Middlewest, Book Three

Middlewest #13-18

by Skottie Young, Jorge Corona (Artist), Jean-François Beaulieu (Artist)

Separated from Fox and in the clutches of a devious kidnapper and ruthless businessman, things look bleak for Abel. Writer SKOTTIE YOUNG (I HATE FAIRYLAND, Deadpool) and artist JORGE CORONA (NO. 1 WITH A BULLET, Feathers) push Abel and his companions to their limits, as the ability to control his chaotic nature could shape the future of the Middlewest.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2020

About the author

Skottie Young has been an illustrator and cartoonist for over ten years working for entertainment and publishing companies such Marvel, Warner Bros., Image, Upper Deck, Mattel, and many more.

He is currently illustrating the New York Times Best Selling and Eisner Award Nominated adaptions of L. Frank Baum's OZ novels with writer Eric Shanower. The series has gained acclaim from both fans and critics.

Skottie currently lives in Illinois with his family, Casey, Baxter and their Saint Bernard, Emma.

Reviews

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m so sad to write this and rate this, third (and last) volume of comics in Scottie Young’s series Middlewest, as disappointing. The let-down I currently feel at this kind of pathetic ending is real.

I guess we can all ‘learn a lesson’ about forgiveness and acceptance; maybe add in the typical you make your own family trope, and feel better that there was a purpose to this comic series. But ultimately Young gave as a unique, interesting world; with wicked cool magic, unique fuel, and then delivered a very boring coming of age story. No further details about the storm magic are provided. No real info on the pink ethanol is disclosed. And we learn nothing more about our cute fox friend. Perhaps even more disappointing is how irrelevant they became by the end all three of my favourite pieces of this series become in the end. At the end of the day this is a story about the characters; but I wanted a bit more than a YA family trope.

The elements are all here; this could have been so cool and still taught kids about family, acceptance, sticking up for yourself, breaking the cycle, not bullying, etc. Instead it’s like Young was told that he had a limited number of pages to ‘wrap it all up’ and rushed to get to an ending of sort degree. That is actually possible (I have no idea if true). I’d like to think that knowing it was rushed would make me feel better about the let down of this ending; but the reality is that it’s still a cliche ending.

That all said, this is a perfect series for pre-teen's or older. I definitely would give this over to a middle grade age range (9-11 years old) without any hesitation.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middlewest turned from a good series to a great one, and while the last arc stumbles a bit, the last issue lands BIG time.

This series is mostly about a boy trying to find his place, accepting his flaws (and family flaws) and learning to deal with his anger. While kidnapped at the end of the last volume we have him dealing with trying to escape with his friends. This makes for some exciting moments but honestly it feels very "been there done that" prison escape story line. What really works is the last issue which focuses on Abel and his father reunion.

We see the two clash as gigantic tornados but the real moment is when they both go back to being human and you see what rage and hate has done to both. But the point of it all is acceptances and moving on to better things. With a sentimental ending like this, and a fresh start, the series ends as strong as it started. It went from a 3 to a 3.5-4 because of that last issue.

While I didn't always love middlewest I did enjoy it throughout and the art was always fantastic. I'll miss this one. Hope to see more like this from Young in the future. A 4 out of 5.

[Jim Ef · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.6/10
With the third book we say goodbye to the series. Everything is dealt great and we have a satisfying conclusion full of emotions.

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly love this series. It had everything going for it. A wonderful story line, fantastic characters, awesome world building and beautiful artwork. The only slight disappointment I had with this one was the battle in the end. I couldn't really tell by the artwork what was going on. Still that may have taken a half of a star away from it but that would be it. Not sure if this is the end of the series. If so, it ended perfectly. Yet, there is room for more adventures. I'm personally hoping for more adventures.

[Minnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end really got me emotional. Great ending to a great graphic novel series!

[Ali.J · Rating 5 out of 5]

محشر:)

[JT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was underwhelmed when I found out this was the conclusion of the series. I felt like the journey just begun but it came to an erupt end. The emotional tale of young Abel was something that I enjoyed very much but that's all I got from this volume. I still enjoyed this series overall, but it left me wanting more.

