Briggs Land, Vol. 2: Lone Wolves

Briggs Land #2

by Brian Wood, Mack Chater (Illustrator), Vanesa R. Del Rey (Illustrator)

Grace Briggs is now the leader of the largest antigovernment secessionist group in the United States, having outmaneuvered both Federal law enforcement and an attempted takeover by white power stormtroopers. But troubles at home remain, and when a chance encounter with innocent civilians blows up into an ugly hostage situation, the privacy and integrity of Briggs Land is compromised. Meanwhile, Jim Briggs, humiliated at losing control of the family, seeks revenge.

With its gritty and realistic depiction of a fractured family in a polarized society, Brian Wood and Mack Chater's Briggs Land is an essential mirror of our times, "a uniquely American crime comic you need to be reading." (Nerdist)

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Comic Book, The United States Of America

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2018

About the author

Brian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.

From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.

His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.

He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three stories within were all very good. Each story features a different character and you get a different perspective of the Briggs family. In the first story, Isaac must deal with some hikers who've wandered onto Briggs Land. Then see into one of the sister-in-law's life before she married into the family. Finally, one of the old timers tries to stage a coup. The only thing keeping this from being a five star book is Mack Chatter only draws the first story. The art on the latter 2 books is terrible.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Briggs Land volume 1 really caught me off guard. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Here comes volume 2, and you never know if a series can live up to the surprise of the first one. I'm happy to report this one does!

So this is three different stories. First one we get a nice tense 3 issue arc about two people, girlfriend and boyfriend, camping in the forest but stumble upon Briggs land. This becomes a intense debate on what to do, free or kill them, all while the US Government tries to make a stand against this independent land. Then we have a nice little one shot of a girl worrying if she should have a kid or not and the debate of who these people are on the land. Then the last two parts are warfare within, betrayal for some, and a big OH SHIT moment to top it off.

Good: Loved all three stories to be honest. Each held a different feel, a different weight, and tough choices. You know good storytelling when can't relate to these alt-right nazi like racist fucks but somehow they are engaging none the less. The dialog, storyline, everything works with the pacing to make this as exciting if not MORE so than volume 1.

Bad: Some of the art, the one shot really, didn't work well. Hard to tell what was happening.

Overall Briggs Land is as strong as ever. When Brian Wood writes good he's one of my favorites. This is easily a 5 out of 5 for me. I NEED MORE!!!

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm surprised to be so well hooked with this book.

I'm not supportive at all to secessionists movements like Briggs land. Even less when coming from a far-right ideology. The characters are not really more likeable than they were in vol.1.

And yet it's an easy 4*. Brian Wood manages to get me into a story that I don't have any objective reason to be interested with in the first place. Is this the mark of a great writer or what?

Because the plot is intense. It hit the ground running with issue one, without much breather.
Because  the characters feel alive. They have motives, they have personalities, they act, react and go along with the flow of tension that surround them which they helped create. I don't especially like them but I sure like their story. Weird, eh?

Wood once again deftly mixes an action thriller with politics. It could be boring, it's great.

Three stories in this book, more or less centered on particular characters.
- Hikers wandering on Briggs land unvoluntarily create tension when the FBI is already on Grace's heels.
- We discover Noah's wife Abbie, not native from Briggs, and the choices she made.
- Jim Briggs might be in prison but that doesn't mean he's without resources.

Three different artists too.
- Mark Chater, who illustrated book one already. It's ok but I'm sincerely not too fond of it.
- Vanesa Del Rey didn't impress me one bit on Abbie's story.
- Werther Dell'Edera does a clean job on the last one. His style is different from what I've seen of him in Loveless or Scalped but all for the better. My favorite of the lot by far.
Lee Loughridge unites the whole with his good colours.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great volume from Brian Wood! I really enjoyed the writing once again, the dialogue is simple and to the point and you can just pick up one of these volumes and read them in one sitting easily! Only negative I really have is the artwork, the main art is fine, but they oddly switch art styles a few times throughout this volume. The artwork in the second story wasn't really my cup of tea! But overall this series is a solid recommendation from me!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Secure the perimeter. Protect the land. Preserve the family.”

