Review: Trying Human!
5th April 2009
Trying Human by Emy Bitner
It’s hard to describe Trying Human- it’s one of those stories where you can tell every single thing has been planned out, and that all of those little details, species, history etc. are painstakingly crafted. So in a way I feel that saying “it’s about this girl, she discovers she’s been abducted by aliens, and romance ensues” seems like a poor way to summarise it.
But that is the essence of the story. We have two characters from very different worlds who fall for each other. Personally it brings to mind a modern day Romeo and Juliet… but with aliens, abductions and as some one once joked “probings”.
Without spoiling it too much, Rose has been having nosebleeds and blackouts for a while. She seeks help to find out if some thing is medically wrong, only to discover that they have been caused by abductions. The Greys have been abducting humans for currently unknown reasons, and Rose passes the one Grey who seems to have a human quality and sparks fly.
A large amount of the universe, aliens etc. that inhabit Trying Human are based on real accounts of aliens and alien lore- the (I assume) Roswell crash in fact features in the comic as well as the currently well known Grey type aliens and their reptilian counterparts. And all in all you can tell that Emy is truly interested in the genre/lore behind it. It’s nice to see some one with such a passion for their subject for a change.
It’s one of those comics that the instant you start reading it, you keep going until you reach the end of the archive and then you aren’t sure if you should say “wow” or “more”. The artwork has a great style and I’m even jealous of her backgrounds. The story so far has been intriguing- and as with any such plot it answers one question and then raises another two.
It does contain some coarse language so I wouldn’t suggest it for younger readers but certainly teenagers and young adults should enjoy it thoroughly.