Hi comics editions offer each beginning of the year an independent title that is often a landmark. After Bitter Root, here is Alienated, a story in one volume where teenagers see their lives turned upside down by their encounter with an alien. What would you do if you could change everything?
Alienated, alienated teens
In his room, the masked high school student Samuel makes a video in which he denounces the school system. For him, the capitalist state does not allow teenagers to think about three things a day, and therefore formats them instead of creating independent minds. However, he feels frustrated because he can't get his number of views to explode. A newcomer to the small town of Tangletree, he is just as isolated at school where this haughty teenager, fan of Wax, a hooded agitator on YouTube refuses to make friends. On his way to high school, he bumps into two other young people. The gay Muslim Samir is the opposite of Samuel. Popular, he wants to be loved by all by being as consensual as possible. Samantha is waiting for one thing, that the hell of high school ends as soon as possible. Arriving in the woods, they find an alien egg. By touching it, they get ultra powerful powers. 
Vitriolic portrait of adolescence
An introductory chapter launches the story before several episodes introduce each main character. Three very different young people find themselves sharing all their thoughts, even the most intimate. They have never had such a strong bond even with their parents. Each discovers the other and seems to come out grown and more tolerant. As in E.T., they find themselves raising this strange being named Chip. While it is discovered that each member of this trio has felt at some point in their lives the pain of injustice, the absolute power offered by the alien makes them fall into revenge. Everyone attacks a person who has hurt them. They want to do good, but this unchecked power is beyond them. The tension then gradually rises and Alienated becomes more and more addictive. With Alienated, the screenwriter plunges the reader into the throes of adolescence because this alien is a parable of their inner suffering. Simon Spurrier always avoids silliness and clichés of the genre. He had already proved his talent in the recently published Coda and he is assisted here by the future great cartoonist Chris Wildgoose. Its modern style looks towards manga or cartoon, and we can say that it is precise with many details. He is very good at tipping the narrative into the fantastic by the luminous tentacles of the beast leaving to touch people. Further on, a luminous mist beautifully envelops the three teenagers. André May's beautiful colors add a setting to the beauty of each page. 
A political alien?
Spurrier also slips in a political subtext but without ever weighing down his narrative. Through the character of a science teacher in high school, he criticizes creationist theories. But teenagers are not angels. Each character is both horrifying and touching. A beginner singer does everything for likes but we will discover at the very end of the volume where this need comes from. There is no Manichaeism because aggressors also have excuses and despite the pain, forgiveness is possible. Hope meets resentment. Taking care of others and assuming one's faults allows you to move forward to be an adult. Alienated is a beautiful science fiction tale that shares with readers the torments of the defining age of adolescence. There are many themes that affect this sensitive age. Screenwriter Simon Spurrier perfectly captures the adolescent spleen and the need for social recognition. The Bittersweet End will not leave you insensitive. If you prefer original heroic fantasy stories, we advise you to read the Coda review by the same screenwriter.
