Advance Review Of White Picket Fences #1

Review by Chris B. chrisb@215ink.com

The 50s were a quiet, wholesome time. The Cold War was the biggest concern on everyone's minds, the threat of the nuclear war. Well, at least for the small town of Greenview, it was.

A game of soldiers vs. Martians leads to Charlie Hobson getting inspired to investigate the old Miller farm because of the legends of it being haunted. During his snooping, he stumbles across a hidden alien artifact within the old barn. Taking it home, he unknowingly sets off alarms within the United States military.

Like most boys his age, Charlie hides the device from his parents until he can get away long enough to check it out. He manages to activate it and send off a laser into space that decimates a satellite, giving the military just the incentive it needed to take over the town.

Charlie calls an emergency meeting of the Captain Odyssey Space Rangers, members including him and his friends, to announce that with their knowledge of the town they should endeavor to help the army with whatever reason they’re there. Little do they know what the army actually has in store for their sleepy little hamlet. And, as a back-up tale, a Captain Odyssey adventure with the Captain and his compatriots taking on two alien races that have joined forces to conquer the Earth.

This was a very interesting story crafted by Matt Anderson and Eric Hutchins. Set during times when military tensions were high, the government actually has good motivational reasons to act like jerks, so at least the book will escape anti-Bush criticism. The story was done very well and was very compelling, capturing the innocence of the time while spinning a good yarn that leaves you wanting more. The acknowledgement of the nuclear scare added a nice historic and comedic touch between the adults in the book.

The artwork by Micah Farritor, however, takes a bit of getting used to. While at first it doesn't come of as visually appealing, as the issue progresses it slowly begins to grow on you and starts to interweave with the tone of the book. However, sometimes the style of the art was inconsistent between panels and sometimes came off as a little too sketchy. However, kudos on the level of research for the accurate depictions of little things like household appliances to the designs of the satellites that were orbiting at the time. Basically it comes down to a matter of taste; if you like stylized artwork, then this is your book. If you prefer more realistic renderings, then you may not like it as much but can hopefully enjoy the story regardless. The coloring also gives it the feel of an old movie later colorized (before DVD enhancements). The muted tones compliment the feel of the story, not making it too dark or too bright and keeping it in a constant middle ground.

The back-up tale was an interesting idea, introducing the reader to the Captain Video-like Captain Odyssey that the kids eventually mention. The splash page was done like a comic cover from the 50s and the dialogue closely resembled the kind you would find in a book during the Golden Age. The story was done well, but the art suffered a bit more with this one. What would have given it an extra jolt was if they took the old comic feel they put in the story and ran with it, making it a literal re-creation of a 1950s-era comic right down to the art style, but it gets the job done.

This is a pretty fun book. It's like reading an adaptation of an old black and white science fiction movie from the 50s, like The Day the Earth Stood Still. It captures the feel of the era while incorporating some fantastic elements to create an interesting tale. The back-up story was a nice touch of introducing to the readers the hero of the boys which most likely resembles how real children of the age regarded their own fictional heroes. If the other two chapters manage to be as intriguing as this one, then it will be a job well-done by all involved.

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3 out of 5 Inks
  

05.29.07