In THEY FELL FROM THE SKY #4, available from Mad Cave Studios on May 26th, 2021, Ker’s rebel forces have come for Prince P’alas aka Orion, but a trigger-happy sheriff and some spunky kids aren’t going to make things easy for the alien invaders.
The Details
- Written By: Liezl Buenaventura
- Art By: Xavier Tárrega
- Colors By: D.J. Chavis
- Letters By: Joamette Gil
- Cover Art By: Xavier Tárrega
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: May 26, 2021
Was It Good?
It was fine.
This series has been a little odd to wrap your brain around because it’s written and drawn as a Spielberg-esque kids adventure, but the last issue had some gruesome scenes of violence. We find ourselves asking who this series is for, and we’re still not sure.
The art is consistently good in a cartoonish, kids adventure style. The character designs are original, especially the aliens, and the sci-fi elements reflect a distinct retro 50’s vibe that’s a lot of fun.
Check out our THEY FELL FROM THE SKY #4 preview to see for yourself.
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The writing is solid in this issue, and there’s quite a bit of forward progress aligning all the characters for the big finale to come. (Almost) all the mysteries are out of the way, the players have chosen sides, and the stakes are sufficiently elevated at the end of the issue to force you to ask the question every comic should make you ask by the last page: What happens next?
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Orion aka Prince P’alas quietly leaving Tommy’s home without saying goodbye to head back to his crashed ship and make needed repairs (Read our THEY FELL FROM THE SKY #3 review to find out what forced Orion to take this drastic step).
As Orion makes slow but steady progress, he hears the Ker rebel forces approaching the ship. Orion hides in the nearby woods before the rebels arrive. As the rebels search, they decide to fan out to the nearby area, including Tommy’s house. Orion quietly sneaks away to save Tommy from the invaders.
When Orion arrives at the farm, Tommy isn’t there but he has no choice but to enlist Kat’s help. As you can imagine, she’s startled by a talking pet but decides to go with him when Orion pleads for help to save Tommy.
If there’s one persistent down of the series, and reflected again here, it’s the ease with which the humans go along with a walking, talking, giant rodent on the first encounter without question. You have to ignore this flaw in the interests of page count and reading enjoyment, but it continues to stick out like a sore thumb.
Tommy is walking home down one of the town’s streets when he encounters one of the Ker rebels confronting the Sheriff. Tommy takes cover when the situation escalates and the shooting starts. Before long, the entire town’s police force is in a standoff against the group of Kers.
The Ker leader announces (via translator) that they’ll leave as soon as they capture Orion. The Sheriff is not in a cooperative mood, and the shooting continues. Tommy’s friends see the chaos happening and go down to help when they see Tommy is caught in the crossfire.
The Ker leader grabs Tommy and holds him up as a hostage, forcing the sheriff to hold the shooting.
Meanwhile, Orion, Kat, and Tommy’s friends make a plan based on one of their sci-fi TV show episodes. Orion walks out into the open to give himself up in exchange for Tommy’s release. As soon as Tommy is free and out of the line of fire, Kat releases the farm’s tractor from around the corner to charge the Kers, causing a distraction that gives Orion a chance to run.
We conclude the issue with Kat, Orion, Tommy, and his friends heading back to the farm while the Sheriff and his men face off against the Ker rebels. Again.
How Does It End?
Curiously, the standoff is still a standoff. Kat sees something curious in the sky. Orion has curiously underestimated the number of rebels.
Final Thoughts
THEY FELL FROM THE SKY #4, available from Mad Cave Studios on May 26th, 2021, resolves most of the threads to set up a big battle to come. The art is consistently good, and the writing hits all right notes for a Spielberg-esque kid adventure.
Score: 7/10
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