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Homeland Directive
Chercheuse émérite de sa génération, le Dr. Laura Regan est à la tête du Centre National des Maladies Infectieuses des États-Unis. Mais lorsqu’un de ses proches collègues est retrouvé mort, le crime lui est immédiatement imputé. Avec l’aide de trois agents fédéraux, convaincus que cette accusation sans fondement dissimule en réalité une conspiration d’envergure gouvernementale, la jeune scientifique va devoir échapper à la traque de mercenaires déterminés, mais aussi d’une équipe de cyber-détectives plus renseignés sur elle qu’elle ne l’aurait imaginé.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2011
9 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
About the author
Robert Venditti
709 books401 followersRobert Venditti is a New York Times bestselling author of more than three hundred comic books and graphic novels. Some of his works include the monthly comic book series Justice League, Superman ’78, Hawkman, and Green Lantern for DC Comics, X-O Manowar, Armor Hunters, and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior for Valiant Entertainment, and the graphic novel Six Days, inspired by the story of his uncle’s participation in D-Day. He has also adapted Rick Riordan’s global bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus novels, as well as Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia and Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz. His graphic novel The Surrogates was adapted into a feature film by Touchstone Pictures, and his work on The Flash was the basis for season three of the CW television series.
Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.
Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
January 13, 2012
Thrillers are fluff. There's really no way around it. Even the best are designed not to engage the philosophical beast but to entice the reptile man. Thrillers appeal to our base instincts, our demand for survival. They stoke the fires or our adrenaline and even the smartest of them fail to thrill if they get too smart. At that point, they cease to be thrillers and become some kind of careful literature that makes knowing use of the thriller's mode. Either that or they become bad thrillers.
Fortunately, The Homeland Directive is neither of these (neither the inept thriller nor literary fiction capitalizing on the forms and tropes of the thriller). Instead, Venditti's and Huddleston's brisk work is pure thriller and succeeds in purpose mostly admirably.
The Homeland Directive is one of those mid-level-or-higher government conspiracy yarns, cut from the cloth of Harrison Ford's Clear and Present Danger and Will Smith's Enemy of the State (at least one of these was a novel, but in both cases I have only seen their cinematic expression). The good guys find themselves somehow at odds with special, secret, and murderous services without the U.S. bureaucratic behemoth and spend the story's bulk speeding toward two goals: 1) exposing whatever fraud or injustice they've run across and 2) surviving long enough to expose whatever fraud or injustice they've run across. Just because it's predictible doesn't mean it isn't fun.
Venditti's script is smart in that way that television sitcoms may be smart. Its observations are never particularly astute and its dialogue is all a touch wooden, but it prides itself on its snappy banter. It's kind of like Brian Azarello's scripting in 100 Bullets, only so deeply toned-down that you no longer want to kick its teeth in with a boot made of schoolbuses. Venditti moves the plot along at a good clip and the reader will never feel as if he's simply treading water and padding his page count. For what it is, it's hard to find any fault save for maybe that one might wish it were slightly less... thriller-y?
The Homeland Directive's most evident strength sits in Huddleston's interesting art choices. It's all very explosive and fits well the bombastic tale of a government gone rogue. Huddleston's drawing and figurework would probably only be considered adequate if it weren't for the tremendous dynamism he infuses into the work through his palette. I couldn't always be certain why he chose one set of colours for one page and another set for another, but the colours he employs almost always excite and contribute nicely to the thrill of reading.
[It's really not. Stop it.]
At the end of the day, The Homeland Directive probably wouldn't be considered anything particularly spectacular outside of the genre-niche into which it carves a home, but taken on its home-turf, the book is quite good and accomplishes its purpose well.
______________________________
[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
May 15, 2016
I bought a buncha Top Shelf comics recently and I’m really coming to appreciate how bad some of their catalogue is. The Homeland Directive is yet another jaw-droppingly shite piece of work that I’m stunned anyone read and thought “That’s AMAZING - people need to read this, let’s publish it!!”