[Geoffrey Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been so good for its entire run and ties a bow on the story nicely. Young’s writing maintained a clear focus and built a world that definitely deserves to be revisited in the future. The color work is a real stand out too. Definitely worth your time. 5 out of 5.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middlewest, Book Three is great. What I like most about it - as well as the other books in the Middlewest series - is how it tackles intergenerational trauma. It address it in a sensitive, moving, and powerful manner. The book also touches on accepting one's emotions, the true meaning of family, redemption and healing. Each of these subjects are handled well.

The character arcs and relationships are also handled well overall. I like how Maggie's character arc wrapped up here and the actions that she took. She had some great character development throughout. I also like how Abel's character arc wrapped up also. I like how we got to see more of Bobby and her found family bond with Abel. Plus, June is a great new character too and her friendships with the other kids was written well. In addition, I thought Young did a nice job in wrapping up Abel's father's arc too.

Nonetheless, I wish we learned more about Fox and his backstory with Abel. I also think it would have been great if we learned about what happened with Abel's mom. There is some backstory about why she left, but, it wasn't touched on as much in this book (and neither was where she went).

Still, the book is very good. The pacing was fast, but not too fast. It was a bit predictable at times, but still kept me engaged. The art was good too.

Altogether, this is a very good book. I'm sad to see it end, but it ended very well. Young did a great job, especially with the characters and their development. I wouldn't mind seeing an epilogue to this, but even if there won't be one, I still love this book. I The Middlewest series is great. I'm glad that a friend recommended it to me and glad to have read it! :).

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4,0 for finishing Middlewest in the middle of the night in one session)
The third, final, book is very action dense. There is great build-up, kids on the farm are the best thing in the series. Dialogues, scenes, action - everything is much better with them and this setting. I also liked the ending. It's obviously a happy end, but the conclusion is more natural. The only thing I didn't like was the classic "villagers cannon fodder" trope. They do their "job", they take the losses and they disappear. Then the story and especially the main characters go on without any adequate looking back on them. That's weirdly unnatural behaviour. Yeah, for the author looking back on a mechanism that was there just to turn the pivot point is a waste of pages. But the outcome, usually, looks kind of inhumane, unnatural.
To sum up the Middlewest: it's getting better over time. I think it's not fast enough, I had to force myself a bit into the third volume. When I put some time between continuing the read, the hype quickly fell off. Scottie does much better kids characters and "world" than adults. In Middlewest it's more obvious than in IHF and reading Middlewest reassured me in that belief. I'm happy that I read Middlewest, but I must say - this comic can be missed.

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

This final volume wrapped things up perfectly. I do wish we could have seen more into the growth of Abel's father, but this was not his story. The length of this story was perfect, even so. Nothing dragged on or felt unnecessary, all while simultaneously giving enough time for character growth.

[Katie Florida · Rating 5 out of 5]

*read issue by issue*
Great closure to this story.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This last book was message-heavy! Abel gets to know the other youth trapped as farmhands, and their sad backstories make him realize he is not alone. Maggie, the carnival leader, is able to put together a group that wants to help Abel and they pick up new followers as they follow Abel’s trail. Dale has also found Abel, so all paths are converging for a battle. The generational rage is addressed, with sorrow and forgiveness concluding this three-part tale.

The art by Jorge Corona was fun and the bright colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu incorporated a lot of pink, purple and orange that helped convey the emotional tone. This was a unique graphic novel series that brought up a lot of intriguing issues- but didn’t quite stick the landing. Dystopian and fantasy aspects tied into real and gritty personal plot threads, but I wasn’t sure at times what direction the narrative was going (and what happened to Abel’s mom?). Author Skottie Young has an interesting voice, and while this series didn’t do it for me, I will continue to seek out further work by him.

This review (plus Book Two) can be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2021/02/1...

[Δημήτρης Μπ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το ταξίδι του Abel για την ανακάλυψη του εαυτού του έφτασε στο τέλος. Ο τελευταίος τόμος θεωρώ ότι μπαίνει τελείως στα βαθιά, με κύριο θέμα την παιδική κακοποίηση/εκμετάλλευση και εγκατάλειψη, αλλά και με την αξία και τη δύναμη της οικογένειας (ακόμα κι αν αυτή δεν είναι η βιολογική). Όλα αυτά πακεταρισμένα με ένα πανέμορφο, παραμυθένιο περιτύλιγμα που συνοδεύει άψογα την ιστορία.

