Unit 44 Volume 1
Alterna Comics
Story & Letters: Wes Locher
Illustrations & Colors: Eduardo Jimenez
The concept is simple; inept Area 51 agents have forgotten to pay rent for an offsite storage unit, and the contents are sold at auction. It is easy to dismiss a concept as goofy as that, but as the writer 
implores, screw the critics. I agree whole heartedly. Either you get it or you don’t, if you don’t “get it”, then you take things too seriously. In this four issue series, you will experience over the top characters, sitcom like jokes, and a buddy cop movie progress through the typical love/hate emotions. Once I picked up reading this collected volume, I couldn’t stop because I felt like I was reading a comic that spoke to my sense of humor and creativity.
Wes Locher adds a few behind the scenes biographies about the creation and development of this comic. Everyone has dreams and hobbies that over take their life. Locher expressed his UFO fascination by creating this comic series. Hutch and Gibson are two partners at Area 51 whose personalities are clearly defined and emboldened, as is every character we meet throughout the series. Eduardo Jimenez does a fantastic job of making each character memorable and unique. The humor of the comic isn’t just in the writing, but also in the illustrations and facial expressions. This is a great comic where once you are finished reading a panel, pause for a moment to take in all the background funny business.
Within the first few pages of this comic I was laughing and couldn’t wait to keep reading. Sure, the idea is “interesting” as described by a friend of the writer, meaning they didn’t think it would be a success. Sometimes, as Locher did, you just need to do what you love, because the story or concept will resonate with others like you. The writing style feels familiar to me, as the jokes are often sarcastic and extended dialogue. The illustrations are perfect to make the theme of the comic the focus while still remaining important and a main feature. If you don’t take things to seriously, like a good joke and alien invasions, then you need to pick up this funny and creative miniseries.