When I first read Briggs Land (V1) I said it was an absolutely riveting new series about “an American family under siege” by both the government and their own hand. Set in rural upstate New York, Briggs Land is a hundred-square-mile oasis for people who want to live off the grid. Established in the Civil War era, the Briggs family would give sanctuary to those who wanted to live a simple life, but this anti-government colony has taken a dark turn in recent times. The village that grew within its fences has morphed into a breeding ground for white supremacy, domestic terrorism and money laundering. So, would the second volume deliver following such a strong start? I’m glad to report- yes!

In this second volume, an unsuspecting couple wanders too far while hiking and inadvertently wanders onto Briggs land from the southern border of Canada. They run into Grace’s youngest son, Issac, a former soldier who panics that the couple will tell authorities that he is hiding out. While he doesn’t harm them, he locks them in a cabin and then consults with his mother and brothers Caleb and Noah on what to do.

When the local media started to piece together the missing hikers with the Briggs family, law enforcement jumped at the chance to surround the compound and lay siege to the armed community. As we learned in the first volume, don’t underestimate Grace. She has an effective plan for dealing with the law and the locked-up hikers.

In the midst of all this jailed patriarch Jim Briggs, furious that he has been supplanted by his wife as leader, plots revenge. He still has strong ties and allegiances within the village and plans a way to hurt Grace and regain power. But we are given a poignant flashback as to how Jim had callously used his son Noah as a cover when he attempted to assassinate the president twenty years ago, and we see why Grace’s sons and many in the community have sided with her. We also get some additional plot threads about Grace’s daughters-in-law. We learn some of the reasons they joined the family and discover their mettle in dealing with authorities and outsiders.

Several illustrators are credited with the art, and as such, sometimes the style can change significantly from one chapter to another. This is somewhat distracting, but the earth-toned color palette throughout gives it enough consistency. I loved the guest artists who did the variant art and enjoyed their interpretations of the characters. I’ve read enough graphic novels by now, that often at first glance I can recognize an artist’s style and know who drew it before I even see their credit.

This series is a perfect read in our current polarized world, with all the outcry about guns and the NRA. As a strong proponent of gun control, I can still enjoy this nuanced view of a militaristic family and the morally grey area in which they lead their lives.

This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2018/03/0...

[Zedsdead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a linear narrative; Wood has built a big, rich world with a lot of interconnected stories waiting to be told. Volume 2 contains several, each expanding on the history, logistics, and complex politics of the Briggs territory.

This is good stuff. We see Grace consolidating power on several fronts; her daughter-in-law's story helps the reader understand what a strong woman might find appealing in such a backwards-looking culture; and a number of plausible future threats and challenges are teased.

I think the art took a serious hit in volume 2, to the extent that I should probably ding a star or two. The antagonist in the meth scene seems to gain 70lbs, lose his baseball cap, and change coats in distance shots, for example; I had to work to confirm it was the same guy.

But this is the best new series I've encountered in a long time and anything less than 5 doesn't feel right.

Plot points:
--Two innocent hikers wander onto Briggs land and are held prisoner during a standoff with ATF. A Briggs yokel tries to impress his son by shooting at a government helicopter and eats a sniper bullet. Eventually the hikers are released into the woods with a you-were-never-here, a big bag of money, and a convincing death threat.
--Noah's wife Abby sneaks a pregnant teenager off Briggs land for an abortion and a long talk about a woman's options in a cruel world. She runs into her old college crowd and is reminded why she joined Briggs Land in the first place.
--Laird, a Briggs patriarchy loyalist, attempts to put Grace Briggs in her place. Grace deftly shuts down the insurrection and kicks Laird off the land.
--Flashback to Jim Briggs' attempt on the president's life and his abandonment of 13yo Noah.
--Jim Briggs pays the corrupt sheriff to suspend the utilities that Briggs Land had long been permitted to hijack. Grace re-establishes the old deal, once again affirming her control.

[Adan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m really liking this series. Grace is a great character, and I love seeing her hold on Briggs Land get tighter and tighter. I do wish some of the other characters got a bit more airtime, though. We didn’t even see Caleb in this collection.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am surprised to still be enjoying this series about a separatist group living in northern New York. I don't particularly like any of the characters but I'm enjoying that Wood is able to write about these morally gray characters in such a way that I don't find them repulsive, nor am I ever rooting for them. If the next volume featured them all being gunned down by the American government, I'd think it was a fitting ending. Yet, I'm still curious what will happen to this family that is trying to distance themselves from the former patriarch's ties to racist hate groups, and a drug running business that the new matriarch wants eliminated from their community.

The only thing keeping this from being a five star book is that two of the issues have guest artists, and they're just not anywhere near the same quality as Mack Chater's.

I'd recommend this to people who enjoyed Scalped, Vol. 1: Indian Country, DMZ, Vol. 1: On the Ground or Ex Machina, Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days, or fans of Sons Of Anarchy or Breaking Bad.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume expands upon the Briggs Land universe. Grace's struggle to keep her community safe continues, but I'm getting the feeling that there should be more stories to tell here. The comic doesn't stop on a cliffhanger, but just feels incomplete. Still, it was well worth to read it.

Isaac wants to rediscover the old trails used decades before by smugglers. He encounters a pair of hikers from Toronto and decides to keep them captive. His choice carries potentially grave repercussions as they are a threat to the Briggs Land safety and sovereignty when the FBI gets involved in finding their whereabouts.

The two hikers are reported missing. The FBI tracks their phone via GPS to Briggs Land before the Briggs can destroy it. They get first blood when they kill a local that opened fire on them. This brings in more police, so Grace takes matters into her own hands. The hikers are bribed and threatened to leave for home and stay quiet. Meanwhile Grace deals with the FBI and even manages to seem a victim of their aggression.

Abbie is helping 16-year-old Gilly deal with her unwanted pregnancy. Abbie knows the pressure of living in Briggs Land. She left behind good friends who now accuse her of being alt-right, a nazi and a cultist. Her mind is already made up in favor of Briggs Land and they can't change that.

Briggs Land finds itself without electricity and water. Grace suspects that Jim is behind it, though everyone thought him powerless. The police the Briggs had in their pocket are being a obstacle when they start asking for more money. To top it off, a man named Laird, also on their payroll, demands the reigns of Briggs Land. This story has flashbacks to 20 years before when Jim tried to assassinate the president.

Grace risks her life again to reestablish the understanding the Briggs have with the cops. Her influence gets all the way back to Jim who is seen collapsing under a bench press.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was different artists that created the issues in this Volume Mack Chater, Vanessa R Del Rey, Werther Dell’Edera. The chapter break art was awesome. I would love to have seen Fiona Staples do a chapter. As for the writing, it’s undoubtedly Brian Wood. I loved DMZ. I am getting into The Massive. I plan to read Demo and Northlanders. And Briggs Land fits that outsider worldview although from an alt-right neo-nazi secessionist perspective. Not a fan of the politics but the story was well written.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story, and volume 2 is not quite as strong as volume 1. Still has some amazing issues in it!

[Jamie Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m surprised to say it, but this story about a secessionist militia group in upstate New York is really good. I imagine these would be exactly the kind of stories and problems a group like this would deal with and they tell it so well. 5 stars.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume One set up the challenges facing Grace Briggs as she assumed control of her anti-government secessionist community from her imprisoned monster of a husband. This volume shows some of the those challenges as Grace and her family deal with ghosts from the past as they try to break free from the white supremacist ties of their past. This would make an excellent TV series.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to defy expectation.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We get to learn more about Grace Briggs, who she is, and how she ended up running this secessionist compound. While reading this, I thought a lot about whether it was working to portray white nationalism in a sympathetic way - it's not. The one virulent racist in the midst of the compound is subjected to the most derogation, and while the people living on the land tolerate him, there's no indication that they embrace his extremist views.

The Briggs are still not the most sympathetic family, but the focus on Grace and her unique brand of ethics is what makes this series work so well.

[Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as single issues. Collects issues #7-#12.

