I like the character, the illustrations, the writing and the art. In other words, what's not to like. Check it out!

I appreciate original superheroes and the 1960s/70s social commentary, but I'm a little mixed on how everything comes together. And I didn't quite connect with the key heroes, so that's a nitpick.

Think back to America in 1972, if you can. Remember the riots, the bombings, the sense of distrust and fear. Now add in super heroes who had been proven to be frauds, well at least in part. Stir well, shake, and you have the weirdness of American Way where super heroes are all over the spectrum. Some fighting The Man, some being The Man, and others just trying to find a way to do justice. But the writers managed to project some hope into the story so that it is not a total dystopia.

Depressingly, The American Way: Those Above and Below shows just how little we’ve come since the 1970s. While we exceed in scientific or technological fields, humans are still pricks to one and other. Why? Because of different genders and skin colour? Some 45 years after the book takes place, the subject matter feels alarmingly familiar. These problems should be confined to history and that’s what annoys me.

Parallels between The American Way and Watchmen can easily be made. Both books tell the story of a world on the brink of collapse and not even the people with powers can make a change. That fact still doesn’t harm either book. Pointing out our flaws as a race of people is significant in attempting to make changes. It’s a story that needs to be told until there’s no need for it any more.

Hard to judge what I feel about this book - I had no idea there was an earlier volume in the series, so that would certainly have helped. It could have been wordier, it could have been less dramatic, it could have been less relevant to today's American race issues - but at the same time, it could have been clearer and less circuitous, it could have had more punch more quickly, and it could actually have taught us something about American race issues, whether then or now. My thoughts may be skewered by lack of prior knowledge, but at the moment they're find this quite middle-of-the-road.

The story focuses on 3 members of a defunct government superhero team, presumably seen in the original American Way series from 10 years ago. Set in the early 70's and filled with the racially charged violence of the era. The book parallels a lot of the race relations happening now. My problem with the book is that like many people today, the book is filled with a lot of hate and fear. I've seen some people cal it "woke" already, I just found it depressing to see that we haven't changed much as a society in the last 45 years.

John Ridley's American Way: Those Above and Below is set ten years after the introduction of the Civil Defense Corp and the clashes between the super-heroes and super-villians of The American Way. Much of this book acts as a reflection of those events as the characters are still dealing with the aftermath of the destruction of the superteams and struggling to keep their fight alive. Amber Dawn is a "power to the people" revolutionary whose domestic terrorist group has made her the continued target of law enforcement. On the other end of the spectrum, Ole Miss is asked to enter politics on the platform of "traditional family values." New American is stuck in the middle; he is unsure who to help and what would be the best course of action to further the issue of race in the turbulent 1970s.

Excellent art work with unique points of view move this story forward quickly. The novel focuses on few characters and only adds a couple new ones which allows for great depth and a real look into character motivation. I do believe that it is essential to read The American Way first as this one doesn't and really shouldn't provide a sufficient introduction to the characters and plot lines.

Overall, this is a very good graphic novel with excellent characters and biting social commentary.

Thank you to NetGalley, DC Entertainment, and John Ridley & Georges Jeanty for an advanced copy to review.