''Outlaw Nation'' is an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

series originally published by

Vertigo Comics DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult comics, adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and ...

from

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

. The nineteen issues series was created by

Jamie Delano Jamie Delano ( ; born 1954) is an English comic book writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers which started to feature in American comics in the 1980s. He is best known as the first writer of the comic book ...

and Goran Sudzuka, about a family with extremely long lifespans. In an interview about the comic Delano stated that it was "my shot at a big, sprawling 'American Adventure Story' played on that classic widescreen theater of extremes, the territory of the imagination represented to me, a non-native outsider, by the North American continent and its culture. It is a fast-paced, hard-boiled, black-comic, stoned political thriller; a weird Western; an epic family saga touring the underground mythology of America: it is a 'road-movie' of personal discovery for Story Johnson as he returns home to see if the 'American Spirit' of his bizarre family has maintained in its resistance to the oppression of the 'American Dream'". Suzuka was awarded the

Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award is an American award presented to a comic book artist whose first professional work appeared within the previous two years. It was named after comic book artist Russ Manning. The winner is chosen from ...

at the 2001

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

, for his work on ''Outlaw Nation''.

Plot

The main character, Story Johnson, is the black sheep of the Johnson family, a semi-

immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 ...

-clan, that in effect controls America from behind the scenes. Johnson, a 100-year-old, semi-deranged,

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

-writer returns home after spending twenty-five years

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...

in Vietnam, to reconcile with his past and build a new future, but his eccentric family have other plans for him.

Reception

In a review of the comic, ''Crisis On Infinite Midlives'' Amanda states that "Delano uses the saga to make points about society's (American, in particular) darker points: corporate greed, government corruption, fascination with quick fixes instead of hard work, Jerry Springer style TV programs. Whether or not you agree with the points he makes, it's a compelling Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole kind of read".

Collected editions

The series was collected by Desperado Studios and

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

into a single black & white trade paperback containing 456 pages, which was released on November 8, 2006 ().

External links

Jamie Delano: Earning Outlaw Status

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin is a daily website covering the comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks In January 2000, New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice founded then named Silver Bullet Comicbooks. During this period, the site ...

, September 8, 2000

References

Image Comics titles {{DC-Comics-stub