WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS

With the help of Peter and Davey, Edan Hale has infiltrated the headquarters of the Few, enemies to her home, the Palace. Edan now must make a decision between completing her mission or starting a new live with her new friends and the baby she saved. Unfortunately, Herrod and his Ragers are not far behind but hot on the trail. Captain Jariks and her special Palace forces are also on the trail. Will Edan survive? Will she finally choose a side to fight for?

Violence is a cycle neverending. It inspires conflict, motivates conflict, and ends in conflict. It seems that the only solution to it is non-violence, right? If an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, then why not turn the other cheek?

Well, then you run out of cheeks.

How is nonviolence morally superior when, say, you find yourself in a situation where you choose to stand by and let something horrible happen, like the murder of innocent people? Nonviolence becomes selfish and immoral. After all, that won’t really stop the violence but cause more of it to happen.

Violence is complex. The pro-violence or anti-violence routes are never clear cut. Even motivations are questionable. Were you justified in your actions or did you just make the worst decision ever? Are you ready to face the consequences?

How do you know what is the right decision when there could be so many reasons it’s wrong?

The cycle of violence is the central theme of The Few as conflict revs up to a dramatic midpoint and more of Edan Hale’s dark past is revealed.

As always, Hayden Sherman is on point with his covers, designing simple yet striking covers that are but a small taste of his great talents with minimalist colors and composition. Also, #3’s cover has interesting symbolic meaning. The protagonist Edan Hale is in a framed photograph but there is a crack in the glass and spots that look like blood. This symbolizes that Edan’s pass is a troubled one marked by violence. It’s a simple design, but one that speaks a lot to the story contents. When attempting to convey symbolic meaning on a cover, it does not have to be complex. It just needs to hint at the story contents in anyway effective way.

It probably doesn’t need to be stated a third time, but Hayden Sherman continues to be outstanding at interiors. He creates a unique world thick with an atmosphere of death and uncertainty, huge white negative spaces dominating the page. The world feels empty of hope, life, and soul, yet there is a strange, sad beauty to it all. The dominance of white negative space does not mean the art lacks details. Characters have unconventional body shapes. Their clothes are drab military and winter wear, but match the dreary atmosphere.

A flaw I did not realize until now was that characters don’t demonstrate organic changes in emotions, sometimes very little emotion at all. However, when Sherman conveys an emotion on a character’s face, it hits home. Most striking is a splash page of Ephram Charr, Edan’s trainer. It’s a close up of his face. I felt my heart actually sink, sad for this man and his disappointment.

Splash pages and two-page spreads are prevalent in this issue, and they serve to display extraordinarily detailed scenes. Understand, when I refer to Sherman’s art as minimalist, I don’t mean a lack of details. It’s obvious by looking at the panels that he has plenty. I call it minimalist because it’s not hyper realistic. Sherman chooses to craft his world with an expressionistic style. It’s what gives the world a unique vision along with the limited color choices responsible for the moody atmosphere.

The most impressive use of large page displays is a chaotic, brutal battle scene between the three factions of the series. I was reminded of one time in elementary school when I sketched the octopus fight scene from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. As an eight-year-old, I had no sense of proportion or scale. Heck, it wasn’t even accurate to what happened during the scene. I just kept drawing what I thought looked cool until I got bored. I did, in my opinion, come up with a rocking portrait of weapons, dead bodies, blood, and limbs flying around. This is the type of scene Sherman captures, and unlike little me, he has way better art.

The enormity of the scene does not detract the seriousness of the violence. This is not a glorious blockbuster fight out of the Avengers smacking down faceless goons but flesh and blood people fighting to the death for what they believe is a better future. In this context, it’s a grim, depressing battle that robs the reader of enjoyment. Conflict does not lead to riveting adventure but bloody mayhem.

Sean Lewis continues to delve deep into the backstory of Edan Hale, from her childhood home to her becoming a Palace soldier. Edan had a happy life with a stable home, a family that loved her, and plenty of resources. She is told that the Few are evil people that want to take away all of it, even though the Palace technically stole those resources from them. As I discussed in my review of the second issue, Edan doesn’t see this as a moral failing because she is lead to believe it’s necessary given the current state of the world. Since the only members of the Few that Edan encountered were saboteurs, it was easy for her to kill them without question. Her privileged life and lack of exposure to the outside world lead to dehumanizing anyone that opposed the Palace.

A counterbalance to Edan’s brutal “us or them” philosophy was her ex-commanding officer Ephram Charr. Despite looking like Solid Snake, Ephram operated on the basis on empathy. According to information provided by Edan’s narration, Ephram spent time outside of the Palace. This implies that he lived among the Few and other survivors. Not only that, but he seemed to develop an understanding of them. Ephram would fight to defend the Palace like any other good soldier, but refused cross a line he deemed inhumane.

Ephram and Edan butted heads despite their mentor/student relationship. Edan constantly referred to him as “Ephram the Beloved”, so much so this implies she highly revered the man. However, Edan could not learn empathy. Her deep indoctrination into anti-Few sentiment made Ephram’s lessons seem illogical. Her focus first and foremost was eliminating all threats. This headstrong mentality led to Edan committing a despicable act, and the beloved Ephram became her enemy, and it ended in betrayal. This is why his ghost now haunts her.

This is the most poignant moment in Edan’s character development. Even now as she infiltrates the Few, memories of her past come back, bringing guilt and regret with them. It could be these are slowly changing Edan. After all, betraying Herrod and the Ragers to save a random baby does not sound like something the old Edan would do, not if it compromises her mission. Perhaps she is trying to make amends for her actions, but is it enough for things she has done?

This much emphasis on Edan’s character shows a glaring flaw in The Few. While Lewis is doing a fine job of developing her as a complex character, everyone else is less developed. Peter, Davey, and other players are given moral complexities (Peter in particular for this issue as he makes a serious threat to Edan), but they are not nearly as deep as Edan. She is the narrator of the comic. Everything the reader learns about the world comes from her. As such, Edan’s encounters with other characters gives the reader only small doses of information about them. She can read into them, speculate what they’re thinking, but she will never truly understand what’s going on in their heads, and neither will the reader. There are scenes showing some characters to develop freely without the limited scope of Edan’s perception, but not nearly enough.

Also, Edan’s develop is formulaic. Three issues in, and there is a common narrative pattern. The comic usually starts with either a flashback or at least a scene that quickly leads up to a flashback. These flashbacks center solely on Edan, and they all seem to involve a chase scene. These chase scenes are action-packed ways to develop her character, and they work in that regard. However, they take up huge chunks of the comic, impressive given these issues range anywhere between 40-60 pages! While I do enjoy them, I think they take away space that could’ve been used to show Edan spending more time with her companions, talking to them and getting to know about them. The issue of Edan’s limited perception would still be an issue, but at least there would have been an opportunity to develop other characters. Now, I understand that despite its strong socio-political themes, The Few at its heart is an action sci-fi comic. It still has to entertain, it can’t be all talk. I think the series would have benefited from being a longer project, perhaps even an ongoing instead of a limited. This might come off as demanding more than is possible, but in a story with three major warring factors, I like to know what is going through the head of everyone involved, to understand why they’re doing what they do and their justifications.

Speaking of justifications, the justification of violence is the central theme of this issue. The Few has the most justification for using violence. They are outsiders, deemed “undesirable” by the Palace and left to survive in a land with next to nothing. However, it is shown that the Few aren’t above putting the lives of civilians in danger. These civilians are citizens of the Palace, so probably just as guilty in the Few’s opinion, but still. It’s hard to get people on your side with collateral damage. In a strange way, it could be said the Palace is also justified, or at least their actions have logic. The United States fell apart, making resources scarce, so of course they would use their power to hoard what they could get. The only side that is irredeemable are Herrod and the Ragers, who are just bloodthirsty murderers out for revenge and sadistic pleasure.

Justified or not, the violence all leads to more violence. No matter how many times either side beats the other down, they come back for more and nothing is accomplished accept new graves. The major battle scene in this issue is a testament to this point, a culmination of the tension between warring parties, but there are no winners, no end. More violence is bound to happen. It’s a cycle. The Palace steals from the Few, the Few attack; the Few attack, the Palace strikes back. Violence repeats itself.

However, this doesn’t mean the message of The Few is non-violence. In fact, it’s a much more cynical message. Like the past two issues, the story starts off with a quote, this time by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus:

“This is the law of the land: blood spilt upon the ground cries out for more.”

The message here is not that violence is right or wrong, but necessary. it’s not like non-violence could work in this scenario. Is either side supposed to roll over and let themselves be gutted while their enemy reaps the rewards? Non-violent protest can only work in a stable environment where peaceful resolution is possible. That’s not possible in an unstable world where at any moment, you can die of anything. “It’s necessary” might be a dangerous term used to justify horrible things, but perhaps traditional ideas of good and evil no longer apply. It boils back down to survive or die.

This makes The Few #3 sound like a pessimistic issue. It is, and there’s only three issues left, so who knows how this mess can work out for a happy ending? I have to stand by the pessimism though because I feel more and more that this series is a warning to America: If we do not find solutions to our current political climate, ones that can either put a stop to or decrease the tensions between race, class, gender, etc., it will end in a massive conflict, maybe even a second civil war. It’s a lot more complicated than that, and, again, that doesn’t mean marginalized groups should roll over while dudes like Trump use “legal” means to harm them, and then Internet fascist like Richard Spencer fuel the flames of white nationalism. Stay angry and fight back. Just be careful and consider the impact your actions will have in the future.

The Few #3 is another riveting entry in the series with yet more great art and deep, meaningful story involving the growth of Edan Hale’s character and exploring relative topics. It does suffer a little from formulaic story beats and not giving characters equal development, but the emotional impact should keep readers engrossed.

                                                                Story: Sean Lewis Art: Hayden Sherman
Story: 9 Art: 10 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS

The Few is a six-issue miniseries about a dystopian future where what was known as the United States has mostly disappeared, the majority of the country under control of a megastate called the Palace. Those that have not fallen underneath Palace control are called the Few. Civil conflict has broken out between the two factions, and loyal Palace soldier Edan Hale has been assigned the task of infiltrating the Few’s headquarters. Along the way, she unexpectedly saves a child and befriends brothers Peter and Davey, two members of the Few. They’re on their way to the headquarters, unknown to them that she is a spy. It’s not going all good for Edan. She is haunted by the ghost of her commanding officer, Ephram Charr. To make matters worse, the merciless militant Herrod and his army of Ragers are right behind them along with a squad of Palace soldiers. If the three factions intercept, there’s no telling what carnage will unfold.

In my review of the first issue, I criticized The Few for lacking story content. I now consider this unfair. The first cover showed protagonist Edan Hale running with a bundle on her shoulders. And what do you know? In the first major scene, she’s being chased. So, story content is shown, just not a whole lot. It’s probably better this way because showing too much content can give away the story entirely.

No, the ideal cover or poster is a clue to what happens in the story. #1’s cover did this superbly, and issue #2 continues this trend. Davey and the baby are shown with a bloodied figure behind them that looks like Solid Snake after a bad day. Turns out, he is a figure from Edan’s past, but more on that later.

The composition of the cover is exceptional, and the minimalist coloring sets the dystopian tone of the series. This issue has a variant cover as part of Image’s 25th anniversary, some of these covers being recreations of older ones. Recall that in my previous review, I said that The Few looked similar to another dystopian American sci-fi…

I KNEW IT! I @#%!ING KNEW IT!

…Anyway.

Hayden Sherman continues to prove he is a master of negative space to create a bleak, death-like atmosphere, arguably even more so as some scenes of snow are blinding in their whiteness. Character designs still have legs that appear longer than upper bodies that have a squarish outline. These designs are not bothersome, in fact there is something rather odd and unique about them. The choices of clothing, a series of jackets and boots and military gear, fits the winter climate. There is a surprising amount of detail put into these and character faces which are highly expressive. However, the sketchiness of the inking can cloud the reader’s vision. It works for vehicles and buildings, and arguably gives character’s a gruffer look, but it can be a bit much.

It’s interesting that even though I call Sherman’s art minimalist, he has so much detail in certain areas. In fact, detail is the artistic highlight of this issue. Two locations are revealed: The Palace and the Few’s hidden headquarters. Both are introduced in two-page spreads and are breathtaking.

Only one section of the Palace is shown, a shopping center, but Sherman crams a maximal amount of detail. Streets are littered with pedestrians, each designed uniquely; walkways and skyscrapers have bolts and screws, metal supports and cracks, trash and stains speck here and there on concrete surfaces. Neon lights dimly glow, steam from manholes perspiring against their bulbs. The Palace in its gritty metropolitan splendor is brought to life. Sherman sticks to a minimalist color palette of brown, green, white, and black, yet somehow makes all the detail more intense.

The Few’s headquarters is equally detailed but with a different aesthetic. It looks more like an underwater city, shadowed metal structures only visible by the intense yellow glow of lights. It’s an eerie appearance, one that hints at conspiracy and danger.

If minimalism brings out the best in Sherman’s natural settings, then maximalism does just as much for the urban.

For issue #2, Sean Lewis expands the mythology of The Few, particularly the three main factions: The Palace, The Few, and Herrod and his Ragers.* Each faction is complex. All are guilty of deplorable actions and fostering a climate that makes these actions permissible.

Edan monologues explaining the backstory of how the Palace came to be. It suggests there was a second civil war over resources, and the Palace managed to take control by obtaining the majority. These actions caused massive suffering, but as Edan’s father told her, “it was necessary.”

This word, “necessary”, is particularly unnerving. The Few is socially relevant given that many of its themes on civil conflict touch upon modern America. “Necessary” is another layer to this social commentary. In just three months, President Trump and his cabinet have passed borderline if not full-on fascist immigration policies, attacked and banned media outlets, and are in the process of butchering the Affordable Care Act, not to mention unraveling protections for transgender school students and other minorities. It is all deemed necessary to make America great again, and stubborn loyalists tell dissenters to obey (a massive hypocrisy given they did everything in their power to attempt at crippling Obama).

“Necessary” is a dangerous word. It gives an excuse for actions, no matter how horrible, even if they have devastating consequences. The Palace’s necessary actions created The Few and Herrod. Both parties actions against the Palace appears justified, but are just as brutal. The Few are so paranoid, they will even search and imprison their own for interrogation; they might even employ terrorist tactics. Herrod is a butcher, killing anyone, even women and children, he deems deserving. He will do anything for revenge on the Palace. Human lives do not matter to him.

It is hard to tell which side is worse, or even who the reader should be cheering for. The danger of necessity and conflict’s moral complexity are deeply explored and interwoven, allowing Sean Lewis to develop them naturally.

These two themes become parts to another essential theme in issue #2: the past coming back to haunt the present. Ephram Charr, Edan’s commanding officer, appears to her several times, even though he is not really there. Is he a ghost? A manifestation of guilt? Whatever the case, Charr drops hints that Edan is also willing to do whatever is necessary no matter what.

This is not the only scene where Edan’s moral is highly questionable. In a flashback, she is chasing down a teenage terrorist spray painting targets for smart bombs. The art for this scene is fantastic, Hayden Sherman using thick lines and frantic color splatter to capture the speed and intensity of the chase. Particularly interesting is the coloring of the terrorist as pastel red. It’s a unique choice for blood and scenes of violence over the traditional dark red, one that fits the art style perfectly. By the end of the chase, Edan makes a decision that while justified is still questionable given the perpetrator’s age.

There is no clear cut good and evil in The Few. Everyone has justification for their actions while still being deplorable most of the time. There are characters that even recognize the complexity of the conflict, such as newly introduced Captain Jariks. She is a loyal soldier of the Palace, but when she learns of Herrod’s origins, why he hates them so much, she can’t help but understand him and feel frustrated her side created the monster in the first place.

While I stated earlier that necessity is a dangerous excuse for heinous actions, what if the world gets to the point where all sides of a conflict are forced to and even justified as such? In a bleak world of survive or die, with no chance of reverting the mistakes of the past, maybe heartlessness is the new normal.

The Few #2 is an excellent follow-up to the series’ promising start. It expands on characters, world-building, and themes while delivering even more top notch art. There is no telling what will happen in the next issue, but it’s no doubt going to be epic. Go out and get this book now.

*I wrote in my first review that the Ragers were fighting for a mysterious man named Herrod. I was completely wrong. The crazy old guy leading them is Herrod. My bad.

Story: Sean Lewis Art: Hayden Sherman
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

The dystopian genre has experienced a spike in recent years. It’s the source of long-running television, blockbuster movies, and multiple comics. With this spike come naysayers bemoaning that there is too much of it. However, it is important to keep in mind that when a genre becomes a trend, there are important social/political reasons for it. Yes, even the Twilight phenomenon counts, and I would love to read (not the books, hell no) articles about its cultural implications beyond just “teenage girls like sparkly vampires.”

