Review - The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1

Space is the place for adventures and events that threaten both space and time simultaneously. It's bred countless heroes, villains, storylines and adventures. Alibi Jones is one more dashing do-gooder traversing the galaxy in The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1.

Published by Earthbound Comics, the work is written and lettered by Mike Luoma and illustrated by Meisha and Rhys Ap Gwyn.

It's the year 2135 and Alibi Jones is a Mediator for the Solar Alliance Interplanetary Force. His work puts him smackdab in the middle of countless standoffs between humans and aliens across three different stories in the first issue: "Blind Eye," "Father's Day" and "About Time."

The three stories all line up to present different facets of Alibi Jones. "Blind Eye" has him attending a gala event at the behest of his aunt where he discovers something sinister is happening with a new colony. The second story, "Father's Day," is a flashback that gives the reader a look into his past. Finally, "About Time" is probably the meatiest of the three, where Alibi confronts the Devrizium, a box that can transport any individual to any time.

The three stories present Alibi as someone well-known throughout the galaxy. His relationship with his aunt it reminiscent of Archer, where Archer works for his mother. Alibi Jones is far less crass though and there's not the same back and forth between the two.

Alibi also has a relationship with Shirra, something that goes back long before the issue kicks in. They've got a very familiar back and forth that works well for the book and isn't overly annoying. It's going to set up quite a few scenarios down the road where one will rely on the other to get out of a sticky situation.

Meisha's black and white artwork is surprisingly effective. Considering this is a book about space and theoretically scientific advancements, you wouldn't necessarily think that the book should be black and white. The ironic thing is that the second story, "Father's Day," is actually in color and that's a flashback.

The first issue of the series has a great feel to it. There's some action and mystery, as well as some great black and white artwork that fits really well. Alibi is a character that's confident and well traveled, but he's not cocky like a lot of other space heroes. There's an interesting universe being created with the first issue and it'll be interesting to see if the focus remains solely on Alibi Jones in future issues.

The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1 is available now on Indy Planet.