Reviews

Alienated by Simon Spurrier

spindleweed's review

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4.0

This was $&@!ing dark! Omg
But very captivating I couldn’t put it down.
It made me feel so uneasy in parts which means it’s doing its job as a horror sci-fi comic.

snowhite197's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kaykay13's review

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5.0

Started this one on a whim and was taken by surprise! Some pretty intense themes are explored that I was not ready for! It was really well done with so much character depth. These are the kinds of graphic novels that I read and wonder why people don't try them out more. So good!

medleyofshannon's review

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

3.75

sternenstaub's review

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4.0

CW: Self-harm, suicide attempt

Enjoyed the art style. Plot is very reminiscent of the movie Chronicle, which I also liked.

orso's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

saramarie08's review

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3.0

Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

Three teens named Sam - Samir, Samuel, and Samantha - all stumble upon a budding alien life form in the woods on their way to school. The alien links their minds and is hungry to devour human psyches. Each of the three Sams is struggling with their own demons, especially their acceptance amongst their peers. Samuel runs a vlog that pleads with other teens not to be brainwashed by the acceptable narrative. Samir struggles with being the "perfect" Muslim and keeping his family together. Samantha is trying to get out of this small town and craves the fresh start where everyone won't know her past. And Chip, as they name the alien life form, feels their pains, their struggles, and is manipulated into carrying out their selfish agendas on friends, foes, and family.
This goes from an adventure story to a much deeper story in the span of a few pages. The struggles these three Sams go through are very real and something many students will relate to. Spurrier explores a different outcome to teens getting superpowers than what most stories do. All three of the Sams don’t use their powers to better the world or save people — they use their powers to relive painful moments and change them, or to exact revenge on the friends or family who hurt them. The Sams and their use of their power feels very authentic, and their vengeance is visceral and heartbreaking.

Wildgoose’s illustrations are authentic and slightly stylized with a few characters having comical proportions. Chip and his many evolutions is very fluid and intriguing. May’s coloring is superb — Chip actually seems to glow, and the teens using their power is mystifying and frightening simultaneously.

There is a lot of cussing and death in this story. Victims are mostly torn apart or erased, so there isn’t a lot of gore. There are some really serious themes here, such as teen pregnancy, bullying, white supremacy, and self-harm. This story would be best suited for high schoolers.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
​Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

mymessytbr's review

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3.0

This was a weird one. The concept is really cool. 3 teens who come in possession of an alien who can act out their revenge plots. I loved the art, the story was conflicting. Samantha and Samir have very tragic pasts, Samual was just a narcissistic who was mad he wasn’t getting attention.

ashworks's review

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

blurhima's review

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0