Spurrier & Wildgoose’s Alienated Tells An Otherworldly Coming-Of-Age Story
by James Ferguson
During Boom! Studios’ Discover Yours panel at New York Comic Con, the publisher announced Alienated, a new series from writer Simon Spurrier and artist Chris Wildgoose. Debuting in February 2020, this coming-of-age story deals with having all the power to change the world, but not the steady hands to truly wield it.
Writer Simon Spurrier says:
I always wondered what would’ve happened if E.T. had been befriended by someone a little less… nice. Someone with issues. Someone with rage and uncertainty and insecurity and big ideas, waiting to be tested. A teenager, basically. Or better yet, three of them. Then again, I always wondered what would’ve happened if E.T. himself had been a bit more, y’know. Alien. As in: ineffably strange. And terrifying. Alienated answers both questions. It’s my take on the classic coming-of-age high school tale, by which I mean it’s got as much vicious toxicity about it as it has awkwardness and heart. Some kids find pirate treasure, some kids find a dead body on the train tracks; these kids find an nth-dimensional psychic entity which hungers for brainwaves. Mischief and murder ensues.
Alienated follows three outcast teenagers as they stumble upon the birth of an unearthly entity. They bond over this shared secret and the creature’s incredible abilities. It soon becomes clear that this little pet is a predator in the making and it’s looking for prey. Although they have the best of intentions to begin with, the kids soon become corrupted by adolescent desires, small town jealousies, and internal rivalries, sending them into a downward spiral of their own making.
Eric Harburn, Senior Editor, Boom! Studios added:
A new project with Si is always cause for celebration—doubly so when Chris is involved, after years of trying to work together. This new series is a thrillingly dark story of first contact and the burden of responsibility wrapped around the timely, complicated question: will the kids be alright? It’s intense, emotional, and resonant in all the ways you’ve come to expect from these two visionary creators.
Alienated #1 is set for release in February 2020.
