From DC Comics, Vertigo, Paul Cornell, Ryan Kelly, Giulia Brusco, Sal Cipriano.

Its the second issue of one of Vertigo’s new hit series.  In this title,  Governor Arcadia Alvarado believes that she has been abducted by aliens, and she comes to this realization at the beginning of her campaign to become President of the United States.  Obviously no easy task.  This issue sees the Governor confide in the closest members of her election team while the rest of the comic’s cast starts to come together.

There are two ways to write a comic in which the reader doesn’t have a clue what’s going on.  It can either be confusing for the sake of being confusing, with no real answers.  Or it can lead to debate.  This comic will make you wish you had smarter friends around.  Friends that were also reading Saucer Country and coming up with their own theories and ideas.

Is she a woman who went through a traumatic experience and these crazy ideas of aliens are her way to protect her sanity?  Or are aliens real and the entire US is about to not only get a woman president, but also get pushed into the galactic community real fast?

Alvarado isn’t good or bad.  She has a quest and whatever needs to be done to get to that place will be done without question.  She already makes a deal with her campaign runner and its brilliant.  For those around her, its all about money and power.  These are two desires that the Governor can use to manipulate these people to her ends.  While she may have started in public office for this same money and power, there is a new desire now.  The quest for answers.  Answers that could only come from access to the most classified of documents and above top secret files.  What else but to be the President?

The power of perception starts to come through in this series with the second issue.  Not only the perception of what is real and what is crazy, but also whether each character believes it as well.  Alvarado is strong in the presence of any other human.  She is always in control, every word is carefully chosen no matter what other human she is speaking to.  It is only when something reminds her of the aliens that she falters.  The Secret Service agents’ sunglasses is enough to trigger the same reaction any kid has when seeing the cover of Communion.  Then there is Professor Kidd on the other hand, who isn’t sure whether or not he is sane and thus we don’t have a clue either.

Saucer Country is, thus far, my favorite of these new Vertigo releases.  Huge or small, real or imaginary, no one knows anything for sure in this comic yet, but I can assure you that it is wonderful.