From DC Comics, Vertigo Comics, Paul Cornell, and Ryan Kelly.

I will guarantee you that there is not a single other title on the comic racks today like this one.

Saucer Country follows Governor Arcadia Alvarado as she debates and then begins a campaign to become president of the United States.  As is pointed out, America is ready for a female, divorced, Hispanic president.  This idea alone would be enough for any comic, but not a Vertigo one.  The concept of Alvarado’s family coming to the US through illegal immigration, being aliens, is expanded with the layer of aliens from other worlds.

It isn’t that simple either though.  Alvarado has been through some awful things in life, and as smart as she may be her mental capacities are called into question.  Her husband is at least a scoundrel, probably abusive, and at worst… well we may not yet know his limits nor if he has any.

Chloe Sanders, Harry and Professor Kidd are given enough to do in this book so they will be memorable, but not enough to reveal anything.

While I have been known to complain about some titles that are so obviously written for the trade they are unreadable in single issue form, that doesn’t apply here.  Yes, it is written for a collection.  Yes, there isn’t a ton that actually happens in this issue.  However, it is the promise of what could come next that is the appeal.  Our lead character is so damn unique in all of comics that no matter where this story heads, I want to read it.  Its also a book that starts off very similar to real life and adds one unique element to it.

I’m looking forward to reading Saucer Country every month.  This could be one of those books that reaches issue 20, or 30, or so on and is unrecognizable from its initial issues.  However it will be recognizable to me because I’ll be there every month to follow the story with the kind of alien interest not seen since Communion.