Alien Fire Pass in Thunder

Alien Fire was a rare jewel among alternative comics of the 1980s: a wonderfully illustrated science fiction story that was as elusive and beautiful as it was free of clichés. That very originality doomed it: the comic was canceled (criminally, in my opinion) by Kitchen Sink Comics after only 3 issues, as sales plummeted. It was no ‘Heavy Metal.’ The multi-strand storyline was never easy to follow, yet cohered in ways more compelling for its intelligence and lyricism, as well as the originality of the characters. Eric Vincent's drawing style, reminiscent of the legendary French comic artist Moebius, was stunning in its detail and invention. Then, as a sort of belated apology, in 1995 KSP published this short graphic novel by the original authors, Anthony F. Smith and Eric Vincent, part new material and part old. They really should have invited Smith and Vincent to finish the original story sequence, projected at 12 issues. Nevertheless, Pass in Thunder is terrific, retaining all the qualities that made the original comics so good: alien races uneasily coexisting, classic American pop culture icons repurposed towards the poetic plot, richly detailed, masterful drawing, and many, many unanswered questions. I don't know if the authors are still around and available to finally finish this strange, powerful epic under a more enlightened publisher. But until then, do yourself a favor and check this work out, both the book and the easily available comics. You've never read anything quite like it. Reviewed by Stephen B. Mumford on Amazon

Believable. Alien Fire whisks you away to another place, gives you characters full of life, tweaks your imagination, and cranks up the nostalgia for a road trip into ‘a world that could happen!’ Eric Vincent’s alien worlds and creatures are beautifully drawn and thought out. With such a delightful melding of story and art, all I can ask for is MORE! Reviewed by Mark A. Nelson Aliens, Thunder Hunters