Το μόνο που με ενόχλησε λίγο είναι το τέλος που είναι εντελώς προβλέψιμο και μου έδωσε την εντύπωση ότι κάπου το έχω ξαναδεί.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice conclusion to this series. The characters all get a fair amount of growth, and there's a fairly touching conclusion. The artwork is a perfect fit for this strange alternate Earth. It's nice to encounter a comic series once in awhile that has a solid beginning, middle and end.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope seems lost for Abel in Raider Farms, though Bobby tries to encourage him. Help is on the way from Magdalena's bunch. More and more people join her mission to save the kids. Will it be enough? And what about the storm heading their way? Abel's father is getting closer.

Abel quickly gains some status with Nicholas Raider when he helps one of his men from being burned alive by the combustible ethol grown on his farm. He uses this advantage to create an escape plan with several of the other kidnapped kids. Nicholas finds out about it and foils it, but before he can punish the kids, Magdalena storms the gates.

A fight breaks out and the fields are set aflame. Abel transforms into a storm like his father. Though he takes revenge on Nicholas and saves Magdalena's life, the many robots set to fighting the flames also threaten to extinguish his life. That's when his father arrives and destroys the robots, apparently trying to save his son. Abel unleashes against Dale until the latter breaks down and apologizes for hurting him. Dales asks for death to end his suffering, but Abel refuses, understanding that Dale too was hurt by his own father. They part ways, but are content to do so. Abel finally forgives his father.

[Alex Sarll]

Wrapping up the saga of an off-kilter American heartland, which, with the lead now an indentured labourer on a giant fuel-farm, inevitably loses some of its Mark Twain, Bruce Springsteen road-trip charm. Not to mention a tendency for the imprisoned runaways to be wise beyond their years: "I don't think we're stuck being this or that. People can change. I think we should WANT people to change, and not just paint curly mustaches on them" is a really good moral, but when it's not just one teen but pretty much the whole pack of them displaying this level of psychological acuity and maturity, I get suspicious. All the same, with its strange creatures, rolling fields and Heath Robinson contraptions, it continues to look absolutely gorgeous throughout, even when it's "so damn hot my eyeballs are boiling on the inside".

[Rory Wilding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since November 2018, Middlewest has been writer Skottie Young and artist Jorge Corona’s mixture of midwestern America and outlandish fantasy, telling a coming-of-age tale about a boy escaping abuse and toxicity. The farther Abel is from home, the more he learns of his family history as his abusive father was also abused his own father. As the family shares the terrifying transformation into a storm monster, Abel is left crippled and goes into his own form of self-isolation amongst a number of kids who are kidnapped and enslaved to work at the Raider Farms.

Please click here for my full review.

[RG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series. Sad its come to an end

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and heart-touching ending to a father/son relationship.

[Samsalaqueen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about anger management and growing up in a toxic environment. Usually stories come to the conclusion that families have to stay together no matter what.
This volume provides an alternative and one I like more!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best comic book I read, ever. It's gorgeous and the story is just awesome. There's some characters who could have been more used and it makes you feel like the story was brought to an end too soon and an other arc of six issues would have made it perfect. Still a very good story. I want a sequel !

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talking out the pain. Fighting to break the chain that binds you to all those that came before. Working together to make a better future. Forgiving but not forgetting the events of the past.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

With volume 3, Young and Corona bring Middlewest to a stunning conclusion. Throughout their fantasy saga, this team has brought to life themes of abuse and generational trauma with vivid art, engaging characters, and an impressive fantasy world. As it all comes to a dramatic climax, ties old and new are tested as the characters risk everything for a chance at healing, family, and a path through to the other side of pain and failure. On each level of its storytelling, this has been a fantastic series and a shining accomplishment for all involved.

[Mattia Fionda · Rating 3 out of 5]

❗️3.5/5🌟

“… c’è sempre più di quel che possiamo vedere, al mondo”

Ma anche in Middlewest, fumetto scritto da Skottie Young e pubblicato da Bao Publishing in 3 volumi da 6 numeri ciascuno.

