Strange things are afoot.
Creative Staff:
Story: Eliot Rahal
Art: Clara Meath
Colors: Mark Englert
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
It’s the news story of the century! Oliver Flores – the kid on the face of every milk carton in New Mexico – has been found.
Recovering at the hospital, Oliver is finally able to reveal where he’s been for the last nineteen years: Along with his stepfather, he was abducted by aliens. And the only real problem with that is…no one believes him. Not the detectives from his case, not the doctors who treated him, not even his biological dad. They’re all convinced Oliver is suffering from massive trauma.
Meanwhile, no one seems to notice the suspicious Strangers in Black trying to silence Oliver for good.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of Midnight Vista had some neat things going on with it but some of the playing with time periods and how it moved back and forth didn’t make for a smooth read. That’s less of an issue here with the structure that Eliot Rahal is working with and that makes for a more engaging read as we see Oliver realizing what’s going on. Clara Meath delivered a good looking start to the series and I like that we get some really fun stuff with her alien designs here, how they play at being human, and just the overall look of the book with how distinctive the alien ship side is. Some of that is owed to Mark Englert as his color work definitely sets the tone.
Oliver’s sudden appearance has set off all kinds of issues and it’s amusing to watch as the press learn about it and demand answers, which the authorities are reluctant to give considering his alien story and how wedded to it he is. He’s so open and happy about it that it’s jarring to the professionals that are dealing with him, such as the detective and then the therapist that’s now a part of it. The detective even sits him down to watch an old VHS tape showing his story done as an unsolved mystery show special and Oliver almost sees that as a kind of fantasy story than the reality that he lived. But it does make him want to see his parents all the more, even if that feeling comes with the realization that Nomar is still with the aliens and didn’t come back with him.
The interesting points for this book are two-fold. First, we see the flashback to when Nomar woke up in the ship and got a taste of this alien reality with how they were taking Oliver apart, which freaked him out greatly. Oliver’s time on the alien ship has some interesting moments since they communicate telepathically but we’re still not sure what level of reality all of this is on. It’s got a neat look and the innocence of Oliver is a delight. The other is following his biological father, Rod, who is brought in to see his son as the only living relative they can get in touch with. The aliens in their spongy form are the ones that meet him and their real purpose is intriguing and remains to be seen. But Rod wants nothing to do with any of this and I’m surprised that he had any legal rights at all to commit him since Oliver is, I believe, over eighteen. But it’s both heartbreaking and unsurprising considering what we saw of his past.
In Summary:
Midnight Vista definitely has some good hooks to it with its abduction story, the lighter tone with a serious streaking that it has, and the visual design of it. Meath’s artwork tickles a particular fancy for me with what it does and it feels very appropriate for the story at hand with how it’s being told. Rahal’s script works well to move us along and fill in some of the blanks while at the same time easing some expansive concepts that you’re left wondering if they’re real or some fever-dream still to be realized. The second issue expands on the story and moves it forward with a healthy dose of violence bursting in at the end that feels surprisingly appropriate.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: October 16th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
