Exo

I,liked this item.

I got this graphic novel based on the simple fact that I love Humanoids’ publications without knowing or expecting anything from it. I’m sure glad that I did because I liked the sci-fi aspect of it and how the story develops, you could say that you are watching a movie and the editing of the two stories going on and how they are interwoven makes it a very cinematic experience, definitely a page turner. The pallet of colors used and the art create the necessary atmosphere to form an intriguing script. The only reason I’m giving it four stars is because the climax of the story felt rushed and the outcome a little unsatisfactory for how invested I became with characters and the situation as a whole; nevertheless, the last panels close with a sense of ultimate reward and hope.

Great!

Where did we come from? Humans. I now know the answer. We came from space. Our intelligence and critical thinking skills are the result of a parasite that entered our bodies and took control of our development, manipulating us from the days when we were hairy and ape-like to sea and space-faring creatures that we are now. That explains our impulse to go out there, our curiosity, our wonder, our reaching out, and our need to explore the great beyond. On earth, right now, there are two to four-inch parasitic worms that can be found in damp areas, e.g., livestock watering troughs, swimming pools, puddles and streams and human-made water cisterns. When ingested by a grasshopper or cricket, the larvae will absorb nutrients within the host and eventually take control of the host’s mind and convince it to drown itself. Then the larva will transform into an adult, escape, swim around and lay eggs in the water for some unsuspecting creature to ingest. Full circle. Brilliant. The author uses this storyline in his book, from water to water, requiring the reader to figure out some things on his/her own, and having the characters explain it to each other (for our benefit) in the final few pages. Parasite seeks return to water; alien seeks return to water. Cool. I like the theory that curious primates sniffed a sea creature on the edges of an ocean, explaining how the parasite entered our system (through the nose). Our, because that used to be us, another step along our evolutionary past. But I have a few questions for the author. Was there a single alien on the planet long ago, or a pair, with one dying on a beach and the other moving to the moon? Did it/they intend to change our history, or was that an accident? Did it die by accident, or was this planned? Was it in a protective suit, or was that its body? Was its sole job to blow up the planet and prevent its own eventual destruction, or did it arrive with a self-destruct mechanism within its spaceship? Did the spaceship immediately fly to the moon and wait for us to evolve? How did the sea-shell-like devices find their way into humans in the modern era? Did the alien arrive millions of years ago in a spaceship, and remain alive all of this time, or did it evolve underwater after arriving billions of years ago on a rock? Were there always humans in contact with the alien on the moon for millions of years, or just recently? And what about those drugs? Using peyote to take trips, to see things differently, visions, magical trips, flying, soaring, swimming, was interesting. What exactly is happening when we’re high or stoned or drunk? Is there something binding us all together, with elements within each of us having that memory of the sea from which we came, or memories of traveling through space, or memories of our former home. All of us. Humanoids. With the same memories. It seems to be one explanation as to why we dream, why we hallucinate when ingesting drugs, why our minds see or feel things that are not actually happening right now. Are these memories, or are they imaginings from a mind capable of creating nonreal events? And seeing the aliens and their space vehicles as squid-like makes sense. Scientists speak about us finding alien life one day, and that life being squid-like, not bipedal or looking anything like the creatures we see in sci-fi films of the past. But I wonder how a squid-like creature could develop space-traveling devices, like our rockets and space craft, in an air environment. Water propulsion is different than gas/air propulsion. And where did it come from? A watery planet? It was quite sad to see the alien ship leave, and in the next scene, a squid-like creature lay on the beach, alone. Dead. It gave its life to accomplish a task. Quite noble. I wonder if it realized that life as it knew it was ending, or if it understood that elements of itself would continue to live within humans for millennia (ingested through the nose of an ape). Did it know? Or did it obey the commands of another? I like this idea of not dying, of ending one form of existence and moving on into another. I wonder if that is what will happen to me, and if my future selves will have memories of who they used to be (me). I don’t mind being composed of lots of other lifeforms. That is just the way things are. I’m not just me. I am us, lots of living things coexisting together, and different today than yesterday, with different creatures moving from here to there with me, some leaving, others joining, and others still evolving as I evolve. I wonder if any of those beings are sentient, capable of imagining themselves within me, even though the composite me might not hear or sense their thoughts. What if? We do not have instruments capable of identifying their thinking patterns, but we can observe their movements, their actions. Is it possible that within me is a universe of thinking beings? And what if my mind is capable of picking up on their thoughts occasionally, like when I am asleep, or when my mind is under the control of some herbal or liquid supplement? And moving beyond me, is it possible that the universe itself is self-aware, yet unaware of all the sentient beings (like me) that exist within it? I enjoyed this book, and made lots of connections to my own life, to science, to fiction, to my own dreams of what life is and where it came from. Excellent story. It tickled my curiosity bone many times.

Good start to the alien visitors arriving on earth. Story line moves rapid enough and the artwork complements to add the emotion. Recommend this book

It wasn’t terrific nor was it bad. The art work is well done, but feels safe. Easy to read and follow along once you get used to the pacing (similar to Carthago series).

Nice drawings but story itself is rather boring and going nowhere.