What impressed me most was the creator's use of lens. There's SO MANY themes whipping around in just the first volume: the use of war; the pointlessness of racism; what family is/means/should mean; how to be a good parent & what that means; when/if violence is sanctioned... It's a bit breathtaking. And all of this is told in one graphic novel through the story of 3 families. Daaaaaang.

The diversity of the characters won points with me too, especially Alana, who is brown and disabled. My one quibble is the creator seems to have never really witnessed someone giving birth, because while there's blood splotches during the kill scenes, there's a weird lack of screaming, blood, and weakness during the delivery, and Alana seems to lose her pregnancy weight ridiculously quickly. Yes, these points could be dismissed because ALIENS, but they seem very humanoid otherwise: why are these details left out?

Overall, though, a brilliant, satisfying read with wonderful art. Check it out!