Yes, I went a bit click-happy when it came to requesting Graphic Novels off of Netgalley. It’s because they’re quick reads, and I was SO behind on my Goodreads challenge, and plus, you can’t really beat a good graphic novel, can you? So this time, I opened up the Adobe Digital app on my phone, and got ready to read my latest download: a space drama that was kind of like when Obama took over from Bush…

On Inauguration Day, newly elected President Stephen Blades hoped to tackle the most critical issues facing the nation: war, the economy, and a failing health care system. But in a letter penned by the outgoing President, Blades learns the truth that redefines “critical”: seven years ago, NASA discovered alien presence in the asteroid belt, and kept it a secret from the world. A stealth mission crewed by nine astronauts was sent to make contact, and they’re getting close – assuming they survive the long journey to reach their destination.

Today, President-elect Blades has become the most powerful man on the planet. This planet.

I do love a good space drama graphic novel. I mean… Just look how much I love the Saga series. And if you didn’t know that I loved Saga, well… Now you do. It’s one of my favourite series of all time. Anyway, we’re not here to talk about Saga. Letter 44 is only similar in the sense that it’s set in space, nothing else. Letter 44 is much more political, and doesn’t really deal with fantastical elements (so far, anyway). It’s real.

The story starts out with President Blades has been left a letter from the previous president outlining that the U.S has a spaceship that is looking for alien life. He’s left with this massive responsibility before he’s even been inaugurated… Sound familiar? I loved this graphic novel straight away, because if there’s one thing that I love more than space, it’s politics. I love political intrigue and drama and Soule gets the balance between space and politics exactly right, switching from point of views every other page.

I instantly loved all of the characters. I found them to have their personalities thought out really well, and the foundations for their characters were laid out very early on, so you knew what was going on with who. One of the negatives about the characters though, is that there are only 2 female astronauts on the spaceship, and I felt like they were passed around like a piece of meat between the other 5 male astronauts. The men kept going on about how there were only 2 women and one was pregnant and blah blah blah. Yeah whatever. Being with someone isn’t exactly their number one priority. They’ve got more important things to think about then when the next time they have sex is going to be, and I think because of that, I definitely found the political side of the story more intriguing than the space side of things.

Just to let you guys know though, this is an adult-themed graphic novel. There are explicit scenes throughout this volume, so for mature readers only.

As with most graphic novels, the art is brilliant. It’s just… words can’t even describe how much I love this style of artwork. The colours, the lines, the detail… All of it is perfect, and if the screenshots below don’t prove this, then I really don’t know what will!

I really did enjoy Letter 44, and I didn’t know that it’s already got quite a few volumes out! So you guys know what I’ll be spending my money on over the next couple of months, because I really want to know what happens next in this series.

Disclaimer: this was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review