FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #7 – Review

By: Simon Oliver (story), Robbi Rodriguez (art), Rico Renzi (colors)

The Story: Rosa throws her enemies for a loop.

The Review: Having just reviewed Fairest #22, I’ve suddenly realized that FBP as a whole suffers from the same problems that plague Marc Andreyko’s current arc on Fairest, namely erratic pacing.  Neither Andreyko nor Oliver write any inherently poor material; at bottom, they have perfectly acceptable ideas.  Yet both seem to suffer a lack of instinct as to when a little more world-building is necessary for their stories to truly take off.

Lord knows I have my problems with excess, repetitive exposition, but that’s not to say exposition never has its place in a story.  For example, if you have a clear antagonist, it’s perfectly appropriate to explore her background a little more, just so the reader has an idea of why she matters and how much.  Without this kind of groundwork, villains like Lily are simply an instrument of the narrative, their importance limited to driving the protagonist to action.  By the end of the issue, you nothing more about Lily than she’s a murderous thief with an equally murderous boyfriend, of whom we know even less.

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #6 – Review

By: Simon Oliver (story), Robbi Rodriguez (art), Rico Renzi (colors)

The Story: Not even the dilation of time itself will get in the way of Monday Night Wrestling.

The Review: Even though Jay was still a rudimentary sort of character by the end of his short-lived fictional life, killing him off did remove an important cog from the title.  Without him, there’s no buffer between the book-smart Cicero and street-smart Adam—which isn’t such a bad thing, since we’ve seen that kind of buddy-cop dynamic work out plenty of times before.  But it’s because that dynamic has become so common that a third, balancing force is needed

Enter Agent Rosa Reyes, who adds a female presence to the FBP sausage-fest in addition to taking a central position between Adam and Cicero.  But rather than playing mediator, she actually unites her male partners with her socially stunted personality, unsettling even Cicero, who’s no extrovert himself.  At the least, Rosa drives Adam and Cicero to bond over their mutual bafflement.  Says Adam, “And let me take a moment to apologize for ever suggesting you might have a touch of Asperger’s…”

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #5 – Review

By: Simon Oliver (story), Robbi Rodriguez (art), Rico Renzi (colors)

The Story: Whether it’s one made of wind or scientific abstraction, don’t go chasing tornadoes.

The Review: Without a doubt, my biggest peeve with the last issue of FBP was its timing.  The death of Jay and Adam’s hiatus from the physics-regulating agency was meant to have an emotional impact that it hadn’t nearly earned yet, which struck me as a little arrogant.  The sad part is that both of these developments probably could have had that kind of impact later down the line.  Once committed to paper, however, a writer can never go back for a do-over.

For better or worse, we’re stuck with the story as it is.  All we can do now is decide if the series is worth putting these missteps behind us, and that depends entirely on what Oliver puts forward from this point on.  At the very least, he needs to do something drastic, and quick, to get us invested in either his protagonist or his concept, because neither as they stand right now are cut out for ongoing attachment.

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #4 – Review

By: Simon Oliver (story), Robbi Rodriguez (art), Rico Renzi (colors)

The Story: The public questions whether FBP agents are considered essential employees.

The Review: One WCBR commenter, Del Keyes, and I recently had a discussion following a review of a Legend of Korra episode which, for reasons too convoluted to explain, eventually ended with me concluding that it’s better to grow as a person before seeking love.  Besides simply being just good general advice, it’s a lesson that FBP clearly needs to learn, because at the moment it expects too much investment from you in proportion to its actual virtues.

At the very least, Oliver grossly overestimates how much we care about the integrity of Adam and Jay’s relationship.  Given how quickly we went from learning about how they met in the FBP to the moment when Jay unhesitatingly pulled the trigger at point-blank on his mentee, it should be no surprise they get through the requisite confrontation-reconciliation-redemption in under five pages.  How can anyone be expected to feel moved under those circumstances?

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #3 – Review

By: Simon Oliver (story), Robbi Rodriguez (art), Rico Renzi (colors)

The Story: Out of the course of a speeding bullet, into the cab of a barreling truck.

The Review: So—Friday the 13th is upon us!  And aside from a jarring moment this afternoon when I thought I was about to get crushed against the side of a street lamp by a girl-Yuppie, clearly texting as she erratically guided her Volvo down the street as though it was driverless, it seems I managed to survive unscathed.  What better way to celebrate than to review a comic where an entire universe is about to collapse on itself—and it’s not even Friday the 13th there.

To be fair, this is the Bubbleverse we’re talking about and it is in the nature of bubbles to pop, sooner or later.  In fact, it entirely makes sense to us that the bursting of something so massive and fantastic would leave splash damage on the real world.  Yet, in another indication of how truly unpredictable all these physics phenomena are, Cicero and his mentor, Yarab, mention that “blowback” from the Bubbleverse’s collapse is only as likely as the proverbial camel-through-needle.  That is, unless someone were to “take any doubt out of the equation.”

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #2 – Review

By: Simon Oliver (story), Robbi Rodriguez (art), Rico Renzi (colors)

The Story: And now, for the ol’ shooting a man from a particle collider trick.

The Review: I think I speak for quite a few other people when I say that coming up with a name for something, anything, is probably one of the most annoying tasks for a project.  You’re trying to hit on something that sounds snappy enough to subconsciously stick in people’s brains, that’s not cheesy or lame or cliché, and that also encapsulates—or at least suggests—the core of your work.  That’s a lot of baggage for what is really the least important part of a story.