We’ve all seen/read conspiracy/political thrillers, right? It usually involves people in suits rushing around waving guns while talking to people watching screens who say things like “He’s on your 20”. That’s this pile of garbage: “characters” running about, hauling some unsuspecting civilian who’s being targeted by the US government for reasons and everyone’s gonna die and the President is somehow involved or something.
At some point towards the end a couple of dialogue-stuffed pages breathlessly recounts the reasons behind all the running and shooting and paranoid nonsense - something to do with scaring the public into giving the government more powers, artlessly and heavily condemning the evil Bush administration with their PATRIOT Act, etc. - but I was so beaten with tedium by that point I didn’t care.
Mike Huddleston’s art reflects Robert Venditti’s ultra-crappy and confused script by changing from page to page. He’s drawing on graph paper using inks, now he’s on blank paper and using pencils, now he’s using only red and green colours, now he’s adopting a photo-realistic style, now he’s using a scratchy style, now it’s full colour, now it’s black and white - mental. Settle down Mike, your ADHD artistic approach is giving me an eye-ache!
Don’t read this nonsense. It makes Shia LaBeef’s Eagle Eye movie (if you had the misfortune to sit through that) look like a masterpiece in comparison. If you do pick it up, expect a thriller for the sake of a thriller rather than anything substantial, well-thought out or, yes, thrilling.
We’ve all seen/read conspiracy/political thrillers, right? It usually involves people in suits rushing around waving guns while talking to people watching screens who say things like “He’s on your 20”. That’s this pile of garbage: “characters” running about, hauling some unsuspecting civilian who’s being targeted by the US government for reasons and everyone’s gonna die and the President is somehow involved or something.
At some point towards the end a couple of dialogue-stuffed pages breathlessly recounts the reasons behind all the running and shooting and paranoid nonsense - something to do with scaring the public into giving the government more powers, artlessly and heavily condemning the evil Bush administration with their PATRIOT Act, etc. - but I was so beaten with tedium by that point I didn’t care.
Mike Huddleston’s art reflects Robert Venditti’s ultra-crappy and confused script by changing from page to page. He’s drawing on graph paper using inks, now he’s on blank paper and using pencils, now he’s using only red and green colours, now he’s adopting a photo-realistic style, now he’s using a scratchy style, now it’s full colour, now it’s black and white - mental. Settle down Mike, your ADHD artistic approach is giving me an eye-ache!
Don’t read this nonsense. It makes Shia LaBeef’s Eagle Eye movie (if you had the misfortune to sit through that) look like a masterpiece in comparison. If you do pick it up, expect a thriller for the sake of a thriller rather than anything substantial, well-thought out or, yes, thrilling.
August 16, 2011
For his first creator-owned work since the groundbreaking
Surrogates
, Venditti delivers a taut thriller that elevates the genre within the comics medium. After Dr. Laura Regan's research partner is murdered and she is blamed for the crime, police, the FBI, cyber-detectives, and mercenaries hunt for the CDC researcher. Why does everyone want Regan dead? What are the upper echelons of the federal government trying to hide? Who are the mismatched quartet of inter-agency spooks trying to protect Regan? The nuanced and extraordinary art of Huddleston enhances Venditti's intelligent, tension-filled script. Paranoid and addictive, The Homeland Directive provides a level of suspenseful excitement rarely encountered this side of a John le Carre novel. Let's just hope they do a better job with the movie version than they did with The Surrogates.
November 4, 2015
Didn't really care for this. Conspiracy theory type story where the government is out to kill some people....yawn.
March 13, 2018
Disappointing. I was hoping for a take on the Deep State, the military-industrial complex that dominates Washington. Drones, assassinations, torture, widespread surveillance, data mining, there's so much to work with. But instead it was just a cookie cutter political thriller.
Read
May 5, 2021This... was not good. Lol
May 16, 2014
Full review posted at Worn Pages and Ink.
