New president learns about first-contact mission en-route to alien presence on the first day of his presidency. This would be a so-so story, except for some really big flaws:

1. The drawing style is grotesque-- every panel, not just the fight or violent scenes. Like, the faces are so distorted that on the first page, I thought, "wow, bold to create a character with a facial difference in a public office!" But no, they're all drawn like that.

2. Ugh to this space ship crew. And a big F-U to more space babies. I'm pretty sure that, were I the very top scientist in my field in the whole country, and I were selected to captain an alien contact mission, I'd manage to not get pregnant they day we left orbit. Pretty sure every rational woman would, at the prospect of a one-way certain-death mission, opt for a complete hysterectomy before completing training. Pretty sure I'd be too busy working on top-secret science stuff and could manage to keep my pants on. And the only other female crewmember is shown either (a) nearly naked, nipples hard enough to cut glass pointing in not-natural directions, sweat pants so low they must be held on to her pubic bone with fashion tape, (b) actually naked and having sex, or (c) working, in a lab coat or other doctor apparel, with skin at least 3 shades darker but still in a low-cut top.

There is nothing to recommend this GN. Hard pass.

I was really excited to check this one out because Goodreads kept recommending it to me. But upon reading it to discover more mystery and not much reveal. An okay read, as not much happens. Not sure if I would continue this series...like I said not much happened.

Couldn't download this so I can't really review it. Seems really interesting though, sounds like something I would check out.

Great graphic novel, highly addictive story. Very curious to see what happens in future volumes. We are not alone scary thought or exciting possibility??

A surprisingly good first volume. I didn't expect much from it since so many things involving aliens seem to have covered so much of the spectrum. This was a surprising and refreshing take. It's definitely worth reading.

What a pleasant surprise! This has everything I didn't know I needed in a graphic novel! I talk more about this title in this review video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqt__Ihjs9Y

It's inauguration day, and the 43rd president, in the traditional letter to the 44th, has revealed a bombshell to his successor: aliens of unknown origin have constructed something in our solar system, and the U.S. has a secret mission to check it out. So begins Letter 44 Volume 1: Escape Velocity. This edition contains issues 1-6 (of at least 35) of the Letter 44 comics.



This is a decent set-up for a series. If it were a TV show, I'd stick around for another season, just to see what happens. Writer Charles Soule is a veteran comic book writer, with titles from DC, Marvel, and Star Wars on his resume. Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque's illustrations are as high-quality as you'd expect from this level of comic.



This is a fun comic with a good, pulp-fiction-type story line. While you're waiting for the next season of your favorite sci-fi TV show to come out, or for the release of the next installment of your favorite sci-fi movie series, Letter 44 is a good diversion.











Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

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

I really enjoyed this! It's a wonderful sci-fi conspiracy theory mash up with simplistic artwork that I really appreciated. The premise is that when the 44th President takes office, he reads the letter left for him by the previous incumbent and discovers a secret mission to uncover the alien spaceship camped out by an asteroid that no-one knows about. The issues switch between the political machinations on Earth and the astronauts dealing with potential first encounters. I thought the plot was really well constructed and the characterisations were very good. I also thought that the dialogue seemed natural and the behaviours exhibited by all of the players rang true to me. All in all, I thought this was fantastic and will (for the first time) be reading each new issue as it comes out. Well played Mr. Soule!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

It's not often that I find myself totally gripped by a graphic novel; Letter 44 is one such story. It is an engrossing blend of political skulduggery and space opera with plenty of nods to 2001 A Space Odyssey, among other inspirations.

Stephen Blades is the incoming 44th President of the USA. Just before his inauguration, he is given a letter from his predecessor. The letter contains shocking news; there is a secret mission called Project Monolith that has sent the vessel Clarke into outer space to find a gigantic alien construction detected in the asteroid belt. All of the USA's economic and defence policies have been subverted to this secret end for years. Blades is torn between keeping the secret and revealing it to the world. He is undermined in his efforts to establish his influence over this mission and is frustrated in his attempts to take impose his policy aims.

The scientists and the military crew on the Clarke are approaching contact in the asteroid belt, and there have been developments there that mission control is not aware of. The crew makes it through the asteroid belt and then sends a massive discovery back to earth.

I liked the concept of this book and the internecine plot twists, which promise plenty more intrigue to come in future issues. The characters may seem a little bit like stock characters that have been encountered in countless movies along these lines, but Soule does enough with them to avoid being cliched. A very good read overall, and I look forward to the next chapter.

Captivating could-be-happening-now science-fiction plot with appealing artwork.

There is a real tradition of former presidents leaving a personal note for the new president. In Letter 44, the note says aliens are building a mysterious object in our solar system. No one except for a few top defense staff have been told to avoid mass panic. The note continues that the seemingly senseless middle east wars were started just to keep our soldiers in tip-top condition and to inflate the defense budget. Because of a mysterious transmission obstruction, our cameras and telescopes can’t see what is being built. A ship is hastily constructed in secret and sent with 9 military/scientists to investigate. The ship is scheduled to arrive in a few days after more than 3 years in flight.

Will the new President reveal the secret to the American people? To the other national leaders? What will the ship’s crew discover when they reach the alien object? What is its purpose?

The premise and art are great. The plot has several twists and turns. It’s hard to judge who is good and who is evil. If you like your science fiction to be thought-provoking, you can’t go wrong with Letter 44 Vol 1. Plus it’s available on Comixology Unlimited and Prime Reading at the time of this review. 5 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Oni Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Well sod it. It's only been four years since the book first launched. We only had a budget reissue of this book in 2017, so now it's time for the de luxe - possibly larger, possibly packed with more extras, but covering two trades in one. Shame on the publishers for never letting anyone on netgalley see the second arc, but well done on milking such a brilliant comic cow.

Letter 44 Vol. 1 starts off with a new president being sworn into office, only to discover in a letter left by the outgoing president that his predecessor had spent most of his two terms in office making TOP SECRET preparations to face off against aliens who were discovered to be doing *something* (nobody really knows what, but This Is America! so the first instinct is, of course, to bet on weapons!) in the asteroid belt.

A small crew (7 men, 2 women) of scientists and military personnel was sent into space a couple of years ago to see what's what and maybe, you know, have some first contact with the aliens (and, as is to be expected, lots of sex with each other on the way -- strange groovy sex that is nothing like the sexy times I've ever seen).

Somehow, these brilliant people who figured out how to catapult humans into space did not stop to think about human nature and the potential effectiveness of Nexplanon, so when we join the party, we can see that one of the female astronauts is already knocked up.

The plot alternates between espionage and political shenanigans on Earth and hijinks in space of the sort you hope will happen in a story about humans traipsing off to meet aliens. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a great genre for me, but I found it compelling to read and I'm looking forward to checking out the next volume.

Badass Female Character score: Meh, somewhere around 3.5. There are women in space! The First Lady is badass! But my main takeaway from the female characters is that I should apparently head to space if I really want some killer boobs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first work of Charles Soule's where I went, "Now I get why Marvel hired this guy." This is fantastic stuff. I can't wait to read the next volume.

What if Barack Obama showed up on his first day in the Oval Office and George Bush had left him a note that aliens are real and building something in our solar system? Our story is two-fold. On one side we have the President trying to prepare America for a potential invasion from aliens and on the other a team of astronauts who've been sent into deep space to determine what the aliens are building. The series has an epic scope. I'd love to see this turned into a TV show.

First off, the cover is beautiful! Secondly, the art inside is just as the cover. And thirdly, this graphic novel has an intense, interesting, and emotional story. I can't wait to buy the second volume! Throughout the story I felt like I was there along with the characters, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. Also, the comics were a good length, some graphic novels tend to be too long. However, this one was perfect. 5 out of 5 stars.

Part political drama, part Alien invasion, what's not to like here? When the newly elected President takes office, he's given a secret letter from the previous President stating there's a secret asteroid containing alien life that the rest of the world doesn't know about and that it should be kept secret for the betterment of society.

While this volume only scratched the surface of the story being told here, there was definitely a lot to like and some great teases for what more is to come. I will definitely be checking out the rest of this series as it is released. My only real negative(and even then i can look past it) is the artwork in places, especially characters faces can get very muddy and jumbled and make them look deformed. Otherwise, very good series so far.

Full Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of Letter 44, Volume 1 through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

This comic has been on my tbr for a while so when Netgalley had it available as part of a re-release I grabbed the chance to read it.

The plot revolves around the inauguration and new term of Pres. Blake (44th US pres.) and a group of astronauts who’ve been sent to see what they can find about an alien structure. It pulls heavily from 2008 US politics but puts a spin on it. I really enjoyed this one and am excited to see where it leads.

An excellent futuristic sci-fi adventure. There were layers of fear and conspiracy and sacrifice and very bad decisions. I loved that the expository "stuff" became part of the letter written by the former new US president to the new man in office, with his slyness and selfishness apparent on the page, giving a slant to his telling of the story.
The crew were layered and well written. Cramped in a small space, constantly together, on their way to likely death, the relationships have become fluid, which was fascinating. Having a set command structure, but then romantic and sexual relationships developing within their small group give great drama. Plus that surprise reveal! That was brilliant. People on their way to death and sacrifice in order to save the world suddenly having something to live for.
No spoilers, but OH MAN! Astra! and the builders changing her!
Ultimately, it's quite a dark book. The external alien danger causes humanity to splinter and turn on each other. Almost every person thinks that they are doing the right thing, but their humanity keeps getting in the way. .Even the former president Carroll, who is a manipulative *explative* out for himself no matter how many corpses he has to step on still has his own internal morality. Plus, having been the guy in charge at the beginning of the mission, he believes that he will come out of it seeming heroic at the end, vindicated by history. Interestingly, Carroll, and the new President Blades were apparently, very loosly, based on Bush and Obama.....

Charles Soule penned a well-written narrative that was out of this world. I was captivated by the existence of alien life within the far reaches of our solar system. And of all places, the asteroid belt, the one rock I never thought to turn it over. The characters were well-drawn. Kudos to Soule for the great graphics that complemented this interesting, character-driven novel.

This is actually my first time reviewing a graphic novel so HAHAHA hope I could give this justice. Anyway, I'd also like to thank NetGalley for the ARC.

Letter 44 is intriguing at first glance, but to be honest it wasn't much of a distinct sci-fi graphic novel. There are certain archetypes that appeared to be reminiscent of other sci-fi predecessors like Cloverfield and a little tinge of Annihilation. Upon reading the initial chapter, the letter's "reveal" didn't have much of a surprise factor but is then complemented with amazing dialogues. I'd like to commend the author for conjuring such wordy explanations yet never came across as too incoherent. The character designs were excellent however, I wanted to have more personality with them. The overall pacing is good which makes this novel a lot easier to digest in one sitting.

Graphics wise, I love the composition of colors, especially in the later chapters. The transition of colors into darker tints then to brighter hues complements the transition of the story. But in its entirety, the graphic novel seems to lean on the darker hues w/c is probably bcos of the theme. I don't like much of the linework and sometimes it gets a little too overboard especially w/ the shading and sometimes there are skewed scales among the characters and there are sometimes sparse detail w/in the environment. Generally, it was a beautiful graphic novel but the plot seems already prefabricated from other sci-fi predecessors. Nothing much new to be honest.