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Grey Area: This Island Earth
Meet the cops at the front line of alien immigration! Grey Area is a bold dystopian vision; an Alien Nation for the 21st Century!
ILLEGAL ALIENS!
North America, 2045. The Global Exo Segregation Zone (aka the ‘Grey Area’) is a huge holding area in Arizona housing all manner of aliens hoping to visit earth: a melting pot for alien disputes, crime and inter-species misunderstandings! The only thing standing in the way of chaos is the Exo Transfer Control squads: heavily-armed immigration cops that keep the peace and make sure everyone has their papers in order…
From contemptuous extra-terrestrial ambassadors with diplomatic immunity, to right-wing xenophobic militants and alien freeloaders disguised as luggage: new recruit Jana Birdy discovers that life in the E.T.C. might be the most interesting job on Earth... and the most dangerous!
Stories include:
• Meet & Greet
• Feel the Noise
• The Do
• Personal Space
• Xenophobia
• One of Our Own
• This Island Earth
• Something to Declare
• Did You Pack Your Own Luggage
• Short Straw
• All God's Children
• Rates of Exchange
ILLEGAL ALIENS!
North America, 2045. The Global Exo Segregation Zone (aka the ‘Grey Area’) is a huge holding area in Arizona housing all manner of aliens hoping to visit earth: a melting pot for alien disputes, crime and inter-species misunderstandings! The only thing standing in the way of chaos is the Exo Transfer Control squads: heavily-armed immigration cops that keep the peace and make sure everyone has their papers in order…
From contemptuous extra-terrestrial ambassadors with diplomatic immunity, to right-wing xenophobic militants and alien freeloaders disguised as luggage: new recruit Jana Birdy discovers that life in the E.T.C. might be the most interesting job on Earth... and the most dangerous!
Stories include:
• Meet & Greet
• Feel the Noise
• The Do
• Personal Space
• Xenophobia
• One of Our Own
• This Island Earth
• Something to Declare
• Did You Pack Your Own Luggage
• Short Straw
• All God's Children
• Rates of Exchange
176 pages, Paperback
Published January 10, 2018
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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October 26, 2017All-too-topical series about Earth's treatment of alien immigration and tourism. It's gone a little wobbly of late, but the initial stories collected here were one of the best new 2000AD strips in ages.
January 23, 2018
The rating might be a little high, but overall this is a good science fiction/police procedural series. The core concept is solid. A disastrous first contact led to Earth setting up an entry port out in the Arizona desert. It is up to ETC officers, all Terran, to police the area, protect humans and aliens from each other, and essentially act as border patrol.
The concept is not new, I know there have been a at least a couple of novels that have used a like idea, and Image Comics' Port of Earth is very similar (I've read issue 1 and will likely read the trade of that).
But Gray Area was there before Port of earth by about 5 years. The characterization is about the level of a CBS television police procedural, which mean not much. Part of this is likely because the original stories were mostly in the 2000 AD weekly and that format doesn't allow for much character development.
The stories presented work. Issues such as diplomatic immunity and smuggling work well in this context. One of the longer pieces involves anti-alien Earth Firsters, a timely tale for one living in the U.S. at this moment.
Bulliet takes the lead as the character focus in most of the stories. Birdy is arguably second as in some ways she is meant as a reader's viewpoint character as the rookie officer entering this world.
The concept is not new, I know there have been a at least a couple of novels that have used a like idea, and Image Comics' Port of Earth is very similar (I've read issue 1 and will likely read the trade of that).
But Gray Area was there before Port of earth by about 5 years. The characterization is about the level of a CBS television police procedural, which mean not much. Part of this is likely because the original stories were mostly in the 2000 AD weekly and that format doesn't allow for much character development.
The stories presented work. Issues such as diplomatic immunity and smuggling work well in this context. One of the longer pieces involves anti-alien Earth Firsters, a timely tale for one living in the U.S. at this moment.
Bulliet takes the lead as the character focus in most of the stories. Birdy is arguably second as in some ways she is meant as a reader's viewpoint character as the rookie officer entering this world.
January 31, 2018
This is completely new to me although I knew the name Dan Abnett. The theme is such a parable of feelings of today towards immigrants and migrants that it works very well in portraying topics of concern. Alien rituals, the same greed and deception one finds in the human race, humans who try to implicate aliens in murder to start wars between both parties - all familiar topics on headline news. the difference is this is set in a future when aliens visit Earth and are held pending clearance. This is no sanitized Star Trek, with corridors clean from dust or scrapes but a grimy shameful place with mixtures of alien races and mixtures of human races - one 'infected' with a virus that allows him to instantly translate alien speech - which makes him a bit of an outsider. One story concerns mis-identification and its consequences and do not ask about cavity searches!