The most alluring thing about this graphic novel is the absolutely stunning artwork and illustrations scrawled elegantly across the pages. From page one, this graphic novel had my attention wholly. What’s absolutely fantastic about this one is that each location—geography, characters, setting—is defined not only by a different style of artwork that encompasses the feel and tone and character of each location, but is further enhanced by the colours that drew out the essence of each city: charcoal for the White House, rainbows for the clubs of New York, black and white on grid paper for an office, and so on. It is so intricate and contemplated and it’s beautiful.
The story, too, is fast-paced and thrilling and sweeps you up in the action and the threat of an imminent and deadly epidemic. As the action intensifies, the illustrations become more artful, capturing fast an erratic movement, bloody conflict, and ubiquitous death. The climax of the story was exhilaratingly tense. I couldn’t put it down.
And I’ll say one last thing about the artwork, and more specifically, the cover art. The image above depicts the threatening tones of this book perfectly. The government and death are united into one seemly image, capturing the heart of the story: you cannot trust the very presence that is instilled in society to keep society safe.
The most alluring thing about this graphic novel is the absolutely stunning artwork and illustrations scrawled elegantly across the pages. From page one, this graphic novel had my attention wholly. What’s absolutely fantastic about this one is that each location—geography, characters, setting—is defined not only by a different style of artwork that encompasses the feel and tone and character of each location, but is further enhanced by the colours that drew out the essence of each city: charcoal for the White House, rainbows for the clubs of New York, black and white on grid paper for an office, and so on. It is so intricate and contemplated and it’s beautiful.
The story, too, is fast-paced and thrilling and sweeps you up in the action and the threat of an imminent and deadly epidemic. As the action intensifies, the illustrations become more artful, capturing fast an erratic movement, bloody conflict, and ubiquitous death. The climax of the story was exhilaratingly tense. I couldn’t put it down.
And I’ll say one last thing about the artwork, and more specifically, the cover art. The image above depicts the threatening tones of this book perfectly. The government and death are united into one seemly image, capturing the heart of the story: you cannot trust the very presence that is instilled in society to keep society safe.
October 30, 2011
A compelling plot and creative art. Wow, what more could I ask for?
This book starts us out slow and builds fast. It tells a story from "on the ground", not as if there's a narrator or any inkling that outsiders are peering in and wondering what's going on.
This was a lot more fun to read than I usually give credit to non-capes graphic novels. So many lack a really tightly-plotted story and imaginative backstory - this must've taken Venditti quite a while to put together.
The art is quite a mix of styles and palettes - all evoking different moods and focus of the reader. Obviously some strong talent here that doesn't suit the usual "comics" style - but that we should start demanding from our big publishers. I think the medium would be much better for it.
This book starts us out slow and builds fast. It tells a story from "on the ground", not as if there's a narrator or any inkling that outsiders are peering in and wondering what's going on.
This was a lot more fun to read than I usually give credit to non-capes graphic novels. So many lack a really tightly-plotted story and imaginative backstory - this must've taken Venditti quite a while to put together.
The art is quite a mix of styles and palettes - all evoking different moods and focus of the reader. Obviously some strong talent here that doesn't suit the usual "comics" style - but that we should start demanding from our big publishers. I think the medium would be much better for it.
February 10, 2012
In Talking Head's song "Don't Worry About The Government" David Byrne paints a portrait of typical (American) naive complacency.
This book does an excellent job at shaking one's complacency and assumptions up.
Well not me so much, as I already mistrust the government.
I do not think it is outlandish to imagine forces in our government fabricating a "terrorist" attack if it gave them more control and power over it's citizens as a result.
See: Operation Northwoods.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operatio...
Without the words the art looks sterile and strange, but once I started reading I grew to appreciate the art, and indeed applaud it's innovative approach.
This book does an excellent job at shaking one's complacency and assumptions up.
Well not me so much, as I already mistrust the government.
I do not think it is outlandish to imagine forces in our government fabricating a "terrorist" attack if it gave them more control and power over it's citizens as a result.
See: Operation Northwoods.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operatio...
Without the words the art looks sterile and strange, but once I started reading I grew to appreciate the art, and indeed applaud it's innovative approach.
