Sarah Elizabeth Camp Comic Reviews

Aldebaran for all intents and purposes gives readers a deeper look into the binary of humanity and monstrosity. Throughout the series thus far there have been constant questionings of what makes one truly human, and with this comic being one so deeply embedded in a discourse of hybridity it makes answering those questions even harder. Aldebaran was organically born to a human mother while Sena, Zun, Phinx, and the other "evolved" animals have been products of scientific/magical experimentation and incubated test tube creations. His view of himself is that of being more man than beast, while also seeing himself as being one of "them" (referring to the evolved animals). But Aldebaran walks a thin line, one in which many on each side outcast him their communities " he is a production of the contact zone between humanity and the universe, a species all his own, and this issue works to tease out how he deals with these things himself.

What I find most interesting about this issue is how it embarks on a journey to further flesh out what it is that this virus can do. The Beauty up until this point was giving a very police-centric, regulation-centric narrative, and now the game has changed. Timo and his story gives readers a glimpse into the ways in which even something bad can be manipulated into serving a positive purpose for someone else, granted in this case it's getting away with murder and stealing a bunch of cash.

While Roy is spending his time continuing his delinquent behavior, Brundo is left in a situation in which he is met with pure hostility by something that knows him for what he is " a wolf in sheep's clothing, a criminal. Both narratives, Danielson/Roy's and Brundo's call attention to this trope, that is: the wolf in sheep's clothing, and the ways in which people can be so easily manipulated with simple language and actions. I'm intrigued to see where this comic goes, and what notions it will challenge and call attention to next!