An America sundered.
An America enraged.
An America terrified.
An America shattered by greed and racism, violence and fear, nihilism and tragedy...
...and that's when everything really goes to hell.
Howard Chaykin is back whether you want him or not. Expect a fist in the face and a face full of provocation splashed onto every page. You are dared to look and dared to look away. You are warned. Read Full Review
Chaykin is building a dystopian near-future that may be a bit too close to something that could actually happen for comfort. As a reader, I am assuming this first issue is really following the “introduce the team members” trope, with issue #2 being where they are brought together to complete some mission related to the inciting event on the last page. While this is definitely not for everyone, if you don't mind violence with a side order of sex then this is worth checking out. At its core it is classic Chaykin, as he has evolved for the 21st century. Read Full Review
Visually, there is a lot going on throughout the comic as Chaykin's detail work is quite impressive. I found myself going back over some panels more than once to try to make out the finer details and investigate the overlaid images. It made me appreciate the bonus pages at the end that showcased the process between Chaykin art and Bruzenak lettering even more. Read Full Review
It's far too early to say whether this title will be a success, but the early signs are promising. Chaykin has his sights set firmly on an America that is trying to project itself as a world leader and representative of noble democratic and liberal values while its populace becomes ever more fractured and intolerant of each other. Whatever your political persuasion, this is a book worth reading. Its story is thought-provoking, well-told and, at times, a little disturbing. The book is well worth a look. Read Full Review
While the book successfully mirrors the seeming chaos of our age, it's so brutish in its presentation that it's at times unclear just what conversation Chaykin hopes to spark. Timely? Sure. Controversial? You betcha. Anything else remains to be seen. Read Full Review
This series would make a great thriller if it didn't hit so very close to home. The first issue of the Divided States of America reads almost like the daily newspaper, if those paper journals weren't an almost forgotten relic of the past. Lone Wolf terror attacks at a major transportation hub. An angry man with a grudge goes postal on an innocent group of people. A transgendered person is brutally assaulted when their secret is exposed. I didn't just read it in a Image Comic " I saw it last night on CNN! Read Full Review
One issue into the run, there's still a long way to go and plenty of time to recover, but this inauspicious debut certainly won't win over any fans. This is a book to keep an eye on, for sure, but this issue doesn't do much to get things off the ground. Read Full Review
Tightly-paced, unapologetic, but not easy to approach or digest and guaranteed to push some of your metaphorical buttons. Read Full Review
Instead of crafting something so bad that readers can't help but check it out, The Divided States of Hysteria is the kind of bad where you'll want to close the book before you get halfway through. Read Full Review
I did not like the writing,art,or the direction that Howard Chaykin seems to be going with this book. It's a shame though because I actually looked forward to this series up to this point. There may be an audience somewhere for this book but I am not one of those people that it was for. Read Full Review
As a fan of some of Chaykin's work ("Satellite Sam," though that was written by Matt Fraction) I thought to check this out; it's not necessarily a bad comic--it does make a forceful impact on the reader, as I'm sure was the intent. What it is, however, is a bit too brutal and nihilistic for me to really want to collect. His dystopian vision of the United States promises to be dark, bleak, and sure, timely, but it's not for me. Now, I think people railing on "Secret Empire" for its dark vision is a bit silly, so maybe I'm being hypocritical here, but I entrust that truth and justice will prevail there; this is ugly and cynical in a profound way. Chayken admits his usual cheeky humour is missing here. Too true. I am not going any further wit more
What the hell did I just read?? One of the most confusing narratives and presentations I have ever tried to follow. Is it a good story? Who the hell knows. No thanks.
Disjointed, difficult to follow, and, at first blush, seems like controversy for controversy's sake. I'm not writing it off yet, as I'm curious to see what Chaykin does with the cast of miscreants he's haphazardly introduced. But, the story is going to need to come into focus and build some momentum quickly.
Alright, I had hopes for this comic, I thought it would be like Secret Empire, except with teeth and balls. Instead its utterly incomprehensible. My initial reaction was a bored "eh, its ok", but that devolved into antipathy pretty quickly. This book seems designed to get as much controversy as possible, scenes depicting racism, transphobia, islamic extremism are shoved forward faster then the reader can actually process and think about. The art is wonky as all hell, sometimes it looks fine, but often it looks like everyone is a slack-jawed wax dummy that is slowly melting. Beyond that, the story makes little sense, I think the characters introduced in the vignettes are supposed to be our "Heroes", and we also meet some secret agent who are more
Yeah no. I'm all for biting political satire, but this issue just felt like exploitative pulp. Lots of violence I didn't care about, and a rambling style that just didn't connect. Then again, I should have known from the title and cover.
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