May 23, 2012
I am pretty clueless when it comes to art. When I read a graphic novel, for me it is generally ALL about the story, but with this one, the art definitely made an impression. It was...jarring. I'm not sure how best to describe it, but it made me uneasy from the beginning. If it had been music, I would say discordant. Edgy? This is a book that will give you nightmares. We can only HOPE our government officials are not so corrupt. The pages fly by and there is no satisfying ending. Is there justice? Do the bad guys get punished? Maybe. Do the good guys get rewarded? Not so much. Definitely food for thought here.
March 18, 2013
A fast-paced, paranoia-fueled thriller. I wouldn't look for much in the way of depth or character motivation here. But it is enormously fun to read. There are some really interesting choices in the art, as well. I especially liked the panels that had anatomy text-like illustrations overlaying the simpler line art that carried the action. I think this would make a really fun movie, and it makes for a very entertaining read.
June 4, 2013
I enjoyed the art/artist. Wonderful shading, abstraction, and a minimalism that I personally really like.
Story was timely and griping, while not being too far fetched or too easily figured out.
Story was timely and griping, while not being too far fetched or too easily figured out.
April 28, 2020
D’entrée le scénariste vous dit dans l’introduction – juste pour vous mettre la pression – qu’il a travaillé 10 ans sur ce livre. Rien que ça. Il faut dire qu’il a de l’ambition. En plus de la dimension politique de son oeuvre, il décide de traiter un autre sujet d’envergure, l’un des plus grands fléaux: l’épidémie. Ce n’est pas un sujet très original, il est souvent abordé, notamment au cinéma et fait partie de la grande famille des scénarios catastrophes. Malheureusement, avec l’épidémie Ebola qui sévi toujours, on est en plein dans l’actualité. Non, ce qui est plus original, et surtout plus ambitieux, c’est de mêler politique et scénario catastrophe dans une grande théorie du complot.
Bien que très chargée donc, l’histoire n’est pas dépourvue d’intérêt – il faut juste accepter d’y croire. C’est plutôt du côté du scénario que le livre pèche un peu. Je ne saurais pas dire ce qui cloche vraiment, mais le fait est que tout ne coule pas naturellement. Peut-être que le choix des personnages assez caricaturaux voire stéréotypés n’aide pas vraiment. Le découpage des scènes façon cinéma non plus.
Si on cherche des explications au fait que cette BD ne fonctionne pas ou fonctionne mal, il faut aussi s’intéresser aux dessins. Il n’y a rien à redire sur un plan formel. Ils sont très réussis et correspondent tout à fait à ce que l’on est en droit d’attendre pour ce type d’ouvrage. Non, le souci vient du partis pris du dessinateur.
> Me servir de techniques graphiques expérimentales comme supports narratifs.
Je crois que tout est dit dans le "expérimental". Il y a des choses qui fonctionnent et d’autres qui ne fonctionnent pas du tout. Dit autrement, l’effet produit n’est pas toujours celui attendu. Mais ce n’est très grave. Ce qui l’est plus c’est que par l’utilisation de ces techniques il n’encre pas l’histoire dans la réalité et fait même l’exactement le contraire en la rendant encore moins crédible. Et elle n’avait vraiment pas besoin de ça.
https://www.aubonroman.com/2019/10/ho...
Bien que très chargée donc, l’histoire n’est pas dépourvue d’intérêt – il faut juste accepter d’y croire. C’est plutôt du côté du scénario que le livre pèche un peu. Je ne saurais pas dire ce qui cloche vraiment, mais le fait est que tout ne coule pas naturellement. Peut-être que le choix des personnages assez caricaturaux voire stéréotypés n’aide pas vraiment. Le découpage des scènes façon cinéma non plus.
Si on cherche des explications au fait que cette BD ne fonctionne pas ou fonctionne mal, il faut aussi s’intéresser aux dessins. Il n’y a rien à redire sur un plan formel. Ils sont très réussis et correspondent tout à fait à ce que l’on est en droit d’attendre pour ce type d’ouvrage. Non, le souci vient du partis pris du dessinateur.
