Synopsis
Outlaw Nation is a sprawling epic family saga that tours the undergound mythology of America.
Story Johnson, a 100 year old semi-deranged amnesiac pulp fiction writer returns home from 25 years MIA in Vietnam. All Story wants is to recover his missing time and catch up with some legendary, larger-than-life Johnson Family members.
Trouble is, a lot of cousins have 'disappeared' and those that are left have put the blame on him.
Presented here for the first time is the complete OUTLAW NATION saga in one volume!
Outlaw Nation is Jamie Delano at his best. For those who don't know
Delano
- he was the breast feeding mother of Alan Moore's baby, John Constantine. He was the inaugural writer for the series, shaping him into the flawed holy-fool that we know and love.
Outlaw Nation is
America
at its best and worst - the seedy, myth-filled, hidden side of
America
, with almost an immortal family of Johnson's. And 'Story', the main character, is what you would expect from the American Everyman who's lived the whole 20th Century, a messed up, idealistic but ineffectual, lover and fighter.
It was a shame the series was forced to end sooner than he had planned. Don't get me wrong, you can pick this volume up, and have the whole Shebang - the start, middle and end. But it feels a little rushed towards the end, as if the subtler points and denouements were sacrificed just to fit the necessary in. Which is why I'm not giving a full 100 per cent, because I suspect it would have easily achieved that if it had played out at its own natural pace.
The art is crisp, black and white, which suits the thematic matter, and makes you concentrate on the characters' expressions, and the detail of the scene evocation. Everything from the desert, to hotels, to the man who controls
America
in his 'ivory tower'. It amazes me that this has slipped under most people's radar, even Hellblazer fans - it is a Class A drug of comics. A great value volume and a cracking read.
Stick it to the man, and buy a copy from your local shop. Forget getting it cheap, this is something you should be paying top dollar for, so that you not only appreciate it, but the right people get the money for it.