The art is very strong throughout the book and backgrounds filled with detail
The art is very strong throughout the book and backgrounds filled with detail
April 29, 2018
2000ad have always been excellent purveyors of originality, and Grey Area is no exception. Like many of their trade paper book releases, this collects 12 stories that have previously appeared in the 2000ad magazine.
The main setting is simple enough, aliens come to earth, The Grey Area is their holding zone. Xenophobics are everywhere, and this book tells tales of a group of people trying to keep the peace (the premise reminds me a little of David Brins Uplift trilogy).
For the most part, each story is self contained, there is no filler here and its refreshing. Whether the writers are going for a serious tone, or mild comedy, they hit the mark every time. The art is also exceptional, with Lee Carter in particular being a standout.
What's great, is that there are a lot more Grey Area stories out there, I really hope we can expect another trade paperback release in the near future.
Must Read
5/5
The main setting is simple enough, aliens come to earth, The Grey Area is their holding zone. Xenophobics are everywhere, and this book tells tales of a group of people trying to keep the peace (the premise reminds me a little of David Brins Uplift trilogy).
For the most part, each story is self contained, there is no filler here and its refreshing. Whether the writers are going for a serious tone, or mild comedy, they hit the mark every time. The art is also exceptional, with Lee Carter in particular being a standout.
What's great, is that there are a lot more Grey Area stories out there, I really hope we can expect another trade paperback release in the near future.
Must Read
5/5
December 18, 2021
Another decent sci-fi action story from the pages of 2000AD. Dan Abnett seems a reliable purveyor of quality stories with a military angle, and this is no exception. It's set in the near future where our heroes are an ETC squad (Exo Transfer Control), policing the quarantine zone set up to receive alien visitors.
The artists change throughout this first collection but it's pretty consistent in terms of quality. The stories are mostly 'one offs' but there is a satirical connecting thread: a hardcore group of xenophobes will do anything to send the aliens packing. The visitors come in all shapes and sizes and the tone is fairly light. Great fun but an overarching story might be nice. I'll be back for part two, unlike all our plucky peace keepers.
By way of warning, the story includes a fairly gratuitous nude scene - a first for 2000AD as far as I recall. We're a long from Dan Dare & Walter the Wobot.
The artists change throughout this first collection but it's pretty consistent in terms of quality. The stories are mostly 'one offs' but there is a satirical connecting thread: a hardcore group of xenophobes will do anything to send the aliens packing. The visitors come in all shapes and sizes and the tone is fairly light. Great fun but an overarching story might be nice. I'll be back for part two, unlike all our plucky peace keepers.
By way of warning, the story includes a fairly gratuitous nude scene - a first for 2000AD as far as I recall. We're a long from Dan Dare & Walter the Wobot.
November 7, 2024
0.5 Stars. The core idea could be interesting, but it is executed poorly.
The message of "xenophobia bad, tolerance good" isn't particularly deep, though it would seem that for some people just stating that makes this comic worthy of praise.
Paired with clumsy exposition, bland colours for the most part ,sometimes downright bad art, and plain characters (rugged veteran, gung ho squaddie, innocent new girl, "oi mate I'm British" dude..) who talk like teenagers, makes this very hard to recommend.
Add a touch of sexism and teenage titillation, and it is downright bad.
Read as collected in the 2000ad Ultimate Collection #109.
The message of "xenophobia bad, tolerance good" isn't particularly deep, though it would seem that for some people just stating that makes this comic worthy of praise.
Paired with clumsy exposition, bland colours for the most part ,sometimes downright bad art, and plain characters (rugged veteran, gung ho squaddie, innocent new girl, "oi mate I'm British" dude..) who talk like teenagers, makes this very hard to recommend.
Add a touch of sexism and teenage titillation, and it is downright bad.
Read as collected in the 2000ad Ultimate Collection #109.
January 15, 2018
Solidly muscular Science Fiction storytelling just as you would expect from 2000 AD.
December 17, 2021
Good sci-fi fun. More people should read this tourist/immigration/procedure comic with great art and funny bits and love developing.
September 11, 2022
I have a different cover than this one. Love the stories and the idea of how first.contact can go so badly for us.
August 6, 2018
This series pretty much perfectly balances the action and humour-packed thrills of your typical 2000AD series with your cunning satire of your typical 2000AD series. In other words, it's some of the best stuff I've read from 2000AD lately!!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews