Comic Review: Undiscovered Country Volume 4

Hey, I may fall behind on various series I like, but there are some I don’t.  For example, Undiscovered Country, the sci-fi series co-written by Scott Snyder and Charles Soule, about a group of people that head into the long-isolated United States to get a cure for a deadly pandemic.

Will they find it in the fourth volume, subtitled Disunity?  Well, this is supposed to be the halfway point, so probably not.

Each volume of this series, thus far, has involved the group finding their way to a different zone as they head into the center of the country.  The United States had, some years before, found a way to cut itself off from the rest of the world through sci-fi technological means, and each zone so far has embodied a different aspect of American culture.  The first, a desert where Wal*Marts are mobile fortresses and people ride sharks that swim through sand, was about individuality.  The second showed a high tech wonderland.  The third was a series of island that represented creativity.  What’s the fourth?  Well, it looks like it might be history.

“Might” is a good word.  Daniel and Charlotte Graves, a brother and sister who were among the last to escape America before the sealing, have been separated with Daniel facing off against the mysterious Destiny Man…who is in fact their previously unknown kid brother Alexander.  Charlotte is with journalist Valentina and her drone Buzz, seemingly stuck in the past, but whenever they die, they wake up somewhere else in American history.  Scientist and historian Ace is with shifty diplomats Janet and Chang in what looks like the future where America either rules the world or Janet and Chang do.  And Janet and Chang are the sort that would enjoy something like that.

So, what’s going on?  Essentially, the group has been divided up to different times in the History Zone, one where Americans can travel to the past, make changes in a safe environment, and then see how it would play out in alternate timelines.  To move on to the next zone would require Charlotte and Valentina to find Ace and the two diplomats.  Can they do that?

I can’t say any of these characters are all that distinct, but I do really like this series.  It’s creative, fun, and is looking at way to distinguish America as a country.  There’s a reason now not to trust Chang and Janet while Daniel and the Destiny Man are off doing…something else.  Like I said above, I may not always get to a series I like when new trades come out, but this one is one of the ones I make an effort to always check out.

9.5 out of 10 untrustworthy Sams.