5 out of 5

The most balanced Resident Alien arc yet.  All of the RA series have been wonderfully charming: laid back mysteries that slightly sidestep the quirky detective trope by having our detective be an alien.  The key, though, is the believable joy with which Hogan imbues “Harry” as he discovers elements of his life and the world around him; a perfectly charming aspect of The Sam Hain mystery is the way Harry is purposefully seeking out something to solve, even though his life prior to the first volume was quiet and isolated by choice.  It’s a charmingly organic way to make characters connections, as well as to explore and expose more about our lead.  This is all patiently laid out on the page by Steve Parkhouse, madly classy, who’s also proven an ace at negative space, able to place only a couple of key details in any given panel and still make you feel like you’re getting your art’s worth.

The balance I refer to is in regards to the churning Native American and government subplots; these absolutely have value and give the series some interesting oddities to tack onto the core, but in the previous volumes the insertion of these moments always felt like we were putting the story too haltingly on pause.  In Sam Hain, it’s tuned down just to some key moments, and this is plenty to keep us reminded of what else is going on.  The mystery itself is also a lot more satisfying this time, perhaps because Hogan wasn’t shooting for the moon.  Harry uncovers something in his town’s history and goes rooting out the secrets on his own – so there’s no police involvement; no one waiting to be jailed or arrested.  Just a good ol’ fashioned story, told with expert pacing and the perfect dash of restraint in the art, the colors, and the lettering.