Review: Undiscovered Country #10

Review: Undiscovered Country #10  

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writers: Scott Snyder and Charles Soule

Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Leonardo Marcello Grassi

Letters: Crank!

Colors:  Matt Wilson  

Reviewed by: Carl Bryan

Summary

New York Times bestselling writers Scott Snyder and Charles Soule team up with artists Giuseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini  and Matt Wilson to embark on an epic adventure in the brand-new ongoing series, UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY!

“UNITY,” Part Four – The expedition moves further into UNITY, and discovers more of the secrets of this techno-futuristic paradise version of America.   Many truths are revealed, and new threats emerge as our team investigates the second Zone of the changed America—what is the true meaning of Unity?

Positives

Unity is under attack by the Destiny Man as we learn more about this technologically advanced part of the new America. This issue is interesting as it presents the action in the present while tying it into the revelations about the past.

What is Unity?  Dr. Jan in her initial work with each Zone wishes to “form a more perfect union”  That sounds very utopia to a reader as it is grounded in some of our School House Rock interludes on Saturday morning.

However, as the lens becomes more sharpened with age, is it simply a symbiote connection of predictive analytics and social media memories to create some collective conscious?  It’s scary what Scott Snyder and Charles Soule are commentating upon.

I swear sometimes they have the playbook for the future in their hands and they are pulling all the strings.  With Undiscovered Country, they almost have created a literary voodoo doll for America!

Positives (even more accolades)

The art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Marcello Grassi is fantastic. There’s some imagery that’ll give you pause with designs that feel both familiar and unlike anything I’ve seen.

With Matt Wilson’s mostly white palette and Crank!’s lettering, there’s something unsettling about it all. Through the tranquility there continues to be a logical coldness about it all.

The scariest of it all is The Shining Sea (From sea to shining sea….get it?), and the robotic creatures that serve as guards to another layer.  Ace and Valentina break through this layer only to discover a collective consciousness that is very scary.

What’s that phrase we use now?  “We’re all in this together”!  This not a High School Musical.  This is a scary version of America’s reality now.

Negatives (not really…just more accolades) 

What started out as what one would call a solid movie script has turned into quite the literary run for both Snyder and Soule.  I don’t know what is better – the actual comic or the back story, letters, and interviews provided at the end of the story.  They are writing a warped history lesson.

Again, it’s scary the type of horror lens that Snyder and Soule have put on common themes from our past.  “Can’t we all just get along?”….if we do, does that mean we have to have common thoughts?  A collective conscious?

Once this run of the entire series finishes, I would use this entire comic in a philosophy class.  It’s just that good!

Verdict

What?  It’s not already on your shelf?  Buy this book!  This is still in its infancy and every issue should be gobbled up! It’s ground floor original stuff! I’m both excited and somewhat scared of what is next in terms of time flow within these borders of the US.   This is a really well written and illustrated comic. Finally, look for the commentary within these pages and heed the warnings.  It’s pretty entertaining on the first go through, but pretty sobering on the second.