C.H.E.S.S. Aliens Passage #1 - Apogee Comics

C.H.E.S.S. ALIENS PASSAGE No. 1, January 2020

As “action-packed” one-shots go, it is hard to argue that Alfred Paige's narrative for “C.H.E.S.S. Aliens Passage” doesn’t deliver on its promise to take its readership on a high-octane journey packed-full of zinging bullets, roaring hot spurts of flame and sense-shattering explosions. Indeed, the creator of the Command Headquarters of Espionage and Strategic Strikes pens such a ferociously paced piece that doubtless few within this comic’s enthralled audience even managed to pause for breath before the twenty-four page periodical cataclysmically concluded. 

Fortunately however, despite its almost insane commitment to sense-shattering shenanigans, this publication doesn’t simply roll out a seemingly endless series of meaningless fight sequences, but actually spends quite come considerable time building up the relationship between “two of the C.H.E.S.S. Team favourite characters.” These strained interactions, as one can hardly imagine the likes of James Washington and Richard Kincaid truly getting along with one another, adds a palpable sense of tension to the proceedings, which genuinely encourages the book’s bibliophiles to repeatedly question what its sole two protagonists are actually going to do so as to thwart the surprisingly sudden alien invasion of Nevada in America.

Such second-guessing lies at the heart of this comic’s success, and doesn’t just end when Pinpoint’s standard mission goes horribly awry with the revelation that his target quite possibly isn’t human. In fact, the gun-toting maniac’s obsessive desire to successfully complete his assassination of a "scumbag", despite it being substantially belittled in the face of the far more serious threat to the future of the planet, means Blowtorch can seemingly never confidently believe his bald-headed subordinate is going to do precisely as ordered; “Tell ya what, Blow’ -- I’ll flip ya for it. You wanna call it? Loser plays tour guide.”

Adding to this scintillating story’s raw energy is Edson Alves' artwork, which does a great job of portraying the sheer pleasure Washington takes in gunning down row after row of hapless Roswell Greys in his rage-fuelled determination to finally kill his potentially immortal target. Likewise, the illustrator also does an excellent job in depicting the remote landscape surrounding the secret operatives during their difficult 'military operation'. Whether it be a badly-boarded old wooden mine building or a dilapidated brick house, the sheer isolation of the heroes’ situation is perfectly captured by this book’s pencilling.

Writer: Alfred Paige, Edits & Letters: Bernie Lee, and Artwork: Edson Alves