Alienated

 

Alienated is one of the best comics I've ever read. I am anxiously awaiting release #2 in May. In this release the arrival of aliens on earth shakes the world. All of the alien bodies found were deceased except for one, aptly named Alien. He was found hiding in a man's closet. A disconnected family of a grandfather, TJ, and his grandkids, Lily and Winter, get together and decide to hide it from the curious world. The big question here is whether they can keep Alien hidden.

The story ended abruptly with Alien trying to communicate with the family. He was unsuccessful but the family thought they understood him. We have a cliffhanger concerning the nature of Alien's statements but we have to wait a few weeks to find out.

Release #1 has setup the series and the characters well. Now that we have the backstory in mind, the rest of Alien's needs and desires can be focused on in future installments of this 5 release series. 5 out of 5 stars.

Shang-Chi

I don't know why I didn't read this comic when it was first published in 2021. Gene Luen Yang is a favorite cartoonist of mine but I don't normally read super-hero stories. I finally read the book and it was fantastic. This book collects the following releases: Shang-Chi (2020) #1-5, Shang-Chi (2021) #1-12, Marvel's Voices: Identity (2021) #1 (Shang-Chi story), Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings (2022) #1-6, Shang-Chi: Master of the Ten Rings (2023) #1.

The publisher's summary:

The comic-book saga of Shang-Chi and the legendary Ten Rings. An ancient and evil secret society has remained in hiding since the death of their leader, Zheng Zu. But now a successor has been chosen: Zheng Zu's son, Shang-Chi! In a fractious family reunion, Shang-Chi gets to know the siblings he never knew he had! But who among them can he trust - and who is trying to kill him? As Shang-Chi assumes his rightful place as the leader of the Five Weapons Society, his fellow super heroes - including Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four - start to see him as the bad guy! And when he gains control of the massively powerful Ten Rings, every bounty hunter and assassin in the Marvel Universe is determined to take them from him!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book so perhaps I should reconsider my bias against super-hero stories. The artwork was exquisite and I loved all of the monsters. Dike Ruan did a great job drawing the comic book panels. Sebastian Cheng was the colorist and he added bright colors to every page. 

Shang-Chi is an awesome story and is suitable for kids. 4 out of 5 stars.