The Broadcast

During a terrible storm in 1938, the inhabitants of a rural Indiana town listen as Orson Welles broadcasts his now-notorious "War of the Worlds" radio program. Then the power goes out before listeners can learn that the broadcast is a hoax. The story's events play out against this backdrop of intensifying tension and fear of the alien threat, in which the citizens begin to turn on one another. Gavin, a farmer's son, plans to marry Kim over the objections of her affluent father, Schrader, who is also involved in a bitter dispute with another farmer, Jacob. A black stranger named Marvin, covered in blood, mysteriously arrives at the homestead where Gavin lives with his father, Eli. Many of the characters hide in a barn but begin to strike out as anger, uncertainty, and defensive instincts take over. Events escalate, secrets are revealed, and climactic confrontations ensue as the storm rises to a crescendo. Tuazon's () lines are muted, subtle, and indistinct; his figures are rendered simply in black, white, and gray—perhaps suggestive of the uncertainty and shades of gray in everyday life, especially in times of unrest. Hobbs provides convincing characterizations and a satisfying conclusion. Adult themes, some violence. Recommended.—Jeff Hunter, Royal Oak, MI

During a terrible storm in 1938, the inhabitants of a rural Indiana town listen as Orson Welles broadcasts his now-notorious "War of the Worlds" radio program. Then the power goes out before listeners can learn that the broadcast is a hoax. The story's events play out against this backdrop of intensifying tension and fear of the alien threat, in which the citizens begin to turn on one another. Gavin, a farmer's son, plans to marry Kim over the objections of her affluent father, Schrader, who is also involved in a bitter dispute with another farmer, Jacob. A black stranger named Marvin, covered in blood, mysteriously arrives at the homestead where Gavin lives with his father, Eli. Many of the characters hide in a barn but begin to strike out as anger, uncertainty, and defensive instincts take over. Events escalate, secrets are revealed, and climactic confrontations ensue as the storm rises to a crescendo. Tuazon's (Elk's Run; Tumor) lines are muted, subtle, and indistinct; his figures are rendered simply in black, white, and gray—perhaps suggestive of the uncertainty and shades of gray in everyday life, especially in times of unrest. Verdict Hobbs provides convincing characterizations and a satisfying conclusion. Adult themes, some violence. Recommended.—Jeff Hunter, Royal Oak, MI