Starport by George R.R. Martin. Adaptation by Raya Golden

Martin wrote this as a TV pilot in the early 90s and Golden took the script and adapted it into a graphic novel.

A scifi-comedy-mystery set in an alternative Chicago where aliens have built one of three Earth Starports. Yet, radical right-wing “Human Firsters” oppose the port and all things alien. An undercover cop finds out their plan to take out an emissary from the alien coalition who is traveling to our planet to broker a massive energy deal, but a deal that would put many people out of work. The Chicago PD and the alien security from the port will work together to neutralize the threat. Will they be able to protect “cockroach-looking topman?”

Starport is very good romp through so many different worlds we are familiar with: the inner-city police precinct, the Galaxy-Quest humor, the ass-kissing bureaucracy of intra-office politics. I loved the police captain who was just trying to get his pension, the idealistic rookie who is an amateur alien expert, and the cross-species romance. At just under 300 pages, there is good depth for all the characters, and the background is deftly sprinkled throughout.

I’m going to take a whole paragraph on this great artwork… Where do we go next with the alien? Because we started with that bulbous-headed green guy… As much as I liked the city scenes, it was the starport and alien beings that struck me in this one. Each character is unique and fresh, and their ships and architecture are a good blend of retro and weird.

A quality mashup that will have you reading this graphic novel in one sitting.