In the small U.S. town of Patience, the town revolves around a Doctor, who is not from around here.  It’s a town like the suburb in Mumford only the doctor is not a psychologist, he’s an alien.  He’s the resident alien of the title, a pointy eared fellow named Harry.  He also has an affinity for solving crimes.

Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde is the latest offshoot of Dark Horse Comics’ Dark Horse Presents monthly anthology series.  The newest Resident Alien series is a four-issue mini-series beginning with this month’s Issue #0, which reprints chapters 1 to 3 of the story, originally found in DHP Issues #18-20.

Creators of classic British fare, writer Peter Hogan (2000 A.D., Tom Strong) and artist Steve Parkhouse (Milkman Murders, Doctor Who) team up to continue their earlier four-issue standalone series released this past March as the trade paperback Resident Alien: Welcome to Earth!  In his first adventure the extra-terrestrial hero of the story survived when his ship crashed on Earth.  Taking on the part of Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, he was able to mask his appearance using his otherworldly powers.  Like E.T. from the movie, he just wants to go home, but he’ll wait in the town of Patience until his friends come to find him, with Everwood-style small town medical crises.  Along the way he gets pulled into a murder mystery, which he takes to like Agent Cooper in the town of Twin Peaks.  It’s this police procedural drama meets sci-fi genre blend that is taken forward in this summer’s new series.

In Issue #0 of The Suicide Blonde the feds are on the trail of this alien missing from the wrecked spacecraft.  We find Dr. Harry injured, recovering from a bullet wound thanks to the help of his friend, a young woman named Asta, who works with him at the hospital.  We get bits of Dr. Harry’s backstory, and the fun begins at the hospital as a young doctor takes over.  As Dr. Harry realizes he’s got nowhere else to go, he gets tapped for his expertise on the latest town murder.

It’s practically impossible to get enough of the new adventures and series that come from new creators in the pages of Dark Horse Presents.  Hogan’s story pacing is timed to that of TV crime series and Parkhouse’s easy-going style is comfortable in pulling readers in to believe an alien could get along unnoticed on Earth.  Their style will appeal to fans of the oddity in a small town series Revival from Image Comics.  Parkhouse’s town has much in common with Mike Norton’s town of Revival, down to its alien visitation, sharp female co-lead, and quirky locals.

Pick up your copy of Resident Alien: the Suicide Blonde Issue #0 at comic book stores Wednesday, August 14, 2013, and you can get caught up on the backstory in the trade edition of Resident Alien: Welcome to Earth! at a discount at Amazon.com.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com