> Me servir de techniques graphiques expérimentales comme supports narratifs.
Je crois que tout est dit dans le "expérimental". Il y a des choses qui fonctionnent et d’autres qui ne fonctionnent pas du tout. Dit autrement, l’effet produit n’est pas toujours celui attendu. Mais ce n’est très grave. Ce qui l’est plus c’est que par l’utilisation de ces techniques il n’encre pas l’histoire dans la réalité et fait même l’exactement le contraire en la rendant encore moins crédible. Et elle n’avait vraiment pas besoin de ça.
https://www.aubonroman.com/2019/10/ho...
March 31, 2019
I think this is one underrated graphic novel by the community here, but I guess the 3.6 stars are result of the changing art.
Let me start with the story, if you are in the mood for a large scale conspiracy (the territory of the US in this case) that involves guverment officials you will enjoy this novel. The characters are very well written, nicely introduced in the story. The pace is perfect and constant. The motives of the players involved are clear and the ending was suitable for a story like this one.
The panelling keeps up with the story and the dinamic hit once they get to an action scene. There were some really good 2 pages spreads where the panelling was done as on one landscape page.
The art worked well for me. I can understand why people diss it. However it's the same artist with same style of drawing the characters, however the coloring style changes giving us different look to different situation (red for the action scenes, gray for the meetings at the president and so on). I guess this is a matter of taste.
I strongly recommend this graphic novel, especially if one wants to take vacation from mainstream comics and superheroes.
Let me start with the story, if you are in the mood for a large scale conspiracy (the territory of the US in this case) that involves guverment officials you will enjoy this novel. The characters are very well written, nicely introduced in the story. The pace is perfect and constant. The motives of the players involved are clear and the ending was suitable for a story like this one.
The panelling keeps up with the story and the dinamic hit once they get to an action scene. There were some really good 2 pages spreads where the panelling was done as on one landscape page.
The art worked well for me. I can understand why people diss it. However it's the same artist with same style of drawing the characters, however the coloring style changes giving us different look to different situation (red for the action scenes, gray for the meetings at the president and so on). I guess this is a matter of taste.
I strongly recommend this graphic novel, especially if one wants to take vacation from mainstream comics and superheroes.
May 7, 2021
A straight-up-the-middle conspiracy thriller in which the highest echelons of government orchestrate a hideous crime against the American public to justify taking more control over them. Somebody knows The Big Secret, so the government must silence her as a loose end. She goes on the run with some allies, and the cat-and-mouse games begin. While the premise is too familiar by far, the writing itself is this books' strongest suit, and I wouldn't mind seeing more thrillers of this type from Venditti, provided the storylines were more original. The artwork varied in quality and tone, and the effort to color-code things depending on who was in the frame at the time just made the visuals feel all over the place. All in all, this gets marks for effort, and there is clearly a lot of talent on display here. One hopes this team will collaborate again, and perhaps with stronger editorial oversight, will really unlock their potential.
March 16, 2018
In Boston, a little boy presents with an unknown, rapidly progressing and debilitating disease. In Atlanta, a scientist is murdered. In New York, his research partner is framed for the crime. Laura Regan is at the centre of a conspiracy so deadly it could undo the foundations of a nation.
I devoured this graphic novel in one sitting, never knowing what twists would be thrown at me next. The pacing is excellent, the characters are lively and the style of the art is incredible! I loved that it drew your attention to exactly where you needed to focus. No need for fancy extras.
I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves action movies, thrillers, conspiracy theories and politics.
I devoured this graphic novel in one sitting, never knowing what twists would be thrown at me next. The pacing is excellent, the characters are lively and the style of the art is incredible! I loved that it drew your attention to exactly where you needed to focus. No need for fancy extras.
I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves action movies, thrillers, conspiracy theories and politics.