Dystopian fiction is most notable during times of unrest and uncertainty for the world. Just take a look at 2016, a year of great turmoil (then again, what year of the 21^st-century hasn’t been great turmoil?) If you have been living in the U.S. or next door in Canada and Mexico, it might seem like an episode of Twilight Zone you keep hoping ends, but it evolves constantly into a scarier, crazier version of Transmetropolitan. The point is that all this turmoil and uncertainty is probably the reason for the current spike, and instead of bemoaning it, I intend to read what comes my way and find worthwhile material.

Which brings us to The Few, a maxiseries from Sean Lewis and Hayden Sherman, an apocalyptic tale that is as gorgeous as it is vague:

The cover for issue #1 has some interesting aspects. Just like with Sean Lewis’ previous series Saints, the artist draws, inks, colors, and letters the whole book. Which brings me to my first criticism: Good on Sherman for doing a significant amount of work, but what about art cred? In Saints, Benjamin Mackey got first billing. For The Few, it’s Sean Lewis. To be clear, this is not saying Lewis didn’t work hard. Writing is an arduous task. However, comic art tends to be much more time consuming than scripting. If you have an artist do all the art, I’m thinking they are more than deserving of first billing. It’s not a matter of the artist is more important than the writer, just an acknowledgment of who had the heaviest workload. Then again, I don’t know the dealings between Lewis and Sherman, so maybe the billing was fine by them.

Moving on to the actual cover art, Sherman’s design reminds me of Nick Dragotta’s covers for East to West, another Image series in the apocalyptic genre (more so the days before the event).

The design invokes a sense of action and mystery. I can see how this would be a pleasing cover for certain readers, but I don’t know if I’m impressed by it. While I was briefly reading East to West, I can’t recall if it was the cover design or a recommendation that inspired me to read the series. In The Few’s case, my interest was in Lewis’ writing. I don’t think I would have picked up the series based on the cover alone. I prefer covers like that of Benjamin Mackey’s which are colorful and brimming with symbolism.

Despite a lackluster cover, the interior art of The Few is a haunting spectacle. The comic opens to a snow-covered backwoods, trees drawn as thin black lines against a white background.

Sherman shows mastery in strategic layout and contrasting black and white imagery to create moody art. It reminds me of Frank Miller’s best work but with the scratchy punk-zine aesthetics of Sean Gordon Murphy; however, illustrations are simplified for a less cumbersome reading experience.

Sherman’s greatest strength is using minimalism to invoke a moody, bleak atmosphere in each scene. From the winter wasteland of the outside, the comic transitions to the interiors of a wooden cabin. Brown and green contrast to black spaces. This gives the scene an earthly tone that is claustrophobic. It feels like being inside a coffin. Death is as present in this cabin as it is outside in the snow.

Death and violence are inescapable in The Few, and the same minimalist aesthetic is applied to fight scenes. Instead of over-the-top gore, splashes of pastel red are used to represent blood. This color choice against the moody, mute colors doesn’t make the violence striking, but bleak. Violence isn’t enjoyable. Reading the comic myself, I felt like my soul was draining out. It doesn’t have to do with any image being particularly violent, just the staggeringly bleak atmosphere. This might not be an enjoyable reading experience for many, but I appreciate how Sherman creates such a visceral emotion out of so little.

Character designs are where Sherman’s art becomes mixed. The design for character anatomy is long legs with shorter, squarish torsos. Given the setting, clothes are mostly jackets, baggy pants, and other types of winter clothing. The designs are sadly bland compared to the atmosphere, very few characters sticking out. One exception are the militants called Ragers. Most of them wear the stereotypical para-military gear of army jackets and cargo pants. What stands out is the gauze wrapping. Aside from looking like biker mummies, I can’t help think there is another angle to these designs. Judging by the headgear of their leader, I think it’s a royalty vibe to assert an amount of authority to the Ragers. They make mentions of the Palace. What that place is has yet to be revealed, but a good theory is that it’s an organization in control of areas of the country. That makes the Ragers are an elite military force. This means that their horrible actions are decreed by a higher power with significant political weight. This adds a new layer of menace to them, invoking concerns of authoritarian brutality that is relevant to this day.

