Comics
Review: ‘The Fuse’ #1
“The Fuse” #1 is a fresh breath of air in the cop procedural/crime comic book genre. Set 22,000 miles adrift planet Earth on an orbiting energy platform, “The Fuse” tells a story of the crime and corruption amongst half a million people living in Midway City — a five-mile-long steel pressurized environment. Completely emancipated from Earth, Midway City needs all the help it can get. Enter Detective Dietrich…
WRITTEN BY: Antony Johnston
ART BY: Justin Greenwood
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: February 12, 2014
Dietrich has just arrived in Midway City when a woman stumbles through the shuttleport and collapses to her death. He’s immediately thrust into the job, a job that requires him to protect a pressurized city that supposedly allows no guns. Yet cablers (homeless people with a twist, a twist we are left wondering about in the final pages of the issue) are being shot. The Fuse has a gun smuggling problem, but that’s nothing compared to Dietrich’s new partner problem.
Sergeant Klem, Dietrich’s new partner is an older female, completely hardened by the job. She’s the exact definition of a bitter, world-weary cop. While Dietrich questions her skill due to her old age, Klem questions Dietrich due to his young age. It’s the Odd Couple of ageism. But with a lot more hatred and violence.
They are immediately thrown into working with each other without any buffer, and the insults fly. That, combined with the cabler murders, makes for a seriously intense first issue. Crime comic books are a dime a dozen, but ‘The Fuse’ hits fast and hard, with unapologetic wit and a no-nonsense attitude toward different classes of people, an issue that is very apparent in Midway City.
Because of the strong voice and gritty art, ‘The Fuse’ which is technically science fiction, hardly feels that way. It doesn’t feel like you are reading some post-Earth, hundreds of years into the future, experimental society, tired sci-fi plot. It has more of a ‘Repo! A Genetic Opera’ feel, a storyline and concept so strong that it collapses the genre itself. I commend Johnston and Greenwood for accomplishing this very difficult feat.
The art is very stark, simplistic in style yet detailed in plot. No one is attractive, and no one is unattractive. They just… are. I find this to be a very important factor in the grand scheme of the issue. When dealing with a corrupt city in a troubled environment, exquisite art with beautiful people and rich colors would feel completely out of place. Or worse, might tamper with the tenacity of the writing. Johnston and Greenwood have struck a perfect balance to make you feel unease while simultaneously feeling fascination.
I’m excited to see what these creators have in store for us. This first issue wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty dang close. It’s clear that Johnston is playing his cards close to the chest, leaving many questions unanswered, keeping you hanging on to the final pages begging for more.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Bree Ogden
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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