the form of the new President, is the ones fighting to find the truth.

If you haven’t read the first volume Saucer Country, and you should, you can still dive into this first issue as it does a solid job catching you up on what’s going on and moving the story forward. It helps having read the first volume, but it’s not a necessity. It adds depth, but doesn’t reveal anything that’s a must know at this point and time.

What I particularly like about what writer Paul Cornell has done with this series is the fact he gets a lot of the politics right. I’m not talking positions and platforms, I’m talking the backroom interactions and dealings. How the operatives act and talk and what’s discussed are often things I’ve experienced (though nothing about aliens). There’s enough of that to make it feel realistic and “lived in.”

Artist Ryan Kelly delivers with solid art that adds to the realism with characters that look completely normal and are all distinct, settings that feel real and worn, but also mixing in the sci-fi elements to it all. The fact Kelly is able to balance the real world and fantastical is impressive as it feels seamless and works together.

As a fan of the first volume, Saucer State has been a comic I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced and can’t wait to see where Cornell and Kelly take us as far as this conspiracy goes. If the end of the first issue is any indication, it’ll be a wild ride as already I’m caught off guard with the unexpected. A solid return and debut and I’m excited to see what happens next.

Story: Paul Cornell Art: Ryan Kelly
Story: 8.15 Art: 8.15 Overall: 8.15 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review