This is significant for the design of the protagonist, Edan Hale. At one level, it’s interesting because of her butch appearance. When first introduced, I thought Hale was a man and surprised to find out otherwise. In relation to the Ragers, there are several scenes positioning them in authoritative stances over her. Hale is the only confirmed woman of the group, and given the salacious language some use toward her, I have to assume the majority are men. There is the possibility of a fascinating commentary on gender here and opens the door to Hale developing as a queer character. I doubt these are themes that will play out, but I still hope because that would add so much to the character.

As I’ve said before, my main interest in The Few is Sean Lewis. His writing style is not minimalist so much as vague. There isn’t a lot of exposition, more of an emphasis on character and dialogue, and even then dialogue is sparse. It is clear who are the players and what is happening action wise, but world-building and themes require the reader to pay close attention in order to understand. This vagueness is present in The Few. Clues are various: a map of the U.S., an Ursula K. Gein quote, mention of someone named Herrod, and rumors of a rebellion. It’s an interesting puzzle and pays off in the end with an inkling of what is going. Unfortunately, the action scenes in-between stretch the story thin.

The opening chase scene takes up many pages and creates a significant length from one dramatic scene to the other. It is the dramatic scenes that carry the most important story clues and, unfortunately, are easily forgotten after the chase. I had to go back and reread the first scene just to remember what was said. The only time rereading should be required is if a subsequent scene reveals something mentioned in a previous scene. Furthermore, the extensiveness of the chase scene lost its excitement after a few pages. The best action, like the best scares, is usually short and sweet. Action that goes on for too long can become boring because whatever initial excitement it had beforehand wears off as the reader gets used to it. At 56 pages, The Few seems to go on longer than necessary.

Another aspect of the writing the chase scene negatively impacts are the characters. In Saints, the reader was comfortable with the vagueness of the plot because of the fully realized, unique characters. In The Few, character personalities are vague to the point of making it difficult to understand them. This further pushes the boredom to the point of breaking patience. Characterization is nearly obliterated except for the saving grace of the cabin scene which gives characters time to interact and inform the reader of the kind of people they are. Again, if the chase scene had been shorter, this issue might have been absent.

One last comment for the writing is probably the most important: How does The Few separate itself from the ubiquitous stories in the dystopian genre? It’s too early to tell, but from what little is to be gathered, the comic is exploring the current state of America. With the election of Trump as president, it’s difficult to not see how preexisting tensions between the Left, Right, and the ever-creeping influence of the Far Right have deepened. For left-leaning folk such as myself, it seems like the beginning of totalitarian madness under a self-serving, egotistical demagogue, an opinion we feel solidified by the bigoted, fascist reactionaries online that are the most fervent of his supporters and now feel emboldened to act out. This has put us on the defensive, taking harder lines than ever to stand against Republicans and the Right, now to the point we are infighting with each other. Like it or not, civil conflict will be heated for the next four years, and whether or not the worst predictions come true, one fact is certain:

America will never be the same again.

In The Few, civil conflict has erupted into civil war, with the Palace being the totalitarian regime that the left fears will come out of Trump. The resemblances are vague, yet one can easily read them into being similar: violent, militaristic men that slaughter and pillage in the name of someone called Herrod with the fanaticism of a religious cult. The Few are the resistance, the remaining states that have not fallen under Palace control. What do they represent? Not the American left as defined now with its varied groups. They’re more of an ideal. Now, most Americans will disagree on what they define as freedom, but ideally America is a free land (unless you think pish posh otherwise). Currently, America is just that, an ideal and not a reality. However, the point of an ideal is to inspire hope. The Few represent hope of something opposite of the Palace’s brutality and totalitarianism, of America as it used to be. It might not even be freedom like I theorize. The hope, the want, for America to reclaim itself from corruption and to be not necessarily the reality, but the ideal that always inspired its citizens.

The Few #1 suffers from issues of pacing and vagueness, but the moody art and social relevancy of the story offers a promising start to an exciting new entry in the dystopian genre. I highly recommend it for those that want more relevant, unique fiction in their weekly buy piles.

Story: Sean Lewis Art: Hayden Sherman
Story: 8 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy