Review by Frank Plowright
For his second Archive of the Unexplained, Steve Foxe drops into a matter still the subject of endless speculation. Area 51 is an American Air Force base in a remote section of the Nevada desert. Its highly classified operations have given rise to numerous theories, the most famous of which is that an alien craft crashed there in 1947 and ever since the American authorities have attempted to reverse-engineer the technology.
Foxe’s way into an airing of the assorted mysteries is TJ attending the funeral of his mother’s uncle, and discovering a secret passageway to a hidden room. There he finds a CIA file about Area 51. TJ remarks early that reading the file is like a history lesson, which is Foxe getting the excuses in early. He has a vast amount of information to pass on, and much of it needs to be contextualised for younger readers. Despite Fran Bueno’s attractive art, there’s no disguising much of Area 51 as a history lesson. However, it’s a history lesson stretching from Nevada across the USA featuring planes, spies, and possibly aliens depending on what readers want to believe.
The must lurid speculation about alien autopsies is avoided, although the incident features, but with so many bizarre claims associated with the area TJ’s document discovery is long and detailed. The American government’s longstanding policy of secrecy and disinformation is shown to have muddied matters, offering easily disproved solutions, and the claims of some individuals are more concerned with a moment in the spotlight than the truth. Despite that, several mysteries remain completely unexplained, and it wasn’t until the 21st century that the US government officially acknowledged the facility’s existence.
Despite delving into some fantastic areas, Bueno’s neat art is rooted in realism, with people, uniforms, locations and vehicles rendered with attention to detail. Sometimes surprisingly bold colour completes an appealing look.
Having concentrated largely on historical fact, or as much as can be verified, it’s only toward the end that Foxe delves into the more outrageous claims of alien interference. These are delivered skirting sensitive issues, with probes not mentioned.
Lacking the anecdotal quality of the previous Unwanted Guests means Area 51 is a different type of project, but well researched and presented. Pushing young minds into areas beyond their personal experience is always to be encouraged, and perhaps one day a reader of this book will be able to supply the definitive truth about Area 51.