July 12, 2022
This was a really good read. Solid story/plot, well paced, and very intriguing. I did have to stop five or six times to check the date on this. It’s nearly a decade pre-pandemic, but there were some eerie similarities to what would happen when Covid-19 started sweeping through America. I wasn’t a huge fan of the credence it lent to conspiracy theories and their potential validity, but all in all, I’m very glad to have read this graphic novel. The changing of art styles and colors based on locations was interesting, too.
September 13, 2022
The story is a real page-turner - a rare thing for a graphic novel. A terrorist plot of bio-terror is thoughtfully developed while exploiting the Covid zeitgeist. Pandemic, data privacy and bent political ideals are woven together with excellent art to drive the narrative. A fast and thought-provoking addition to the genre.
May 22, 2021
Whoa. This one hit a little close to home. Well done, intriguing story.
October 3, 2021
There was no better time to read this book. Only those who've read it would understand why I'm writing this...
July 25, 2022
Hahahaha really good parallels to 2019 instead of America everyone thinks the China caused the virus. Do really sad has money is already leaving hands and being almost done by credit alone.
June 28, 2023
Reading this post Covid definitely made it hit harder. It was a delight to read, frustration at the bad guys getting away with their scummy scheme pulling you from one page to the next.
July 28, 2025
3,5 ⭐️
February 7, 2021
2.5
This hits a bit different after Covid I think.
Also it was just very dull and the wrap up was boring.
This hits a bit different after Covid I think.
Also it was just very dull and the wrap up was boring.
March 5, 2017
the story was pretty cool but i found the artwork to be really mismatched and messy (which might've been what the illustrator was going for, but i just found it to be in-cohesive, distracting, and ultimately ineffective)
September 5, 2014
The Homeland Directive is a graphic novel that brings up issues regarding national security, information availability, how much personal information the government should be able to access and whether or not information is ever really erased from the internet.
This graphic novel was jam packed with information, action, and some amazing artwork by Mike Huddleston. In fact one of the things I really enjoyed about this novel was the fact that each setting had its own color scheme. The White House, the Department of Homesec, when the characters are on the run and the cities that are mentioned later in the novel. Everything had a distinct color scheme that distinguished it from the rest of the places that appeared. The other aspect that applaud this graphic novel for was it's character development and how it introduced new information to the reader. Although this is a relatively short graphic novel, the amount of character and plot development is intense. Each character is introduced and brought to life in a matter of only a couple panels. Also when the character bring in new information, particularly information relating to government security measures, it doesn't feel as though the reader is being bombarded. It feels as though the information is being told and explained to a competent adult who is interested in what everything means.
The only problem that I had with The Homeland Directive was the fact that there was a lot of action build up and then the resolution just fell a bit flat. It felt like there was going to be some huge revelation or some giant end point but I didn't feel it was actually there. I felt more like the book should have continued on into another one or done something to make the suspense last a bit longer. I will say that although I thought the end fell flat a bit, it was not a BAD ending, it just wasn't what I wanted it to be.
This graphic novel was jam packed with information, action, and some amazing artwork by Mike Huddleston. In fact one of the things I really enjoyed about this novel was the fact that each setting had its own color scheme. The White House, the Department of Homesec, when the characters are on the run and the cities that are mentioned later in the novel. Everything had a distinct color scheme that distinguished it from the rest of the places that appeared. The other aspect that applaud this graphic novel for was it's character development and how it introduced new information to the reader. Although this is a relatively short graphic novel, the amount of character and plot development is intense. Each character is introduced and brought to life in a matter of only a couple panels. Also when the character bring in new information, particularly information relating to government security measures, it doesn't feel as though the reader is being bombarded. It feels as though the information is being told and explained to a competent adult who is interested in what everything means.
The only problem that I had with The Homeland Directive was the fact that there was a lot of action build up and then the resolution just fell a bit flat. It felt like there was going to be some huge revelation or some giant end point but I didn't feel it was actually there. I felt more like the book should have continued on into another one or done something to make the suspense last a bit longer. I will say that although I thought the end fell flat a bit, it was not a BAD ending, it just wasn't what I wanted it to be.