#100booksin2017

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Briggs Land is charming. Brian Wood showed that he can write the greyness between citizens and government, the struggle, the two sides of one coin, the unstable moral ground. The Briggs land is for fans of that, for fans of Homeland (especially last season), for fans of Sheltered. Specially Sheltered came to my mind when I was reading this. The chilling standoff between government forces and the "settlers", which was long awaited but started from really small coincidence and one bad decision (leading to another through the points of escalation). The setting is interesting, the story is nothing new, but it's well executing and can perfectly soak you in no time. There is only one main bad thing on this series. The first book felt like half an arc. But later I learnt that was the whole arc. And with this book, it is the same. The build-up story feels like 24 issue arc, but no, you got two open-ended story arcs and so far nothing next, only big itch in your curiosity about "what will happen with Briggs land?".

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too bad this is the final part of Briggs Land. It seemed like a setting filled with possibilities. However, I am glad to have this much. An honest look at a survivalist/separatist colony in upstate New York, warts and all. The good and bad. A power struggle breaks out between the old generation and new, which results in violence and an attempted FBI raid. Intelligent, well drawn, and gripping drama.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wood's moral quagmire aka Briggs Land, a 100 square miles in Upstate New York separate from the United states and run by Antigovernment Secessionists, continues apace. The tension increases and Wood is truly in his element here, making you care for people you might otherwise loathe while deepening character and extending plot.

It doesn't get much better than this.

[Ed Dinnermonkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In America you can be who you want, unless you try to go it alone. Brian Wood delights in characters who are hard to like, who challenge our ideas of how society works. It's far from "sympathy for the alt-right", but muddies the waters enough to make you question your own convictions. If these people are "wrong", what are we doing about our own society that makes it unequivocally "right"?

[20hrsinamerica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace is so badass, I can't even. And I really came to appreciate Abbie in this too, both how she helped Gilly and her interaction with the cops. I am super curious about that Homeland agent though...

[Doctor Action · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unrealised potential. This title had a really interesting setting, great dialogue and solid characters but it clearly got cancelled early and the artist changed on the last few issues which always sucks. This could have been a real top-notch title if it been given more time to run and breathe.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part two, of the Briggs Land series. It's too bad this was ended short, because this second issue was really good, the government and the police were encroaching even more on their establishment. I would have liked to see this come to a conclusion.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read as single issues 1-3

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things ramp up in this volume. I also found another series that this touches on, Queeen of the South. Still a recommended series.

[Bus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Muy muy flojo. Menudo bajón de calidad...

[Paul Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is getting a little confusing for me but I still like the action and where the story is going. Looking forward to Volume 3!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The storytelling is as strong as volume 1, but....where's the rest?
No news in over half a decade now

[Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Briggs Land: Lone Wolves, the second volume of this gritty crime drama, isn’t really doing much to draw me further into the story. Little seems to be happening and the characters feel increasingly interchangeable. Tough ladies trying to command respect in a man’s world, stoic manly dudes strutting about on some mission or other, it’s all getting a little dull. As the Briggs clan continues their familial battle for the control of a secessionist anti-government militia compound in upstate New York and the millions in drug money it brings in, clan matriarch Grace stands up against her jailed husband and his neo-Nazi thugs, corrupt federal agents, and her gun happy citizenry alike. In spite of all this, her story seems surprisingly unengaging. It's obvious the work is trying to be topical to our fraught times, referencing the “alt-right” for instance, but doesn’t seem to be very interested in actually examining any of the political ideas it brings up.

Instead, we get rather murky “intrigue” in which characters engage in mysterious actions we’re not yet given the reason behind, while delivering shallow, snarky speeches on the nature of freedom and the American way. This leads the proceedings to feel a little disjointed, a little unclear of what is happening. Regarding his previous work in the DMZ series, with it’s similarly vague anti-government militia and pretensions to a deeper theme than it was willing to engage, this seems to be Brian Wood’s modus operandi.

I can definitely see how this comic has already been optioned for the next bit of streaming “prestige television” to bloat our screens in the coming months, though, and perhaps with some solid acting the rather bland characters of the comic may come alive a bit and make for some gripping TV. I do have my doubts, however, that the story’s “political” pretensions will go anywhere or have anything concrete or interesting to say about the rising threat of racist right wing domestic terrorists in the United States and where our nation is currently heading.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything is technically fine. But when I try to problematize this and ask why write this story at this time, I keep coming up empty. Wood takes something intrinsically political and resolutely refuses to make a point about it.