I got this one as an ARC. It was originally published in 2014, but this is the “deluxe expanded edition,” with twenty additional pages, and it will be out next spring.

It’s not a bad story, though somewhat old-fashioned. In fact, the plot is reminiscent of a B-movie from the ‘50s. I’ haven't heard of Parker before this, but he seems to have half a dozen previous standalone graphic novels out, plus a sizable body of earlier work for various DC series.

The protagonist is Alden Baylor, an orphaned high school junior somewhere in the American Midwest who lives on the family farm, tries to keep the place tidy with the help of his uncle and a few friends, and works part-time at a gas station. In most ways, he’s an ordinary teenager, though more perceptive than most. Because his uncle runs a planetarium (which Parker seems to have confused with an observatory here), Alden has grown up knowing a lot about astronomy, so it’s not surprising that he throws a party on the farm to watch the Perseid meteor shower.

Only this year, there are a large number of meteorite strikes around the world, which turn out to be vehicles for a migrating force of aliens. They’re not “invaders” in the political or military sense, no matter what the government says (all of whose agents are straight from Central Casting), but an invasive species. They’ve been doing this for millions of years, all over the galaxy, and they have no special plan of action They just want to live. The scientists, of course, want to study them, the military wants to kill them, and the world’s governments just want to keep a lid on the whole thing to avoid public hysteria (which, as they find out, will never work in an age of cell phone cameras). That’s as far as I’ll go with that, to avoid spoilers, but if you’re older and read a lot of science fiction, and especially if you remember "Forbidden Planet" and "Invaders from Mars", you can pretty much predict what will happen. There are some original bits, but not many, to be honest. The artwork is straightforward and serves the writing, so no complaints there. As I said: Not bad but not memorable.

Second time round for me with this title, and while I have no idea now which are the extra pages, the fact remains this is a hugely fun sci-fi book, wrenching a kid away from school crushes and invites to pool parties, and the two men who look after his interests now he's an orphan, and putting him into the world of first contact. The good thing I guess is there is not really a time when anything feels like filler, and where you can tell a page or extended scene seems redundant. But it is a little irksome to see a near-perfect story come out in a way that is probably just longer, and not anywhere nearer the ideal. I was very happy with this, but hey, I was exceptionally happy with the original version of things.

I loved the art in this book, and the study was intriguing. As a science fiction fan and comics enthusiast, there was so much the enjoy here.

Thanks to Netgalley and the authors for providing the free copy

This is the story of an alien invasion, but one that doesn't follow the easy tropes of They seemed to come in peace or Destroy all humans. This is a story of considering what might happen if an alien species invaded but that they were neither hostile nor benign, they just wanted to live, and perhaps not end up like the poor Prawns out of District 9.

Young lad finds that there are in fact aliens in the back garden, and seeks to make contact with them, finding out that they have powers far beyond ours, but that there's something about the alien that he makes contact with that draws them both together. There's a touch of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, and more than a nod to Contact, but the premise draws together well. The problem here is that I can't say much more about it without giving away the reveal. It's well written, presents an intriguing perspective shift, and while the humans reactions to finding out about aliens, their reaction to what and more importantly who the aliens are makes for a compelling story.

I would be very interested to see the next instalment of this.

Alden Baylor and his classmates are sitting out in his field one night watching the largest meteor shower in history. When Alden stumbles across an interstellar visitor, his life and that of everyone on Earth is changed overnight. Are the aliens here to invade the planet? Will they change the world as we know it completely? Alden seems to have forged a special relationship with one of the visitors but can this young teen help to save humanity?

I really enjoyed Meteor Men- loved this heartwarming story and the art work is beautiful. I love how the story has been extended and the new art work has been interspersed amongst the older comic illustrations. The colours used in the illustrations are striking, vivid and definitely eye-catching. Meteor Men is the perfect YA graphic novel that will appeal not only to teens but to adults alike. It's a story about relationships, humanity, and difficult choices and the main protagonist is able to hold a lot on his young shoulders. It's a quick and easy read, the perfect choice for anyone interested in space/alien stories. I want to see what happens next in this story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to review this graphic novel. The expanded edition of Meteor Men will be released on the 1st of February 2022.

Teenager Alden owns a farm, and works at a gas station, and that is sort of his existence. His parents were killed by drunk drivers, so he doesn't drink, but that doesn't mean when he goes to parties he doesn't listen to what is said around him.

Being observant, he discovers that the meteor shower brought more than meteors, but aliens as well. Plus Wilton, the gas station owner is missing.

Of course the government wants to blow everything up, but Alden thinks there is more going on.

Interesting concept of an alien invasion. The novel was a quick read, and there was a lot of superfluous things going on but it wrapped up well.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Meteor Men by Jeff Parker and Sandy Jarrell is an interstellar YA graphic novel that will appeal to fans of Saga and Paper Girls. The story revolves around, Alden Baylor, an ordinary, everyday teenager, who enjoys looking at the stars from his family's farm. His life consists of school, meeting girls, parties, etc. One day, while watching a meteor shower, he stumbles across an alien! This alien may look scary, but he soon befriends it. But will everyone be so welcoming to an extra-terrestrial? Is this the only alien in town? And what will happen when the US government gets involved?

Overall, Meteor Men is a heartwarming science fiction adventure with a message embedded in the story. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys comics, from teenagers to adults. One highlight of this book is the artwork. I wasn't sure that I would enjoy the artwork - American comic book art tends to be hit or miss for me - but I was pleasantly surprised by the well-drawn characters and eye-catching colors. If I had to complain about one thing, I would have to say that I didn't really enjoy the ending. I understand the author's intention and the message they were trying to send, but I would have preferred a different ending. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of graphic novels in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!