Another issue of Undiscovered Country is here, and the zone of Possibility has become one of the most interesting zones of the entire series. In just a few issues of this arc, we begin to explore more about what America is in this new version of the sealed-off United States, and more about what it was to be American. Through creative works, America manages to gain a foothold in culture, spreading far and wide until its influence was unmistakable. Recreating that creative American exceptionalism is the task for this team as they continue to walk the Spiral, the path that will lead them to their goal of finding a cure for the deadly Sky virus, and finding out more about a nation that has been isolated for many years.

Each arc has had their main focus character, and this arc’s focus is American conspiracy theorist/historian Ace Kenyatta, a man who became one of the foremost experts on both Americas; both pre- and post-sealing.Tasked with adding another patch to the quilt of American culture, the group finds themselves on the open seas of Possibility, navigating through a sea of culture and cult heroes of days long gone, characters whose sole purpose is to entertain an audience but have had no one to interact with for decades.

This arc feels like the pinnacle of what this series is: an exploration of what made America such a creative and cultural force. While America’s military might is seen as one of the reasons for our status as a world power, our pervasive and overwhelming culture is what got us there in the first place. Our ideas, not our weapons, are a major cause for the success of the United States, and those ideals are on full display here, especially in light of the series’ meta-narrative on comics, and superhero comics specifically. Some of the largest franchises in entertainment right now are adaptations of superhero comics.  They have infiltrated the zeitgeist of the world and have totally taken over in terms of popularity.

Charles Soule and Scott Snyder are synonymous with American superhero comics. Snyder’s Batman run is considered one of the best in the character’s history which has spanned nearly a century. The same is the case with Soule during his time on Daredevil. Add in Guiseppe Camuncoli, a mainstay artist for the superhero genre, and you find a combination so perfect that I would read a series just based in this zone and love every moment. Joining Camuncoli are Leonardo Marcello Grassi and Matt Wilson, delivering some incredible artwork to go with a brilliant story.

This series is really finding something special in its third arc. American cultural exceptionalism is a driving force of pre-sealing America’s power and influence, and exploring that in this circumstance makes so much sense. It’s going to be so exciting to see how these creators navigate the characters through this zone.

Creative Team: Charles Soule, Scott Snyder (writers), Giuseppe Camuncoli, Leonardo Marcello Grassi, Matt Wilson (artwork)
Publisher: Image Comics
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