So I imagine Oliver was none too plussed to discover that someone else already had dibs on Collider, forcing him to make a quick name-change to the clearly inferior FBP.  Collider had a nice ring to it, and besides instantly conveying a sense of action and conflict, also had appropriately scientific connotations as well.  FBP, on the other hand, is a dry blurb that reveals and implies nothing, especially to the person scanning the stands for a new comic to read.

Collider #1 – Review

By: Simon Oliver (story), Robbi Rodriguez (art), Rico Renzi (colors)

The Story: There are worse things to get detention for than playing hooky without gravity.

The Review: It’s a good time to be a Vertigo loyalist nowadays.  I remember when the legendary Karen Berger stepped down, quite a few people started prophesying the imprint’s end (some doing so on this very site).  With multiple series canned or finished around the same time, and Image rising up to usurp the position of premiere publisher of creator-owned comics, Vertigo’s fate did seem dire indeed.

So while their “Defy” campaign may be boastful and cocky, it’s absolutely accurate, given the dubious expectations of even their fans.  Of all the titles slated to be part of their burgeoning renaissance, none embodies Vertigo’s nothing-to-lose attitude better than Collider, a story where even the very rules which make the world function are disregarded.  As the first truly new and original title released by a relatively unknown writer in many, many months, Collider will be the series by which Vertigo’s comeback is measured.

Uncanny X-Force #20 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Greg Tocchini (artist), Dean White (colors)

The Story: Fantomex, you’re being tried by a group called the “Captain Britain Corps,” and you have a French accent. Don’t speak in your own defense!

The Review: Last issue, two members of the X-Force were abducted by the Captain Britain Corps and brought to Otherworld: Psylocke, who is Captain Britain’s little sister, and Fantomex. For the uninitiated, Captain Britain (civilian name Brian Braddock) isn’t just an Anglicized version of Captain America. Instead, he is tasked by the wizard Merlyn to protect the Marvel Omniverse. Braddock wants Psylocke to rejoin the Captain Britain Corps to aid them against a massive siege of demonic forces. Fantomex, however, is there to stand trial for the murder of Kid Apocalypse. Yes, that last bit is patently absurd, but I’m not docking the issue points for this yet as there are hints that Braddock may have ulterior motives for holding Fantomex. Once the rest of the X-force notices that two of their number are missing, they embark on a rescue mission.

Remender does a great job introducing Captain Britain and company, though this is a more dickish version of Brian Braddock than you may be used to seeing. Remender also seems to be going out of his way to establish Kurt Darkholme as a different man than Kurt Wagner, though Darkholme’s frustrations at being treated like his doppelgänger are valid and understandable. One thing that continues to distract, however, is the characterization of Deadpool. He is simply not the same person you will find in every other Marvel book featuring him. This Deadpool has convictions and loyalty. He has a moral code and doesn’t constantly break the fourth wall. This Deadpool can say, “I miss Warren,” without a trace of sarcasm [or with nothing but complete sincerity]. It’s hard to accept, initially, but personally I feel saturated with the interpretation of Wade as a running gag, so I can go along with this revisionist take. But if you’re a traditional Deadpool fan, this title just isn’t for you.

But some odd characterization is nothing compared to the problems with the art. Greg Tocchini is a damn good artist.  And he has done fantastic work with Remender before, as Dean noted in his review of The Last Days of American Crime #3. So I’m not sure what happened to make this book look like a mess. Not one person stands in a natural manner. It’s impossible to read body language because everyone is perpetually posing. Captain Britain in particular appears throughout to be attempting to show off his impressive throat musculature, and I defy anyone to tell me what Psylocke is thinking once in this issue without the aide of speech bubbles. Nightcrawler stands out as the consistently most naturally drawn and emotive character, but I can’t award any point for this because his tattoo keeps disappearing.

Uncanny X-Force #19 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Robbi Rodriguez (art), Dean White with James Campbell (colors)

The Story: “The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning is also open for, uh…non-traditional students…”

The Review: Issues like Uncanny X-Force #19 can be tricky. It directly follows a massive and thrilling arc, and while the main conflict has been resolved, there are still some dangling plot threads to be tied up. It was almost inevitable that this would be a quieter issue, then, serving the function of both tidying up the loose threads and resetting the intensity bar so it can build again later. Potentially, this could have killed the momentum of the series, but Remender manages to keep it engaging by ratcheting up the drama. What’s the extent of Warren’s condition? What will happen to Evan? Who from the Age of Apocalypse will stay, and who will leave? All these questions are addressed and answered with a satisfying tinge of melancholy. There are many farewells to be said, and nearly all are touching without becoming sappy.

Apart from the characters, this issue also sees the departure of Jerome Opeña from the art team. After doing such gorgeous work on DAS, he will be sorely missed. Dean White, with some assistance from James Campbell, helps ease the transition by continuing to use a similar palette. Robbi Rodriguez also seems to make a conscious effort to not jar readers; his panel work and framing is far more conservative than it was in his run on Tek Jansen or Maintenance. Some fans of the series still may not take to Rodriguez’s style, but I found it a strength for this issue. In the same way that Opeña’s realistic pencils gave a sense of gravity to the battles with Achangel, Rodriguez’s more exaggerated and angular work here gives a sense of dynamism to scenes that simply feature people talking. Admittedly, some characters’ reactions seem over the top—Wolverine’s exchange with Sabretooth, Nightcrawler’s response to Kitty’s embrace—but there’s also a remarkable amount of subtle tenderness to Fantomex’s and AoA Jean Grey’s goodbyes.