The story is compelling by the end, but I found the art off-putting. The biggest problem is the lack of consistency with regard to panel order; some pages want readers to read the left page and then the righ, others are arranged so readers go across both pages before moving down to the next line of panels. There aren’t many visual cues to orient readers, so the storytelling gets muddled. ( )

While Bendis' writing in this alternate history where the USA is partially run by the mob is pretty great, Oeming's art isn't quite my thing. I have a hard time telling characters apart and sometimes even following the narrative, and with a handful of admittedly quite cool panels and pages aside, it's also not all that nice to look at. That said, I grew more used to it with every issue, and if this book ever gets revived, I'll eagerly buy volume 2 to see what happens next. ( )

Time to go on a Bendis bender! (#7 of 8)

Bendis barely works to build the world of this alternative history where the mob governs major regions of the U.S. and has seceded from the union. The whole thing comes of as nearly nonsensical as he randomly mixes gritty and over-the-top elements. And Oeming's art, which I liked in the Powers series, seems out of place here. I think the script would have been served with something less cartoony. And perhaps a rewrite or two. ( )