From Taki Soma and John Broglia, Alienated is a new comic book series that asks: how would the world react to contact with alien life? With the first issue now available from Comixology Originals, we have preview pages you can read right now, along with a Q&A with Takia Soma that talks all about the making of the sci-fi comic book series:
What inspired you to tell the story of Alienated and how did this project come together?
Taki Soma: Hi there! Thanks for having me. Alienated is actually a result of a single image that came to mind one morning of a bunch of grey aliens littering the streets who arrived to make contact but died as soon as they appeared - just like how the story starts. That is all I had to start with, but the image intrigued me and inspired me to ask questions which lead to form a complete story and voila, Alienated came to life.
Do you consider yourself a firm believer in aliens and UFOs? If yes, is there a particular story or event that convinced you?
Taki Soma: In short, yes - I am a believer who is also a skeptic. Meaning I hope they’re what we think they are and they’re visiting us in their spacecraft, but I’m skeptical that is actually the case. I have gone to the foot of Mt. Adams, a mountain known for their aerial anomalies to go sky watching. That’s what us believers call it when you watch the night sky with equipment such as light gathering binoculars, a telescope, and such for the sole intention and hopes of catching a glimpse at a spaceship. But we, meaning my husband, Michael Avon Oeming who is also the cover artist for Alienated, have never seen anything… yet.
You collaborated with John Broglia on this project. Can you share a bit about your creative process working together to develop the characters and look of this series?
Taki Soma: First of all, John’s been a friend of mine for almost 20 years, I was at his wedding! Second of all, boy, where did the time go…? Anyway, since he’s a friend and I’m familiar with his work, when it came to character designs, I described only what pertains to the story, but other than that, free range. And the result was magic! None of the characters looked like what I pictured, but as soon as I saw his designs, these characters came to life. They were real to me. He breathed humanity into them and that is the beauty of a really good collaboration. It’s something I can’t manufacture, it just worked out this way.
The story starts off with a mystery surrounding dead aliens and the humans that interact with the remaining alien survivor. Can you give our readers a tease of what they can expect over the 6-issue series?
Taki Soma: The mystery is one aspect of many that I hope you enjoy reading Alienated. I really thought about how society would react, how it would or wouldn’t change as a result of a global alien contact only to be left with questions with no answers. I also thought about how would a family who is protecting the only known living alien react, who might crack, what would they be willing to sacrifice to protect its life? These questions, I hope, are just as intriguing as the mystery of Alienated.
Thanks for indulging me in talking about Alienated at ComiXology Originals. Issue #1 is available 04/08/2025! https://a.co/d/9iybT0U
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"The time has come. The world wakes one morning to the news of alien contact. Finally. But they are all dead...except for one. What does it want, why did they arrive, and why did they all perish? When TJ, a retired teacher, and his grandkids come in contact with the alien they are determined to protect it and find some answers.
Alienated is a science fiction drama series written by Taki Soma, who is best known for her work on Bitch Planet, Rapture, The Victories, Dick Tracy, Iron Man, and the autobiographical comic Sleeping While Standing, and drawn by artist John Broglia, whose most recent work includes Nice Jewish Boys."
ALIENATED (#1 of 6)
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