Pariah #8
Dark Horse
Words: Aron Warner & Philip Gelatt
Pictures: Brett Weldele

It’s good news bad news time:  Good news: this is a great issue.  Bad news: it’s the last issue of Pariah.  But man is there room for more.  And yeah, I arrived late to the Pariah Party, but I really dig/dug this book.  And this issue in particular.

It’s shit or get off the pot time for the Vitros.  All they ever wanted was a chance, and now they have that opportunity, but what will they choose.  I’m not telling because, well, that’s just not cool.  But choose they do.  The tension between the cliques of Vitros is nearing the breaking point and thanks to the number one instigator, Maudsley, it’s about to snap.  I just plain dig all of the dynamics that are flying around this group of hyper intelligent kids.

Lila’s story kind of encapsulates a lot of the teen experience in real life.  Especially in this issue, as we get to see Lila as the vulnerable kid she actually is.  We see the end results of months of struggle with her fellow Vitros and even with her own self-doubt.  But due to circumstances, whether real or imagined, she has taken it upon herself to lead.  Through it all she has had to maintain control and authority, to give the group a goal and a direction.  She has become the adult in the room even though she wants desperately to escape the adults on Earth.

Plus the rest of the crew has their own issues to deal with as well.  You’ve got your leaders struggling for top position, your followers who are just hoping to end up following the best one, peer pressure, insecurity, the pain of a love lost or at the very least not reciprocated accordingly, the sense of solidarity, the sense of isolation.  It’s all there and more.  I’m really sad Pariah has come to an end, I just hope there will be another chapter to come.

Visually this book continues to deliver a unique feel for a sci-fi romp through space.  The lines are loose and a bit wild with a water color motif that gives the whole book an ethereal essence that manages to convey the seriousness of this situation while focusing on the fact that most of these kids are just that, kids.

Solid damn job here.  If you haven’t read any of Pariah yet, you can order the first two collections now and pre-order the third one.  Just do it.

4.5 out of 5 Space Rocks