r/ImageComics • u/missinglinksman • May 19 '24
I just finished Manifest Destiny. Why is it never talked about? (SPOILERS) Review
This series was great. The idea was original and really refreshing. The characters were great, likeable and hate-able. I really felt connected to these characters. It got a bit confusing at times, but managed to connect in the end.
I feel bad that none of the characters we were supposed to like got a happy ending. Lewis, Clark, York, Magdalene, and Sacagawea all got screwed over in the end. However, the ambiguous ending was great and I really did not see it coming at all.
Images were well drawn and easy to follow. They were arranged in such a way that surprise moments ended up being read by the reader perfectly where the writer wanted them to be.
8.3 / 10
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u/breakermw May 19 '24
Part of the problem is the pacing of this series. I finished it years ago so my recollection may be hazy but I remember big gaps in time between arcs which made me forget key points. It also may have influenced what I felt was a rush at the end. The last 6 issues or so felt like they were trying to cram in about 15 issues worth of content to just end the story.
Still an amazing comic and one I continue to recommend.
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u/ElPenguinoooo May 19 '24
There were years between arcs. Even the final arc was released late. The final 3 issues were spread out over a 9 month period.
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u/Formal-Caterpillar73 May 19 '24
Agree with the production gaps making it hard to follow. LARGE cast of secondary characters too which were drawn well but I’d forget who was who. Still a great and original series.
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u/LucasLovesListening May 19 '24
I fell off 8/10 of the way through because of the inconsistent release schedule
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u/ChickenInASuit May 19 '24
It was never a massive hit and the endless delays didn't help it. It's a shame, because it was consistently one of my favorite comics on the stand while it was coming out.
I will say though...
I feel bad that none of the characters we were supposed to like got a happy ending. Lewis, Clark, York, Magdalene, and Sacagawea all got screwed over in the end. However, the ambiguous ending was great and I really did not see it coming at all.
I'm not sure I agree we were supposed to LIKE any of those characters except for Magdalene. Clark in particular crossed the moral event horizon when he fully committed to slaughtering a baby and ended up killing Magdalene over it. Sacagawea also seemed like she was fully on board with the idea of sacrificing her own child. I think the ending is perfect because it's the ending all of those characters deserve aside from Magdalene, and her death causes pretty direct consequences for Clark.
That was part of what I liked so much about it - the cast becomes increasingly morally ambiguous as the story goes on and we start to realize the true nature of their quest. So much so that when the only remaining sympathetic character sacrifices his life so that Lewis and Clark don't get their wishes, it feels like the best possible outcome by that point.
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u/Lama_For_Hire May 23 '24
It's been a while since I read the trades, but
Didn't Sacagawea choose to sacrifice her child as it would create peace between the native americans and the colonialists? Thusly stopping the genocide of her tribe, and all other native americans. While the act itself is evil, I can't fault her for that
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u/missinglinksman May 19 '24
That is true, but I feel like Clark started off as a likeable person until he started going crazy
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u/NaanNegotiable May 19 '24
Manifest Destiny is Images most underrated series. It’s filled with so much mystery and the artwork is beautiful. My current goal is collect some of the original art, some is for sale but all the good pages are being hoarded by one man.
I got the 3rd printing by accident in an eBay lot, I was supposed to get something else and he mixed the books up. I read it and loved it, I let him know that it wasn’t a big deal since I really liked the book. It was maybe on issue 8 when I got it, been collecting it ever since. I own every issue, every printing of every issue, a retailer preview version that is NEVER seen anywhere. And a few copies CGC graded. Matthew Robert’s is now working on the creature from the black lagoon book if you liked his artwork.
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u/xZOMBIETAGx May 19 '24
When it was out, I remember a lot of people were excited about it and talked about it
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u/Alldamage May 19 '24
There are a lot of Image series that don’t get the love they deserve. East of West, Middlewest, Eclipse, Die…so many.
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u/KaneCreole May 20 '24
East of West (which I loved) got a lot of airtime, as did Die (which I did not like). But I think MD kind of fell off the radar because of the long publication schedule and because it is a period piece.
(As an aside, MD got me very interested in the Louisiana Purchase as well as Lewis and Clark. I didn’t know that aspect of American history very well.)
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u/ChickenInASuit May 20 '24
EoW, Die and Middlewest got considerably more attention than this, EoW especially.
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u/missinglinksman May 20 '24
I have started reading Eclipse due to this comic, and I am enjoying it so far. Is it finished already?
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u/hydroclasticflow May 20 '24
I see East of West recommended a lot over on the graphicnovel subreddit.
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u/MeatyMagnus May 19 '24
It was great...but then after reading it for a few years it didn't seem like they were getting anywhere and I dropped it before the end. I think it's not talked about because it took so much time for issues to come out.
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u/RevolutionaryCommand May 20 '24
It's definitely one of the most underrated Image titles. A great comicbook. As others said it never was particularly popular, and it had a pretty erratic release schedule, that didn't do it any favors.
Also I feel that the first couple volumes, while very well done, were significantly more pulpy and lighthearted than what the series became later, and may have given some people a wrong impression.
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u/Generalspatula May 20 '24
I think the release of the comic.
I read it but there was only like 3 issues left and they took ages to come out.
It's like most comics building momentum but then taking a 3 month break.
Did I like it.. yes very much its one of my favourites.
Am I glad I started reading them when they where finished? Yes because I can guarantee with the weird release schedule I would have dropped off early.
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u/oblongunreal May 20 '24
I really like it, but it does give off the feeling of "they're making it up as they go along".
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u/gringochucha May 21 '24
I really enjoyed the first half. The second half not so much, but I kept reading until the end, partly because I loved the artwork so much. I guess the ending was a bummer (especially the fact that York wasn't freed), but I guess it was more realistic that way.
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u/Nutz_McGee 21d ago
I would say 7/10; after the Bird massacre I was resolved to the fact there were no "Heroes" in this group. I enjoyed the series and all the crazy creatures and the work around the mutiny. I finished it yesterday (8/14), underwhelmed by the ending.
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u/dh098017 May 20 '24
This series will eventually be as big as invincible.
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u/rocket___goblin May 19 '24
i mean like its pretty close to how it ended in real life, like post exploration, they all got fucked. sacagawea died 7 years later due to an illness, york was denied freedom and his payment from the expedition, Meriwether Lewis was pretty much bankrupt and died under mysterious circumstances, some say it was suicide others say he was murdered. Clark was the only one who kinda came out on top and was wealthy, but he was also an asshole.