I don't want to completely lambast this book, because I'm still hoping for good things to come. I thought the art by Toni Fejzula was a pleasant surprise. I found the style visually appealing and the more I looked at it the more I liked it. That said, it was kind of muddled at times. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be gathering from a couple panels. I was also expecting a lot from Eisner Award winner Greg Rucka. He mentioned that this idea has been looming in his mind for 20 years or more, and I think it might be one of those white whales for a writer. I'm not trying to make excuses, but sometimes there's a character or idea so big that it's terrifying, as if it's something ancient that comes not from your own mind but somewhere else entirely, something that could cause blindness or madness or both if contemplated too long. I hope that's what it is, and I hope he drags it out into the light and picks up the pace in the next issue.

I'm excited to see where this story will go, the series is in the upper echelon of current series I am reading when it comes to the synergy of story, art, dialog, lettering, all of the things that make me love a book. I am consistently blown away by the appealing, detailed, and colorful art (Matthew Roberts, Owen Gieni) and how it brings the narrative alive. The series reads like a lost journal of mystery and suspense, making the great unknown feel very real and all around you (as well it should). If I have any complaint, it's that the art and dialog are so illuminating and crisply detailed that it's almost difficult to feel the sheer terror I imagine one would in the situations the characters are put into. I think that's actually a compliment….

The end of civilization isn't a new premise, nor is it a new setting, but this does feel like a fresh perspective, and one that I think will pay off. Getting a slight chance to catch your breath and ask "where do we go from here?" in the third issue was a perfect break from the frantic activity of #1-2, but don't be fooled into thinking that means there's a lack of action. And please, give a dog a pat. They love you.

So yeah, character development and all that, but it's also genuinely fun to read. I'd like to mention an example, maybe of one specific character moment that shows what I mean, but the entire issue is filled with so many I can't choose just one. What I love about this series is the balance between all the cast members. There are great moments for your favorite, whomever that may be, and great interactions between them if you love them all. Character is what drives the series, whether they are battling or mixing drinks.