VeeFriends Issue 11 double first appearance features Adaptable Alien and Adventurous Astronaut. It’s well known that Adaptable Alien is my favorite character in VeeFriends. So this was a highly anticipated issue for me. As the release of VeeFriends Issue 11 approached, previews and teasers began circulating. One image showed Adventurous Astronaut’s helmet, and prominently centered in the glass was the face of Adaptable Alien.

I almost fainted.

At first glance, my brain sprinted to a dramatic conclusion. I thought they were going to reveal that underneath Adventurous Astronaut’s helmet had always been Adaptable Alien. That the two were about to be merged into one canonical character right from the start. And I hated it.

The idea felt wrong. It felt like collapsing two distinct archetypes into a twist for shock value. It felt unnecessary. Even repulsive. Naturally, I brought this panic to the Alien Traits holders in our exclusive members group chat. Thankfully, someone calmly pointed out the obvious. The Adaptable Alien face was likely just a reflection on the exterior glass of the helmet, not a full body inside the suit.

Ah...

Phew!

They’re still separate characters. Still distinct forces. Still positioned for something more complex than a surface-level merge. With the fog of confusion and panic cleared from my mind, I could finally begin serious speculation. In a back-and-forth with Alex Orphanos, holder of the Alien Traits Adventurous NFT, we started running scenarios. We came up with the following hypotheses:

1. Alien Bad, Astronaut Good: The story we already know. That’s the cultural default. It’s safe. Familiar. Predictable.

2. Alien Good, Astronaut Bad: This would feel unexpected. So that immediately becomes a possibility. But it’s also just a clean inversion. The most expected “unexpected” move.

3. Alien Good, Astronaut Good: Instantly cooperating with perfect synergy? That’s too easy. I could thoroughly enjoy a story about their cooperation but it would lack complexity. This is the second most obvious or expected choice. I would be happy with this despite its simplicity but my gut tells me it's too simple for Gary to choose. 

4. Alien Bad, Astronaut Bad: Both secretly bad and teaming up to destroy Earth and humanity? That would be the least expected outcome. It would absolutely generate shock. It would dominate timelines. But it also feels like pure reaction bait. It clashes with their established traits and the foreshadowing we’ve been given. My gut says no here too. Though I’ll admit, it would certainly get reactions.

The 5th option is the one Alex and I both aligned on...

5. What if they both genuinely see themselves as good, but operate under different systems that each define “good” differently? Two agents serving different ultimate goods. Philosophically aligned in intention. Structurally opposed in execution. That creates real tension without breaking character integrity. Conflict born from ideology, not morality.

And perhaps, eventually, alignment.

We shall see.

But those were my thoughts. Straight from the X back-and-forth with Alex. You can check it out there if you want to watch the raw video with Alex's full prediction. Or if you can't believe how accurate our prediction was, the receipts are there. Alex also hosts the Today In Space Podcast. If you're into outer space, I highly recommend checking it out. 

Now, let’s jump into the actual issue. VeeFriends Issue 11 was inspired by the real-life phenomenon 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object ever detected passing through our solar system. Discovered by the ATLAS asteroid survey, it originated from outside the Sun’s gravitational system and is traveling on a hyperbolic trajectory, meaning it is not bound to the Sun and will eventually exit permanently.

Early speculation suggested it could be alien technology due to its extreme speed and comparisons to ʻOumuamua, which showed unusual acceleration that some attributed to possible propulsion rather than gravity alone. However, astronomers detected natural gas emissions from heated volatiles venting near the Sun, confirming the acceleration was caused by outgassing and that 3I/ATLAS is a normal interstellar comet, not alien technology.

What if a celestial object were discovered on a direct collision course with Earth, projected to strike 555 days after its detection? That is the premise of VeeFriends Issue 11.

The issue opens in an orbital space station where scientists make the discovery. Earth is in danger. The message is transmitted straight to the White House. The projected impact would be the most catastrophic event since the extinction-level collision that ended the age of the dinosaurs.

On the first page of this issue, there are a few interesting details. What catches my eye first is the honeycomb design of the structure. I do not know if that reflects real-world engineering accuracy or if it is symbolic, but within a universe where Gary Bee and his and hive exist, the geometry is hard to ignore. 

The next detail that stands out is how one of the scientists is holding an Adaptable Alien toy. That feels intentional. In a moment centered on extinction-level danger, adaptability is literally present in the room. It may just be set dressing, but it reinforces the core tension of the issue. When survival is at stake, rigidity collapses. Adaptability endures.

The final detail that stands out is the mug on the desk that says, “Keep Looking.” On the surface, it makes perfect sense. Their job is vigilance. They are scanning the skies for threats to Earth, extraterrestrials, anomalies, anything that could become catastrophic if ignored.

But in a franchise that has consistently rewarded attentive readers, it is hard not to feel a second layer. “Keep Looking” reads almost like an instruction to people like me to keep looking for hidden clues, whether in this panel, this issue, or VeeFriends lore as a whole. Keep scanning the background. Keep connecting threads. Keep writing these breakdowns. 

Either way, the issue establishes its foundation clearly. The danger is real. The clock has started. And someone, inside the story or outside of it, needs to keep looking.

When the news reaches the White House, we see the President assembling what appears to be a full national response council in the Oval Office. The room is packed with leaders representing the sectors that would be accountable in an extinction-level scenario. The tone is urgent but controlled. This is not panic. It is containment.

One visual detail stands out immediately. The President of the United States in the VeeFriends Universe is depicted as a black man wearing a purple tie. That choice matters.

Personally, I think we have more than enough white presidents across both history and fiction. Diversity here feels intentional and appropriate. What I appreciate even more is that he is not framed as a clone or spiritual successor to Barack Obama, who remains America’s only black president in real-world history. This character has a more hardened, militant presence. He feels distinct. Independent. His own man.

If anything, Gary could have subverted expectations even harder. A female president. A president from a racial group that has never held the office. A combination of both. Gary often pushes beyond the obvious inversion, and it would have been interesting to see him lean even further into the unexpected here. Still, the choice works. It does not feel performative. It feels grounded.

Then there is the purple tie.

That detail will be missed by most readers who are not trained detail hunters when it comes to VeeFriends comics. As I mentioned in VeeFriends Issue 01 Explained, purple represents the VeeFriends brand because it is the literal meeting point of red and blue. In the real world, politics are dominated by red and blue. In the VeeFriends Universe, balance wins. The President wearing purple is not an accident. It is a visual declaration that this administration does not belong to a binary. It belongs to balance. 

Inside the Oval Office meeting, the President’s primary concern is not the asteroid itself. It is information control. How long do they have before the public finds out? How long can they keep it quiet? The instinct is familiar. Prevent panic. Contain the narrative. Protect the public from a truth they are supposedly not ready to handle.

That tension mirrors real-world conversations more than most people would like to admit. There have been many “truths” in our own society that officials claimed would shatter stability if revealed. Yet when exposed, society did not collapse. Most people barely reacted. The idea that the public cannot handle the truth is a recurring justification for secrecy. VeeFriends taps directly into that nerve.

In the VeeFriends Universe, however, there is only one human the President trusts to handle the pressure: Adventurous Astronaut. He is en route to Mars when the call comes in. Mission aborted. Turn the ship around. Return home. It is not a request. It is an order.

As that directive is issued, the scene shifts to a high-tech facility three hundred feet underground in Dulce, New Mexico. Similar to Roswell, New Mexico, rumored site of Area 51, it's the source of alien conspiracy theories.

Dulce, New Mexico is associated with a conspiracy theory claiming that there is a secret underground base where aliens, particularly Grey aliens, conduct experiments on humans and animals. This theory gained popularity in the late 1970s and 1980s, largely due to claims made by Albuquerque businessman Paul Bennewitz and other UFO enthusiasts.

As we are introduced to this new environment, Adaptable Alien enters the frame. The environment is almost absurdly advanced, reminiscent of Dexter’s Laboratory in its exaggerated technological density. He is surrounded by agents who evoke the Men in Black archetype. Suits. Structure. Controlled secrecy.

Gary walks a fine line here between frontier and familiar. Sometimes he leans into recognizable tropes to anchor the audience. Adaptable Alien working alongside government agents fits comfortably into that cultural template. But where the films positioned the Men in Black as the confident authority, this dynamic flips the hierarchy.

Adaptable Alien treats them like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. He is not impressed. He is not deferential. He operates above them. If he is cooperating with the government, it feels less like allegiance and more like obligation, perhaps some form of negotiated peace. The supposed human authorities are reduced to intermediaries. The real power in the room comes from the extraterrestrial.

When the Men in Black ask Adaptable Alien how to stop the celestial object from striking Earth, his answer is not what anyone expects. He does not intend to stop it. His plan is to adapt to the impact and allow the event to occur.

And he claims it is for the greater good.

He compares the incoming collision to the extinction-level meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, arguing that humanity itself could only rise because that reset happened. It is a chilling parallel. Yes, humans exist because of that extinction event. But if the comparison holds, then what follows us after this impact would rise because of ours.

That is not a comforting proposition.

Is he implying that humanity’s time has expired? If extinction creates opportunity, then whose opportunity is this? We may celebrate the evolutionary opening that followed the dinosaurs, but we are not eager to volunteer as the next fossil layer. So the question sharpens. Is Adaptable Alien a villain? If he believes this is good, then how does he define good? And by what authority does he make that determination?

As the clock ticks and the interstellar object draws closer, the news leaks. The world begins to panic. Markets tremble. Governments scramble. The illusion of stability fractures almost immediately.

Meanwhile, Cynthia, the scientist who first detected the object aboard the orbital station, has been transferred to a terrestrial NORAD facility embedded within Cheyenne Mountain. There, analyzing deeper data, she uncovers something alarming. A signal is being transmitted between the incoming object and a classified underground installation in Dulce, New Mexico. The same facility where Adaptable Alien operates.

That discovery reframes everything.

While the world spirals, Adventurous Astronaut reenters Earth’s orbit. Armed with the new intelligence, he is redirected immediately to Dulce. The spacecraft he pilots is shaped like an eagle, bold and imposing. It carries the aesthetic weight of classic military heroism. There is a strong resemblance to the exaggerated patriotism of G.I. Joe, an influence we know shaped D.J. Coffman’s early creative language. Whether the inspiration is direct or subconscious, the homage feels intentional.

The confrontation begins with tension already high. Adventurous Astronaut enters convinced that Adaptable Alien is responsible for the asteroid, citing the signal transmission as evidence.

Adaptable Alien does not deny the connection.

Instead, he reframes it. The reset is inevitable. It must happen, he argues, to prevent something worse. According to him, if the impact is avoided, humanity’s trajectory leads toward total nuclear annihilation. This collision, in his view, is not destruction. It is intervention.

Adventurous Astronaut rejects the logic outright. He reaches for Adaptable Alien, attempting to physically restrain him. But he forgets who he is dealing with. Adaptable Alien does not resist. He adjusts. And that may be far more dangerous.

At the end of the scuffle, Adventurous Astronaut does manage to land a solid elbow jab on Adaptable Alien’s jaw, but it is not enough. Remarking on how violent humans are and how instead they need to “Work together. Adapt. Survive,” Adaptable Alien uses one of the machines in the underground tech facility to teleport himself out of there. Notably, he appears briefly in his manga art form. Then he pixelates out. 

The energy blast from the machine knocks Adventurous Astronaut, the hazmat men, and the Men In Black, unconscious. The final panel focuses in on Adventurous Astronaut, clearly unconscious on the ground. 

And then the issue does something that genuinely throws off the rhythm.

The scene cuts to television footage of a reporter and the White House press secretary discussing how the public is in full panic about the interstellar object colliding in 488 days.

Immediately following, we are shown a massive beam of purple and white energy from outer space rapidly approaching Earth as people panic in the streets below. Then the beam strikes with a loud ba-boom, blasting debris from structures it has clearly destroyed.

At first glance, this appears to be the very impact the entire issue has been building toward. But that interpretation immediately collapses, because the panel just before it shows the news stating the collision is still 488 days away.

The sequence ends with Adventurous Astronaut waking up and shouting, “No!” If he is waking up, then the impact we just witnessed must have been a nightmare he was experiencing while unconscious. Logically, that is the cleanest explanation. But if that is the case, why include a real-time news broadcast after he passes out and before the dream imagery begins?

That placement creates structural friction. If the news panel had appeared immediately before Adventurous Astronaut lost consciousness, it would not read as part of the nightmare sequence. If the 488 days had briefly shifted to 1 day, then reverted to 488 when he woke up, the dream logic would have been unmistakable. If the news broadcast had instead followed his awakening, it would have clearly signaled a return to reality.

Any one of those adjustments would have grounded the reader.

As it stands, the ambiguity is not subtle. It is central. In a first appearance issue built around a looming celestial collision, when a beam from outer space visibly strikes Earth, readers need to know exactly what just happened. That clarity should not depend on post-panel deduction. Either the dream needed to be verbalized, or the visual language needed to make the nightmare framing unmistakable.

Transparently, I had to consult with Keith McNamee who is a holder of several Alien Traits NFTs, to fully process what was being implied. At first, I considered whether the beam was a preliminary strike from the interstellar object. That did not track with the 488-day timeline. Then I wondered if it was connected to Adaptable Alien’s teleportation from the underground facility. But if the beam originated from outer space, where would it be transporting him to? And why would a retrieval beam create a destructive explosion on impact?

Neither explanation held up under scrutiny. That is why I reached out. Keith confirmed he had experienced the same confusion before arriving at the dream interpretation.

That moment of uncertainty is not what I want attached to an issue I was this excited for, especially one centered on my favorite character. But it is not a fatal flaw. It is a pacing misfire in an otherwise compelling narrative.

Adventurous Astronaut and the others regain consciousness. One of the Men In Black asks what just happened and Adventurous Astronaut explains that he is gone. Scared there is no solution without Adaptable Alien, one of the men starts crying and is shown literally saying “Sob!” in the speech bubble. I thought that was odd. Is this normal in comics? Shouldn't things like “Pow” and “Sobs” have their own font and be outside of the speech bubble? Adventurous Astronaut literally has to slap some sense into this guy and the way his slap impacted face is drawn is hysterical. It’s a small, silly detail, but moments like that are exactly what I love about comics and anime.

Hope is not abandoned.

The President announces the plan to intercept the interstellar object directly. Adventurous Astronaut will pilot a rocket into space and attempt to stop it.

The countdown begins. The rocket launches.

Then comes the twist.

Adaptable Alien is already on board. When confronted, he reveals that the interstellar object was never a threat. It is his ship. It was never going to hit Earth.

And that is where my confusion is finally resolved.

If the object is his ship, then the beam that struck Earth clearly was not teleporting Adaptable Alien upward. If it had been, he would already be there. That realization reinforces the interpretation that the purple and white cosmic impact was not a literal strike at all, but a nightmare Adventurous Astronaut was experiencing while unconscious.

I still stand by my position that this could have been handled more cleanly. When you build a story around a looming cosmic collision and visually depict what looks like impact before revealing the truth, the audience needs firm footing. Instead, we are left bridging the gap ourselves through implication that is meant to feel obvious in retrospect.

Was the 488-days news panel sequenced awkwardly? Was it a layout decision that did not land as intended? Or did the creators believe that placement strengthened the tension in the moment? With a bit of luck, maybe D.J. will clarify that choice.

Regardless, the ambiguity surrounding the impact beam is only a single structural seam in an otherwise high-concept, high-stakes narrative that works and delivers overall.

In the final panel of the issue, the epic duo blast off into space, heading toward Adaptable Alien’s spaceship. It is a rush of momentum and emotion all at once. My primary criticism remains the same: I was, and still am, confused about the ba-boom beam. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue.

The closing line is where things become truly intriguing. Adaptable Alien informs Adventurous Astronaut that he is not the only alien. That alone expands the universe. We already know Impeccable Inostranet exists as one of the 251 VeeFriends Series 2 characters, so the presence of other extraterrestrials is not shocking. But he does not simply say “other aliens.” He warns of a “benevolent species” discovering Earth.

And that phrasing feels deliberate.

Does it mean what I think it means? Is everyone else thinking the same thing? The only character explicitly branded as benevolent in VeeFriends is Benevolent Barn Owl. Is this early foreshadowing that all is not as it seems with Benevolent Barn Owl? Could that character be part of an alien species rather than merely symbolic wisdom?

If so, that is a massive narrative seed planted quietly at the end of a first appearance issue.

What a thought to leave us with.

VeeFriends Issue 11, for me, was not just a double first appearance. It was a philosophical collision disguised as a sci-fi crisis. It forced Adaptable Alien and Adventurous Astronaut into direct ideological confrontation and asked a question bigger than “Who is right?” It asked, “Who defines good?” The issue expands the VeeFriends Universe from symbolic character traits into a layered cosmic narrative where extinction, intervention, secrecy, balance, and identity all intersect.

Even with the confusion about the ba-boom beam, the core achievement stands: this was not a simple hero versus villain story. It was a tension between adaptation and protection, reset and preservation, transparency and control. It deepened Adaptable Alien beyond archetype, elevated Adventurous Astronaut beyond patriotism, and planted seeds about extraterrestrial species that could reshape everything we think we know about the VeeFriends characters, similar to the effect of the VeeFriends Issue 02 reveal. 

In the broader lore, Issue 11 feels like a hinge point. The universe is no longer just metaphor. It is expanding outward, literally and philosophically, and I am fully locked in to see where that expansion leads.

If what resonated here wasn’t just the review, but the way identity, intent, and character traits were treated as forces that shape reality, that same line of thinking didn’t stop with this article.

Inspired by how VeeFriends treats character traits as forces that shape reality, I created Alien Traits: a 1-of-1 NFT series interpreting each of the 251 core traits. No repeats. Each visual piece also includes a written definition of the trait it represents in OpenSea's "About" section. 

It isn’t VeeFriends art. It’s a parallel conversation with the ideas underneath it.

Explore the full Alien Traits collection here: https://opensea.io/collection/alien-traits

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Up Next...

If you enjoyed VeeFriends Issue 11 Explained, next up is VeeFriends Issue 12 Explained!