Read
July 30, 2013I wouldn’t call myself a paranoid person. I do sometimes run to get into bed and pull up the covers as quickly as possible after watching a Law and Order: SVU marathon. After reading George Orwell’s 1984, I did start regarding every tv or computer screen with a small fear that it was a potential 2-way telescreen. Despite this, I am typically a level-headed librarian that loves to drop the phrase “peer-reviewed research” into regular conversations.
But Robert Venditti’s The Homeland Directive brought out the conspiracy theorist in me. When I finished reading the graphic novel, I wasn’t convinced that the federal government was spreading an infectious disease in hopes of scaring the population into submission and setting up the head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the murder of her research partner. But when I was in the middle of the novel, it didn’t seem entirely far fetched. Venditti was able to take me out of my own perception of the world while I read this graphic novel, and left me thinking far after I finished reading.
Pairing with brilliant illustrator, Mike Huddleston, Venditti wrote a piece that feels outrageous and real at the same time. The illustrations are complicated and portray mood more than action, and the style changes with the setting and cast of characters. All together, this is a stylistic, powerful graphic novel with a well edited story and smart pacing. Everything that needs to be in the story is there, with no extras. I would recommend this book for fans of Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man series or Mat Johnson’s Right State.
But Robert Venditti’s The Homeland Directive brought out the conspiracy theorist in me. When I finished reading the graphic novel, I wasn’t convinced that the federal government was spreading an infectious disease in hopes of scaring the population into submission and setting up the head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the murder of her research partner. But when I was in the middle of the novel, it didn’t seem entirely far fetched. Venditti was able to take me out of my own perception of the world while I read this graphic novel, and left me thinking far after I finished reading.
Pairing with brilliant illustrator, Mike Huddleston, Venditti wrote a piece that feels outrageous and real at the same time. The illustrations are complicated and portray mood more than action, and the style changes with the setting and cast of characters. All together, this is a stylistic, powerful graphic novel with a well edited story and smart pacing. Everything that needs to be in the story is there, with no extras. I would recommend this book for fans of Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man series or Mat Johnson’s Right State.
October 18, 2011
I really wanted to like this book. It has such an interesting premise being set in the US right after 9/11 and there's murder, intrigue, and conspiracy...and the government may be behind it all. But...it draws way too much inspiration from V for Vendetta and from political thrillers like Enemy of the State.
The story, while well written, is predictable if you've read "V for Vendetta" before or any political thriller where the government has gone bad. It follows the same basic pattern and there's just no suspense or drama to it really. The art style is also a bit overwhelming and distracting at times. It's very well done, but the variations in style, from being done in charcoal drawings for the political meetings (which are really quite nice and unique) to being computer generated, make it difficult in some scenes to know what's going on.
I'll give the book 3.5 stars because it is well written and there are some interesting scenes drawn...I just wish it was a bit more unique in its storyline.
The story, while well written, is predictable if you've read "V for Vendetta" before or any political thriller where the government has gone bad. It follows the same basic pattern and there's just no suspense or drama to it really. The art style is also a bit overwhelming and distracting at times. It's very well done, but the variations in style, from being done in charcoal drawings for the political meetings (which are really quite nice and unique) to being computer generated, make it difficult in some scenes to know what's going on.
I'll give the book 3.5 stars because it is well written and there are some interesting scenes drawn...I just wish it was a bit more unique in its storyline.
July 15, 2012
The Homeland Directive is a good read. It's got good pacing and doesn't feel overly drawn out. If anything, it may have benefitted from slowing down a smidgen to provide a better background on some of the characters, especially the "rogue agents" who get very little exposition as to their origin and connection to each other. In favor of moving the story along, depth is set aside. There are elements of typical "conspiracy theories" here, but they don't make the story overly formulaic. The conspiracy has an interesting premise (make it harder for terrorists to operate), but at one point in the story the fugitives (the good guys?) do something (or I should say are given something) that it occurs to me every terrorist cell would do to get around "the plan", making it more of an inconvenience than an actual deterrent. But overall these are minor quibbles and I did enjoy the story and even had a few "oh, that was clever" moments along the way.
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