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colindalaska's review
4.0
This is a very good (if brutal) look at racial tensions in 60s US.
It falls short of being a classic in that there are too many characters with poorly defined powers, and it borrows too heavily on plots from Watchmen, Justice Society: Golden Age and Kingdom Come.
Shame.
It falls short of being a classic in that there are too many characters with poorly defined powers, and it borrows too heavily on plots from Watchmen, Justice Society: Golden Age and Kingdom Come.
Shame.
kavinay's review
5.0
Phenomenal.
This is not a simple polemic. Ridley weaves a story about race and politics that is shockingly subtle.
This is not a simple polemic. Ridley weaves a story about race and politics that is shockingly subtle.
trike's review
4.0
This book was in the vein of Busiek's Astro City, setting up an alternate history with superheroes. In this case, the political and racial tensions of the Cold War and Cuban Missile Crisis coupled with the fight for Civil Rights. As such there is a lot of strong language, with plenty of F-bombs and N-words tossed around, but none of it is gratuitous. It's an interesting take on that era, but it's also a pretty good story in and of itself.
reverenddave's review
3.0
Recently been reading an odd number of superhero books that take an alt-history look at race relations and the south. They can be interesting but havent quite figured out where I come down on them
nightwyrm's review
5.0
My full review on Guerrilla Geek: http://www.guerrillageek.com/2010/08/from-the-vaults-the-american-way-tpb/
squidbag's review
3.0
Weird. I can see how even just 10 years ago this might have been sly and side-eyed in terms of its re-telling of the 60s and 70s racial tensions and the attempt to integrate the space program, but now it comes off as a little ham-handed and one-dimensional. Yes, racism: but the word *nigger* every five pages wears on a reader. In addition, the character of Hellbent is perverted in a way that's simply for sensationalism. Otherwise, this is fairly well written, beautifully put together and reads with pathos. Would give the sequel a try.
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