Invasion on Center Street
Creative Team
writer: KEVIN MICHAEL ROWE
illustrator: LOUIS PETERSON
Reviewed by Xenia “Xenon” Honchar.
A burst of interstellar excitement, Invasion on Center Street is a wonderful return to form for 80s comics in its action-packed 20 pages.
Written by Kevin Michael Rowe and illustrated by Louis Peterson, the reader begins the piece with a cast of burglars who, unfortunately, underestimate their unassuming, tech-savvy neighbor. Said neighbor in a twist if fate could not be happier to see the burglars in order to feed an out of this world hunger. The piece then departs to a short story of a family recalling their father in a seance, and we are then treated to a few shorter works that tie in to the overall theme of extraterrestrial invasion, or a twist of fate.
Invasion on Center Street takes the reader for a ride through each black and white page, bringing nostalgia and life with each panel. The piece has an 80s retro feel to it, with the style of inking specifically feeling like a return to form for an alien centric comic. The dialogue in the final comic titled “Push and Pull” as well as the piece the comic is titled for “Invasion on Center Street,” just screams classic with its flair for the dramatic.
The draw of Invasion on Center Street comes from not only the humor in the work but its non-stop action. Each page is lively, with large black swaths of color leading the eyes to focus on texture, expression, and what really matters in a work like this, awesome monstrous teeth and intergalactic attacks. It's a treat for the eyes as they can dart around the page, immersed in an interesting panel layout, deep black shadows, all paired with witty text laid out in creatively dynamic speech bubbles.
While the “to be continued” nature of the story might not be for everyone, if a blast from the past is what you're looking for, Invasion on Center Street will take you there.