Undiscovered Country #4 is out Feb. 19, 2020. — **Undiscovered Country #4** is out Feb. 19, 2020.

By Zack Quaintance — Four issues in, Undiscovered Country feels like it’s still just scratching the surface of what the book can be, both in terms of the world the creators have constructed as well as the characters they’ve put within it. This is all meant as a tremendous compliment.

From its start, Undiscovered Country has had an intriguing and timely premise. In this series, the United States walled itself off from the world some years ago, and now an intrepid band of explorers are venturing back into the country after receiving a mysterious invitation, the first communique from the state’s since its descent into total isolation. It’s the type of plot that gives the book a natural momentum and an east quest structure. It’s a good thing the plot is so uncomplicated too, because this title sports one of the most layered and complex worlds we’ve seen in any story as of late.

We get a quick example of how well the plot is functioning right at the start of this one, from the first panel, which leads with the caption: In the Deep West. The crawling palace of the Destiny Man. Which is a fabulous opening turn of phrase. The caption is set behind said Destiny Man (expertly designed by artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandi, with impeccable coloring by Matt Wilson), who lays on slightly unhinged commentary that is also built upon a solid point. “America,” he says looking out at a stock western landscape, complete with mesas. “Was at its best in its first century. It was fighting to survive. To expand. To grow. Simple goals the average citizen could understand and pursue. After all, America is, at its heart, a very simple concept. Live free or die.”

Hell of an opener. But a lot of books by veteran creators can do stuff like this, and have been in recent years as the news and country have become more divided and tumultuous. What sets this book apart is the level of planning that has so clearly gone into every last aspect of it. In the back matter of each issue, writers Scott Snyder and Charles Soule describe a series of regular meetings, during which they brainstormed ideas, and you can definitely feel the weight of all that thought here. It’s been there from the start, standing as one of the key appeals of this title.

What feels new in Undiscovered Country #4 is that the book’s increasing interest in its wide cast of characters. I had assumed during the first few issues that the focus would remain on the brother-sister duo who were the center-most of those stories, with the periphery cast maybe getting some extra run as things progressed, but also maybe not. This issue dives right into a new character, a journalist with a complicated past who is maybe more enthralling than the brother-sister duo I assumed to be our leads. The development of this character in this one issue alone is great (although her constant drive for the story is a bit hammy, but as a reporter by trade I’m sensitive to that, having spent quite a bit of time around journalists and never once heard someone be so blatantly self-aggrandizing...but I digress and also this is comics).

The end effect is an added richness to what has already been a complex and rewarding book, one that is equal parts thoughtful and grandiose, custom-tailored for monthly comics.

Overall: This issue is a good example of what can be done with the depth of ideas Snyder, Soule, and Camuncoli have baked into the DNA of this book, jumping as it does between well-realized character motivations and layered world-building. Undiscovered Country remains a top-tier creator-owned title. 9.5/10

Undiscovered Country #4
Writers: Scott Snyder & Charles Soule
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli & Daniele Orlandini
Finishes: Daniele Orlandidni & Leonardo Marcello Grassi
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Letterer: Crank!
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Solicit: All is lost. The world will wither under the Sky pandemic, and the Destiny Man will murder our intrepid explorers before they've made it further into the former US than Nevada. Unless, that is, brilliant journalist Valentina Sandoval can discover one...essential...truth.

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.