Would have been an extra star if the monsters hadn't been zombies again. Zzzzz.

3.5/5 stars, full review to come!

Plot: 4
Characters: 3
Pacing: 4
Writing: 3
Enjoyment: 3
Art: 4

This was a fun book, I definitely want to see where this goes next. I don't know a lot about the exploration of Lewis and Clark, but I really hope they were like the characters in this book. Lewis is the nerdy, almost innocent scientist while Clark is the gungho soldier there to ensure his buddy doesn't get himself killed.

There wasn't as much obvious correlations to white men conquering the Native Americans as I was expecting, unless you count the main threat. There are some interesting hints at the dynamic of the day, such as the dismissive tone used towards women and the natives as well as the casual disregard Clark shows for his slave York.

Obviously with a title like "Manifest Destiny" there's going to be some subtle and not so subtle commentary going on.

The art is great, at times it reminds me of Tony Moore. It totally suits these characters and the setting. I haven't heard much about this series so I really hope it wasn't cancelled after one book.

5/5 art
3/5 story

A fun historical fiction in which mythological beast inhabit land west of the Mississippi and Lewis and Clark’s real mission is to clear the lands for expansion. It’s a fun idea and executed well. The first volume brings the reader in slowly and then abruptly sets the stage for the fantastical nature of the world it depicts. There seems to be good promise for this series moving forward.

I picked it up from the comic book store last week because of the title (my inner early American historian told me to). Did not expect it to be Lewis and Clark and...zombies. Very entertaining.

This could easily have been as hokey as a lot of the Pride, Prejudice, and Zombie sort of spin-offs, but it manages to avoid feeling gimmicy. It also doesn't shy away from slavery, the mistreatment of Native Americans, the minimization of Sacagawea's role, or the incredibly arrogant white man's burden attitude that tinges everything Lewis and Clark do (I mean, it's in the title for goodness' sake, I should have known). Really enjoyable overall!

3.5 stars
I don't know how to feel yet about this one. I need to read the next volume to see if it improves.
The main detractors are the annoyingly misogynistic language of white men. But it is the 1800s. How much slack can I give though for a historical fantasy? The other thing that bothered me was that I really haven't been able to root for any of the characters yet. I guess maybe Sacajawea, but even still she really only got like 3 sentences and she's going to be a main character, I think?
Now, the fantasy part. I'm loving the incorporation and like the exploration of it in this setting. There were a lot of parallels, surprisingly, to our own 2020 situation so that felt very appropriate while reading this. The art was passable and works so far, but the coloring makes it pop; the writing and the pacing was spot-on. Not too jargon-y for the setting and not too much written exposition, letting the panels do a lot of the "speaking".
Overall, interested to see how this progresses, I'm generally surprised in a good way how Image Comics series continue to evolve.

Lewis and Clark clear the frontier of monsters. Well-developed characters right off the bat, a fun plot, and great art.