Aliens have been depicted in all shapes and sizes throughout cinema, from what Ridley Scott brought us in 1979, all the way up to Mars Attacks!. Comic books have also brought us some great alien life, but I can’t remember the last time I was given such a wave of nostalgia after reading Smell The Roses by Jackson Ziegler. What he’s created here is absolute flat-out fun!
After landing on a distant planet, a team of scientists, researchers, and journalists begin to explore their surroundings. One of them is an obvious misfit and constantly disturbs his fellow team members. Upon discovering a small alien with lovable features, he soon becomes terrified and attempts to tell the others about what he has seen. After shortly dismissing his remark, they begin to realize that they are not alone. Mayhem soon ensues as the aliens make their presence known.
What works here is the blend of comedy and suspense. The dialogue is written for a somewhat younger audience, but soon begins to bleed into something much more mature and developed. Major kudos! However, I must admit that it took me a while before I was truly sucked into the story. Cliche thoughts ran through my mind; not of the artwork, but of the plot. What I assumed would happen was for the misfit to get lost and befriend a sweet little alien who would then either convince him that all humans are terrible beings or try to guide him back home. But the sudden switch from a goofy and child-like atmosphere to a setting of fear and panic definitely gave my eyebrows a raise. From then on, I was hooked. I think readers will be too.
What’s left to be desired also stood out. We’re not given an overabundance of information in regards to backstory and unnecessary filler. The readers are only presented with the introduction to our main characters, where they have landed, and the kind of alien that is keeping tabs on them. The rest of the story is backed up by witty dialogue and funny commentary. It is here that we are not told how the characters interact, but rather shown.
A great chance was taken with this specific comic strip. If anything, this goes to prove that you can take the reader on a journey and suddenly make a hard left when least expected, and it can still work! I feel similar strips like this fall prey to the same cycle: we get to know who our characters are and what the meat of the plot is after reading five or six issues. There is nothing wrong with that: when the story is so vast and the world so big, but with a small story such as this one, the right path was most certainly chosen here. Overall, there is great potential. But if anything, keep the suspense coming! I’d beg Ziegler to not get too comfortable with a specific plot. Keep the reader guessing all the way up to a breaking point!
You can support Smell the Roses by contributing to its Kickstarter here! Help support this zany story by grabbing your copy today. And, if you’ve had the chance to read it, let us know what you thought of it by commenting below or sending us your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter!