I feel like I am reading a leaked script and storyboard for the next big thing.

Briggs Land takes place in my backyard. Okay maybe not literally in my back yard, but in Upstate NY. I grew up in this area of apple picking, craft beer, and about the prettiest autumn you could ever imagine. Those are some of the nice things in Upstate NY, but Briggs Land isn’t about any of those. Briggs Land is about Grace. I don’t mean the prayer you say before you eat a meal, but perhaps that works too since Grace does represent hope.

I have read all three issues of this fantastic series, and it is quite apparent without spoiling too much that it deals with what happens when a woman tries to lead in what has been conceivably a man’s world. Her husband Jim Briggs, who has run Briggs Land for a long time, is now in prison. In the first issue, we see Grace tell him that she is now going to take over the nearly one hundred acre community and return it to its roots. Of course, this means dealing with criminals and trying to restore order, much like a new Sheriff in a corrupt town in the old west. Grace must face opposition from all corners, including a few of her own sons. Noah is the loyal son, and he plays a major part in this issue which contains mostly him and Grace.

Brian Wood is crafting an excellent tale here, and it feels like it is a slowly burning powder keg. I have been on board with this series since this first issue, and I am still on board. Sure, recognizing the small towns surrounding this anti-government community that is deep in the wilderness makes me smile, but it’s more than that. It’s Brian’s writing. It’s Mack’s art. I feel like I am reading a leaked script and storyboard for the next big thing. AMC is developing the show for television, and when you read it you can see why. It would fit right in among the already fantastic stable of shows the network has.

Also, Mack Chatter’s art is awesome. It fits perfectly with the story. I want to ask him one day if Grace is based off of Julianne Moore, because so far, she is all I can see when I see Grace. Lee Loughridge also shines on color. The contrast of the deep blacks and greens of the forest with the grays of the road is the perfect backdrop to this tense story. The way this book does flashback scenes are also how I want everyone to do them now. The way the inks are lighter and the colors are faded blends so nicely and immediately tells the reader we are in the past.

The feds are investigating Briggs Land and trying to figure out if Grace’s husband, Jim Briggs is running it from prison, and what is really happening there. Only time will tell what will happen in Briggs Land, and this is just the end of the first arc, State Of Grace. This story is far from done with us, and I cannot wait to spend more time in my anti-government Upstate NY back yard that is Briggs Land.

Story: Brian Wood Art: Mack Chatter Color: Lee Loughridge Cover: Tula Lotay
 Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Dark Horse provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review