mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
First, ignore the cover. This is a collection of comics about a doctor in a small town in Washington State who, after a period of isolation, starts solving crimes and serving as the town physician. Think of it in the vein of Murder, She Wrote, although Hogan and Parkhouse dial up the noir aspects with crimes of passion and allusions to dime crime novels. (There's also somewhat more gore than what you would expect from a murder-of-the-week show.)
Then, don't ignore the cover. Because our protagonist, Dr. Harry Vanderspiegle, is an actually a crash-landed alien who can (mostly) disguise himself, detect when people are lying, and has been living in fear of discovery for three years. (There's a running subplot about a government task force trying to track him down.)
And this mixture works, most notably because Hogan and Parkhouse paint Harry as a reluctantly curious and compassionate character. It's an oddly comforting read; Harry and his hometown of Patience are in the midst of killings and government searches, but every storyline ends up mostly where you expect. A murder is solved, and Harry gets closer to those around him. It's nothing too deep, but I find it highly satisfying.
Then, don't ignore the cover. Because our protagonist, Dr. Harry Vanderspiegle, is an actually a crash-landed alien who can (mostly) disguise himself, detect when people are lying, and has been living in fear of discovery for three years. (There's a running subplot about a government task force trying to track him down.)
And this mixture works, most notably because Hogan and Parkhouse paint Harry as a reluctantly curious and compassionate character. It's an oddly comforting read; Harry and his hometown of Patience are in the midst of killings and government searches, but every storyline ends up mostly where you expect. A murder is solved, and Harry gets closer to those around him. It's nothing too deep, but I find it highly satisfying.
hereticburger's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
icarys's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
sizrobe's review against another edition
3.0
An alien comes to earth, only to serve as a small town doctor, solving crimes. Certainly a strange enough concept, but it didn't grab me. The plot just didn't move along fast enough. The art is decent. however.
elizafiedler's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
emaretea's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
geolatin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thecolourblue's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Includes the first three Resident Alien mini-series:
- Welcome to Earth! #0-3
- The Suicide Blonde #0-3
- The Sam Hain Mystery #0-3
A cute story with intentionally low stakes about a stranded alien hiding out (and solving the odd murder mystery) in a small snowy town. Focuses more on the domestic dramas of the town residents. A cool original take on an alien story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
molokov's review against another edition
3.0
I've been quite enjoying the TV show, so why not read the comic it's based on?
Probably because *so much* has changed... I mean, I get that adaptations don't necessarily have to follow their source material word for word, but in this case the TV show doesn't resemble the comic in anything more than basic concept and a handful of character names. But I suspect what is most jarring is the change in tone - the TV show is comedic, and focuses on alien Harry as a fish-out-of-water type trying to learn how to fit in with humans. In the comic, Harry is pretty good at pretending to be human, he's not really doing anything sinister (just keeping his head down), and this isn't really written as a comedy, more of a light murder-mystery (Murder She Wrote style). Harry acts more as an amateur detective, trying to solve murders etc. It's still pretty good, it's just wildly different from its TV adaptation - which can be a little jarring.
Probably because *so much* has changed... I mean, I get that adaptations don't necessarily have to follow their source material word for word, but in this case the TV show doesn't resemble the comic in anything more than basic concept and a handful of character names. But I suspect what is most jarring is the change in tone - the TV show is comedic, and focuses on alien Harry as a fish-out-of-water type trying to learn how to fit in with humans. In the comic, Harry is pretty good at pretending to be human, he's not really doing anything sinister (just keeping his head down), and this isn't really written as a comedy, more of a light murder-mystery (Murder She Wrote style). Harry acts more as an amateur detective, trying to solve murders etc. It's still pretty good, it's just wildly different from its TV adaptation - which can be a little jarring.