As I’ve mentioned previously, in the ’90s I was a big Alex Ross fan. It’s hard not to be when you’re at an impressionable age, discovering individual artists for the first time – he stands out really rather significantly. I’ve cooled on him in recent years – not that I don’t think he’s very good at what he does, or that some of his work can be utterly stunning, because it absolutely is; it’s just that as I’ve got older I’ve come to value sequential storytelling as probably the most important element of work that I like, and Ross – while a wonderful artist for iconic covers, posters, pinups and so on – isn’t so much of a comics storyteller (I’ve also been turned off a little by his attitude towards various characters and properties – he’s the worst kind of regressionist, everything-should-be-exactly-as-it-was-when-I-was-a-child fan).

Anyway, back in my schooldays, Ross was a favourite artist of myself and the aforementioned comics-reading friend James. Which is presumably how we became aware of Uncle Sam, a comic that I remember James having in school at some point and talking about. However, I have utterly no idea how the TPB sitting on my shelf came into my possession – my only guess is that it’s something my Dad saw in a remainder bookshop somewhere and picked up on the cheap, also recognising Ross’ name and assuming it must be of interest. I’ve no idea whether he read it first, or just passed it on to me – but it’s sat among my trades ever since, never really getting a sniff of being read.

I’m just not hugely interested in the subject matter, really. While there are plenty of elements of Americana that I am quite into (not least, er, superheroes), the “Uncle Sam” image isn’t one of them; nor have I ever had any great fondness for the Will Eisner-created Quality Comics (and later DC) character who led the Freedom Fighters. Indeed, I’d assumed this comic was actually about that character – you know, sharing a name, costume and so on – until flicking through the book this very evening and, in the afterword, seeing writer Steve Darnall’s assertion that he “isn’t intended to resemble” that character. Research tells me this was a standalone Vertigo project about an entirely different character – an old homeless man, dressed like Uncle Sam, plagued by visions of American history past and who (of course, as it’s Vertigo) may or may not be the spirit of American patriotism himself.

Skimming through the pages now, there’s just… nothing that really jumps out and screams “read me”. By all accounts it’s quite a good story, attracting good reviews and award nominations (although interestingly, I have no idea where the writer came from or what else he’s done – there’s no mention of any other comics work, beside the odd story, online). It just looks a bit boring. I’m also not sure how much Ross’ style suits a story set basically in the real world – what makes his work stand out is the way he puts superheroes and science-fiction into that real-looking world. Take them out, and – historical elements or no – you may as well be reading a fumetti.

I actually suspected that the very act of taking this book off my shelf, finding out more about it, and writing about it as “a comic I’d never read” would make me curious enough to want to read it. But honestly… it hasn’t, really. I’m sure it’s very good at what it does, but I also just suspect there are a lot more comics out there that would stand a better chance of grabbing my attention, and being more worthy of it. I may read it one day – and if I end up enjoying it, of course I’ll look back on this and feel daft – but I’m in no hurry.