The American Way [Paperback]

John Ridley (Author), Georges Jeanty (Author), Karl Story (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2007

Critically acclaimed novelist and screenwriter John Ridley (Three Kings) offers a unique vision of U.S. history in the thrilling graphic novel THE AMERICAN WAY!

The 1960s were a decade of incredible change for America. It was a time of innocence. It was a time of optimism. It was a time of heroes.

In the early '40s, the United States government hatched a plan to create the Civil Defense Corps: a group of "super-heroes" who could fight alien invasions, evil super-powered beings and communism, all in front of an adoring public, courtesy of television. But that dream was far from reality by the `60s, as new C.D.C. Marketing Director Wesley Catham is about to discover. How far will America go to protect its dream of a better tomorrow?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The operative question with The American Way is, do we really need another Watchmen? An amalgam of Alan Moore's watershed comic and its numerous imitative series, like The Authority and Marvels, this miniseries is a complicated take on the superhero myth seen through the Cold War politics and civil rights upheavals of the early '60s. The U.S. government has created a team of fake (though some are inexplicably real) heroes who fight fake villains so that the government can appear strong to its Cold War enemies. Protagonist Wesley is a just-fired ad man for cars who is called into service to serve as the propaganda man for the superteam. Needless to say, Wesley's ethics and belief in his country are challenged as he becomes embroiled in the politics and realities of the situation, particularly when an African-American hero joins the team. And even more needless to say, the government's superbeings become unhinged and catastrophe follows. Ridley, whose résumé includes both screenplays and novels, is a competent writer with ambitious ideas, but they often lose focus, especially as the story gets more convoluted, and Jeanty's art is energetic but does little to delineate the many characters. Still, fans of superhero revisionism will find much to chew on. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: WildStorm (February 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401212565
• ISBN-13: 978-1401212568
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.6 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #923,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The superheroes were real. The superheroics were not., August 1, 2007

By 

Tom Knapp "Rambles.NET editor" (Lancaster, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Way (Paperback)

It's the early 1960s, and the United States is nervous. Communism is spreading, the Cold War is in full swing, and Russia has put a man in space and missiles in Cuba. On the home front, racial tensions threaten to tear the country apart. It's a time for heroes, and luckily America has some -- a few genuine superpowers mixed with the products of genetic labwork and scientific trickery.

But they're far too valuable as public icons to risk in actual combat with dangerous villains, so -- apart from the occasional mugger or street thug -- the Civil Defense Corps engages in violent, newsmaking battles with ... actors. Yes, actors. The government has created villains to provide foils for the CDC, giving the credulous public something to cheer for. After all, there's no reason to worry about Russia when the likes of Phobos, Freya, Ole Miss, Old Glory and Amber Waves are here to protect us.

And then things start to go wrong. A hero dies. An inconvenient spouse is murdered. A killer is let loose, but fails to follow his programming. And an accidental unmasking reveals a popular new hero to be "colored" -- and America isn't ready for that shocking truth.

Nor, it turns out, are many of the other heroes.

"The American Way" is a tense, gripping story set in a volatile time. Following in the gilded footsteps of Alan Moore's classic "The Watchmen," writer John Ridley gives us heroes who suffer the same failings and bigotries as the "normal" people around them. Some will rise above those failings, while others, of course, will surrender to them.

Destined to be a classic, "The American Way" is an exciting, sometimes heartbreaking tale.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Government Sponsored Super Team, February 13, 2007

By 

Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The American Way (Paperback)

It is the Cold War and America has a team of super heroes to help protect justice and the American Way. An ad man who lost his job due to bad timing has been recruited to work for the government and handle PR for the super team. It is then that he learns that while the heroes do exist their reputation is false. The minor crime they stop is real but all of the super-villain battles are carefully scripted and acted out. But as tensions build between America and Russia, America is also being subjected to the buildup of racial tensions between blacks and whites. That is when the ad man comes up with the idea of creating a black super hero. He will be masked at first to win the trust of the country and then it will be revealed that he is black.

But an accident reveals the secret too soon and racial tension on the team goes through the roof. How can the situation be diffused? Will extreme sanction be required for all the super heroes? Is there any action that will not make matters worse? All these questions and more make up this fascinating story. Set against real-world events this is a gripping tale of a volatile period in America's history. An interesting new spin on the super hero story but with better grounding in reality than most. Definitely one for fans who like some intelligence in their comics. Check it out.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, February 28, 2008

By 

Mark L. Mckenzie (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The American Way (Paperback)

This book is one that deserves a second read almost as soon as one finishes it the first time. It's not an easy story by no account. Its rude and as far as comic's go a very real overview of America in a long forgotten time.The early 60's is caught exactly as it was with none of the kindness that one expects. The words are crude as I said but the story will make you look at yourself. This is a worthy book that belongs with The Watchman by Moore as required reading for graphic comic readers.