One of the late Michael Turner’s final projects is the Aspen Comics series, Homecoming, which just released its third issue. Ten years ago, a young woman named Celeste and her mother Carla disappeared. Now, after the search ended and nearly everyone forgot, Celeste returned to the home she lived in before her disappearance. The house just happens to belong to the Wilson family, whose son Hunter is now harboring Celeste and hiding the secret that she has returned to Earth after being abducted by an alien race. Since her return, Celeste has brought nothing but complications to Hunter and his friends, and now, someone else has returned from a long journey away. Not everything is what it seems.

As one of Michael Turner’s last creations before his passing, Homecoming has been one of the most anticipated series from the Aspen Comics stable in quite some time. So far, writer David Wohl, artists Emilio Laiso and Brett Smith, along with letterer Josh Reed, have done a great job telling this strange story as a fast-paced action series. While writer David Wohl has every reason to support his choice of pacing, the frenetic plot development does take some getting used to. The story is entertaining to a point, though not everything works out due to the pacing, which leaves less room for character development and motivations than some readers may prefer.

The art team of Emilio Laiso and Brett Smith have created a vibrant environment for the story to take place in, with the thick line art working well with the atmosphere of the story. The characters are detailed and colorful, though the multiple distance shots do make the figures a bit more blurry, more often than is desired.

The plot itself has been pretty well done so far, though, with a great twist ending coming with the final page of this issue, just as it has in previous issues of the series. While there are some up and down moments, this series has become synonymous with being an exciting series full of surprises and action. Hopefully this will continue, as the major plot twists have become the highlight of the series as a whole.

Summary: While it has its dull moments, Homecoming is a fun and exciting story featuring great artwork and a breakneck pace. Though its one of the final creations by Aspen Founder Michael Turner, it’s so far been worth checking out to see his influence as his company continues to make strides in the comic book world. With aliens, superpowers and a twisting plot, Homecoming is one series that should definitely be checked out.

The Good: Excellent Cliffhangers, Solid Artwork

The Bad: Fast Pacing Can Make Things Confusing

The Ugly: Pacing Takes Away From Character Development

Score: 8.0