2 out of 5

There’s sometimes not much reason to review a trade separate from its contents; if the packaging doesn’t necessarily add to or detract from the pages – no big deal. Worth a note, maybe, but all good. However, when there is a discrepancy, positive or negative, it’s worth calling out. And considering that I really do dig the U.S. War Machine series, there’s a big discrepancy here.

The trade is flippable and foldable. It’s cheaper than the individual issues. All good.

But man, zero extras, and not even any covers to divide the chapters. I get that that could’ve been a purposeful decision – that it’s meant to be read without stop – but it just feels so low quality, adding to the already low-quality vibe of the murky printing and clunky CG art. I know it’s easier to do this in trade, but get the issues if you can. The print quality there still isn’t good, but they feel more substantial than the trade (which just feels like you’re looking at a see of grey washes), and you get, y’know, chapter breaks.