If there is one thing you can say about “The Field,” it is that the series does not lack for ideas. Most of them are violent and pessimistic about the nature of man and his tendency to revert to base impulses when given the opportunity, yes, but there are a lot of them. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in delving into, this just may be the comic for you! If not, well… how do you feel about time travel?
The Field is a four part mini-series written by Ed Brisson. The central conceit of the story is that a scientist has somehow caused a time loop in which it seems everyone retains their memories of the previous iterations. However, instead of going the way of Edge of Tomorrow and following many iterations while seeing the steady development of the characters, we are rather thrown into the middle of a late iteration where the scientist’s mind has been addled by the ongoing time-wrangling: He doesn’t know what is happening, and neither do we. As such, the story presents itself as more of a mystery: The world has been turned upside-down by the time loop and its consequences and the overarching question of “why?” begs to be answered.
Nerds, Bikers, Psychotic Bible Salesmen, the assortment of characters is off the wall as the situation escalates quickly and frequently. To Brisson’s credit, much of what has happened to create the situation that we see is able to be gleaned from the background details and incidental details in dalior. On the other hand, actual answers are few and far between and with only one issue remaining, one cannot help but wonder how much will remain unanswered when the story is done.
Simon Roy’s art is an interesting choice for this story. He excels at rendering action and violence, which is in abundant supply, but quieter moments are less successful. There is a certain Frank Quitely quality to his art, although it lacks the polish and attention to detail that Quitely is known for. The roughness of his style adds to the feeling of the world, making it come across as dirty and soiled, worn down by the ordeals it has weathered. On the other hand, it also feels sloppy at times, although personal tastes will differ.
I recommend reading The Field, although with reservations: Read all the issues. Prepare for a short narrative. Adjust your expectations. It is absurdly violent, occasionally confusing and otherwise kind of a hot mess, but one with many redeeming qualities and even more than that, so much obvious potential. Like a hot drunk at a party, you know you might be getting set up for absolute disaster but the potential for unexpected fun draws you in regardless.
The ideas here could span multiple volumes and unpacking the characters would be a delight… but that’s not the story that is being told here. Can that potential be fully achieved in one final issue? I have no clue whatsoever. What I do know, is that I will be there to find out, and crossing my fingers.
Ooknabah AKA Brent Hirose is a writer, actor and gigantic nerd from Vancouver B.C. You can listen to his podcast about that at HugeNerds.Podomatic.Com or check out his many other projects at BrentHirose.com