The comic is called ROK of the Reds by John Wagner, Alan Grant and Dan Cornwell. This is something I received from BHP comics at the London Book Fair in April this year. It is a publisher I had never heard of but was intrigued by the artwork they had displayed.

I have been hesitating reading this as it is centred on football which I don’t tend to read as it just becomes more about the bad hooligan side of football which I am not interested in. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it as it includes aliens which I am always interested in. I feel that aliens haven’t been touched on much in comics in the traditional sense or maybe I’m wrong?

The idea of this comic is that a footballer who has moved around a lot from club to club and in my opinion acts like a spoilt brat footballer and has hit a crossroads in his career. The aliens come in as a race that has been destroyed and only a few have escaped from their planet. The real question is how the two meet and their stories cross paths?

You’ll have to read it to find out!

The artwork in this comic has a traditional look to it which fits the story really well, with the bright colours and the black outline. The style of the artwork set well with the aliens and has brought a good combination of their scary and human side by the shades of colours used.

The dialogue is very minimal in this comic which worked to its advantage as it made the artwork pop. It may be that because they are just setting the scene, they didn’t want too much to leave the readers bored or not enough to make you interested at the end. It’s fine balance between action and dialogue which they have done really well here.

Overall, I was a bit sceptical about the concept but in the end I was thoroughly convinced and I really want to read the next issue. This comic would suit the age group 7-9 of boys and girls and anyone who is interested in football and aliens. A quick and easy read that intrigued me with the concept and artwork.

As usual, feel free to comment below.