REVIEW: ‘Undiscovered Country,’ Issue #1

Venture forth into the darkest America. What lies behind its armored walls? Undiscovered Country #1 is co-written by Scott Snyder and Charles Soule, with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini, coloring by Matt Wilson, and lettering by Crank! and published by Image Comics.

Thirty years ago, the United States of America sealed itself off from the world. Now that world has almost come to an end. During a war between Alliance Euro-Afrique and the Pan Asiatic Prosperity Zone, a man-made plague burst forth upon the earth. Known as “Sky Virus“, this fatal disease spread like wildfire, wiping out populations wherever it fell.

Science says Humanity only has six months left before total societal collapse. The only hope the world has lays in lost nation of America. According to a mysterious broadcast, the hermit country has found the cure. To save the world a group of scientists, academics, and diplomats must venture forth into the United States of America, the Undiscovered Country #1.

Like the first issue, Undiscovered Country #1 focuses on setting the stage for the adventure that awaits, as well as establishing the stakes. Undiscovered Country #1 does both exceptionally well, thanks to Snyder and Soule’s dense text and Camuncoli’s detail-rich artwork. In only a few scenes, the issue makes it clear that without a cure, the world won’t just die. It will die in agony. Now sure, having the world at stake is nothing new to post-apocalyptic comics. But Snyder and Soule don’t lay the grimdark on too thick. Instead, the writers save their creative energy for the strange land once called America. 

Y’all, America got weird. Undiscovered Country #1 presents a future where 30 years of armed isolation has transformed the U.S.A. into a strange new world of mutants and warlords. We only see a fraction of what the series has in store. I won’t go in to too much detail here. After all, discovering what’s inside the Undiscovered Country is part of the fun. Yet from what we learn in this issue, America has some truly bizarre sights in store for the series’ explorers. Thankfully, they seem up to the challenge.

Sci-Fi journeys live and die by their cast of adventurers, and Undiscovered Country #1‘s crew has a lot of promise. Comprised of specialists from around the world, the crew has a wide array of expertise. Epidemiologist Charlotte Graves takes the lead role as scientist, while her brother Major Daniel Graves operatess as a master infiltrator. Ace Kenyatta joins the siblings as an authority on American culture, while journalist Valentina Sandoval documents the group’s travels. Chang Enlou and Janet Worthington round off the crew as dual diplomats. There’s a lot to work with there, with even more potential for strange adventures.

I’m excited to see what Undiscovered Country #1 has in store. While Snyder’s best known for his superhero and horror comics, I’ve always enjoyed his takes on sci-fi adventures. His scripts can walk the tight rope between high-stakes thriller and bizarre science fiction fun. Just look at his and Sean Murphy’s The Wake, a post-apocalyptic adventure where ancient mermaids topple human society. No matter how grim things may get, Snyder consistently finds the right amount of weirdness for a good time. Undiscovered Country #1 promises to take us to the strangest corners of deepest darkest America. 

You can find Undiscovered Country #1 now wherever comics are sold and online through our affiliate link.