Sì, perché quella di Abel (giovane protagonista alle prese con un potere incomprensibile e pericoloso) non è semplicemente una storia di crescita, ricerca e scoperta. È una storia che – tra gli angoli delle incantevoli tavole disegnate da Jorge Corona (illustrazioni in cui si fondono toni cupi e più vivaci, colori caldi e avvolgenti e altri più freddi e respingenti) – strizza l’occhio, almeno secondo me, alla letteratura e al mondo dell’intrattenimento in generale.

Penso al vecchio Jeb che, in una scena in particolare, ricorda un sacco il Gandalf di Ian McKellen (LOTR).

Inoltre, mi è sembrato che diversi elementi – alcuni a livello grafico, altri a livello narrativo – propongano una sorta di rilettura/reinterpretazione fantasy/sci-fi de Il piccolo principe:

>> La volpe parlante, amica, confidente e guida del protagonista nei momenti di difficoltà;
>> Le rose che, di tanto in tanto, spuntano qua e là tra le pagine;
>> I temi dell’amicizia e della famiglia incarnati nel Found Family Trope: nel suo viaggio, Abel fa la conoscenza di persone (coetanei e non) che finalmente lo spingono a correre verso qualcosa anziché da qualcosa – divenendo così consapevole di cosa siano l’amore, l’affetto e il bene;
>> Il rapporto tra generazioni: Abel è un ragazzino in fuga dal padre rabbioso e violento – a sua volta vittima di un passato travagliato – che non perde occasione di sottolineare quanto poco uomo il figlio sia. Inoltre, in diversi momenti si mette in scena uno scontro/incontro tra chi sostiene che “i giovani sono tutti uguali. Pensano che il mondo sia cominciato con loro” e chi invece è pronto a ricordare che le cose non sono esattamente così e che “venerare il passato (le abitudini, spesso, obsolete e arcaiche dei grandi) come se fosse l’unica cosa che conta” non è certamente la maniera corretta di agire.

In generale, si tratta di una lettura che mi ha colpito (emotivamente, stilisticamente…) e che consiglio a chiunque (attenzione ai TW: mascolinità tossica, figure paterne problematiche e violente).

Forse, per quanto commovente e coerente sia stato, avrei preferito un finale più duro (almeno per quanto riguarda il legame padre-figlio) e qualche approfondimento maggiore su alcuni personaggi secondari – e sulle origini del potere di Abel.

[Sam Bakos · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Review time✨-Middlewest
This is a review for all of Middlewest not just the third book.
I picked this up on a complete whim, I wanted to try some western comics and this was on sale. I'm happy to report that the series was amazing.

Middlewest is about Abel, found family, forgiveness, moving on, parental issues and a pretty interesting fantasy world.

The characters are amazing in this, I struggle to pick my favourite because I love them all. So my favourites are Abel, Fox, Mag, Wrench, Jeb, Bobby and I'm also trowing Crow there because I like the drawing. Everyone is handled well, from the junkyard lightbulb wizard to the literal fox. And they even put in LGBT characters.

The story, writing and main problem the characters deal with is also well done. The main problem being parental trauma. The damage parents can inflict on kids and how they might deal with it is explored and considering I cried at the end it's really good.

I'll round it up with the art, it's different to what I'm used to but I really like it. The designs of the characters are very unique and I will probably try to draw some of them myself. Some of the scenes and ideas in this are jaw dropping. I might've been sceptical about the art when I bought this but I can say that I love that as well.

This is a great comic book collection, it doesn't overstay it's welcome and does a great job exploring its themes over its short length. The art and characters breathe a lot of life into the world and I can safely recommend this to anyone looking to get into comic books or looking for something to spend time with.

[Caleb Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ending to a great graphic novel. The series securely fits into the Teen category, but there is a lot of adult language, fyi. This series discusses what it means to be "family" and the damaging effects of generational trauma, emotional and verbal abuse, and anger.

