Press Release
Limber up for an all-action, all-ages, extra-terrestrial, eighties-set underdog sports adventure! First time creators Jack RB Kirby and Mat Barnett bring to the page Alien in the Outfield, the story of an alien who crash-lands on earth and joins little league baseball team the Roswell Rockets in order to evade capture by the FBI! Our alien hero runs into Joel Horovitz, a misfit teen who feels like the loneliest kid on earth. Can Joel help Alien get back to his home planet? Will Alien help Joel make some friends? And can the Roswell Rockets beat the jocks and win the league?Jack and Mat cooked up the plot in an American-style diner whilst trying to think of classic eighties movies that hadn’t actually been made. In order to create a sense of time and place, the frames are packed with nods and references to films that inspired the themes and mood of the comic. The book takes hallmarks of American teen movies – the girl next door, the team of lovable losers, the sinister authorities – and presents them with a tongue in the cheek and a raised eyebrow.
Alien in the Outfield is an all-ages book in the truest sense of the words; Jack and Mat hope that kids will love Alien’s grumpy demeanour and antics whilst ‘big kids’ will recognise the nostalgic elements of the comic and enjoy the craft and humour.
Whilst producing the book, Jack and Mat documented their creative process on www.alienintheoutfield.com, to provide a how to – or how not to – guide for other first timers looking to independently create their own comics. From scripting to inking, designing merchandise and the fascinating world of barcode creation, the site is a useful resource for others looking to tell their stories.
The comic will be exclusively available at the London Super Comic Convention, March 15th-16th before being available online in physical and digital formats.
Alien in the Outfield #1 is the first of four issues in a limited series. Words by Jack RB Kirby, art by Mat Barnett. Cover by Ted Haddon.