The writing had depth despite this being a graphic novel and there was definitely tons of emotional and personal growth from all of the characters. The GN is funny and full of snark from all parties involved. Abel, Fox, Bobby, Maggie, Jeb, and even Dale have been on a journey of self-exploration, acceptance of their own wrong doings, and healing for the sake of themselves and those they cherish. I know the series is only 3 volumes long (18 chapters) but I really grew to enjoy some of these characters. The world building was great and subtle, giving you enough visuals and story to piece together an image of the Middlewest as a whole. And, speaking of those visuals, I really liked this gritty, colorful art style. With its clever use of vibrant colors and an almost video game-like art style, this is sure to be a hit with younger audiences.

I was a little shocked by how we had been building on the story for two volumes and then they enter in a secondary conflict in the last chapter of the second book and that seems to steal the stage and make the conflict with Abel and his father a passive thing. It was just a little jarring, but overall I enjoyed the ending and was a little sad that we were done in this universe. I would recommend this for teens, especially those who resonate with the themes of poor parenting, anger, abuse, and found family.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha-Ha! I know what you see me as. Before you write me off as another big villain in your story, ask yourself... Where would you and all these kids be, if not here? Every one of you was out there running. Lost. Alone. Now, you're here with roofs over your heads, food in your bellies, and learning what it means to work for all of that.

I recently read the first issue, Middlewest #1, currently free on Amazon and ComiXology, and was instantly hooked by the gripping storyline.

It initially feels like a coming of age story of a teen in the Midwest of America, rebelling against his overbearing father and getting up to shenanigans with his friends. However, it quickly becomes apparent that it is so much more. There is a talking fox, powerful forces, and a darkness in the Middlewest which is seeking our young protagonist.

Having been kidnapped by the minions of the evil Raider, Abel and Bobby find themselves forced to work on the Ethol farms. Quickly they decide to form an escape plan with other children they have befriended. Meanwhile a rescue party is being formed after fox returned to the travelling circus and Abel's dad is causing more destruction across the lands.

A gripping finale, although I hope that there is more to come from this universe. 5 stars!

[Nathan Trieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

(9/10): The final issue made me want to cry as it is a culmination of everything this story has been building up thematically into one literal and metaphorical storm coming to a calm as Abel confronts his father after all he's been through. I love the reflections and revelations both Abel and his father express in the ending, and I especially love how that confrontation didn't wrap every bit of Abel's trauma up in a neat bow. That is because overcoming trauma is messy. Although Abel's father apologizes for his mistakes and expresses that he wants to be better, it is all still a process for both Abel and his father. Seeing the first step in that process was still beautiful nevertheless and makes me love the journey of this story even more. Despite that, the actual face value plot of this story does have a world built around it, especially with how it organically presented that world, but I did not find it anything too great on its own. I do like how epic the finale packed into this volume feels, and Junie was my favorite character of the runaway friends Abel made at the labor farm. It was also nice to see lesbian characters like Junie and Bobby be represented organically. I do really love how animated Jorge Corona's art feels, as I have expressed before, the overall package of this story feels very much animated in the most engaging way. Overall, I love how this story concluded and I will definitely take away how powerful the emotional climax of this book was moving forward.

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the conclusion to this series. I didn't know there were only three volumes, but I didn't mind that much. It was nice that I didn't have to wait for anymore installments to be released. So, in this final volume, Abel and many other kids have been taken and put to work at an Ethol farm (ethol is the weird green stuff in bottles that we see in the first two volumes). This farm is run by a super not nice guy. Most of this book we are watching Abel and his friends try to figure out a way to escape the farm. But we also get to see other characters, like Maggie and Jeb, as well as Abel's dad again. We follow what they're doing as well. Everyone is trying to find Abel, basically. I enjoyed this conclusion. I think it was really fast paced and action packed. The stakes were high for Abel to keep his wind monster powers in check and he mostly succeeded. I think there could definitely be more created from this world, and I hope that we get to see that some day. I liked that there was a reunion between Abel and his father. I think it was really important for Abel to get to say his piece to his dad, finally. Abel's dad's growth was really good. I still didn't like him, but I could appreciate him learning just how wrong he had been. Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It has a great message of breaking patterns, acknowledging and managing your emotions, and found families.