Comics
[Comic Review] “The Fly: Outbreak” #1- Revives “The Fly”
“The Fly: Outbreak” is a continuation of “The Fly” series that started with the 1986 Cronenberg film. This series picks up after the events of “The Fly 2” and follows Martin as he attempts to cure Anton of his mutant condition. Adaptation and continuation is one of my favorite things about comics. Unlocking the unlimited potential of storytelling is an incredible ability this medium has, and it is no more epitomized than in this continuation of a 1989 sequel. Fans of “The Fly” may rejoice, no matter how limited your ranks may be: there is nothing not to like here. 
Written By: Brandon Seifert Art By: Menton3
Publisher: IDW Price: $2.99 Release: March 18, 2015
I love comic book continuation. “Buffy Season 8” was actually what first got my into comic book in high school. There are no budget constraints, actor availability issues, and, in this case, public demand doesn’t seem to be a major factor either. Not to bash on “The Fly”, it is a classic sci-fi horror film that I enjoyed quite a bit. But I also haven’t thought about it in years and I’m willing to bet you haven’t either.
Now the story gets to continue, and I reminded of all these characters and the tone of style of the films, translated beautifully and eerily by Menton3, and I’m delighted to read it. It reminds me that any story can live on infinitely, and in comics there doesn’t even need to be a huge buy-in from a studio or a fan base. One quirky publisher known for continuations can revive something even as obscure as “The Fly 2”.
Martin has so baggage about his unnatural origins. Why he continues to work on Anton’s condition, other than the pursuit of science, I’m not entirely sure. But we find him in the lab doing experiments on the creature and discussing his vasectomy with his assistant. After a bit of BDSM with his girlfriend Martin returns the next day to find that the creature has powered up and is currently on a rampage through the facility melting people’s faces off. Martin catches up to Anton who uses a smart phone to call him son and tell him to confess that he turned him into a monster. Anton escapes and everyone that was exposed to him is put into quarantine.
It is all fairly straightforward so far, but what struck me Menton3’s creature work. I loved what he was doing in “Monocyte” a few years ago, and I’ve seen a few other IDW books he’s done recently, but I really loved his monster here. It was sort of inconsistent in representation, but I think that really added to the twisted reality bending horror of it. I would love to see him do something with “The Thing” in the future.
If you like “The Fly” you’ll like this. If you don’t like or know “The Fly” you shouldn’t bother with this. But you should appreciate that it exists either way, because some day your super niche cancelled tv show or B-horror movie can become a comic book, and that’s a real joy for me.
—
Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.
IDW Dark and Paramount recently joined forces to launch limited comic book tales set in the worlds of Smile and A Quiet Place, and we’ve learned today that they’ll continue hanging around in those franchise universes with two brand new limited series tales.
Entertainment Weekly has exclusively revealed this afternoon that IDW Dark’s Any Given Smile debuts in September, while A Quiet Place: Rising Tides arrives in November.
First up, from writer Stephanie Williams and artist Pablo Collar, Any Given Smile puts a football-themed twist on Parker Finn’s successful Smile movie franchise.
The five-part limited series is “set in January 1995, during the American Arena League football championship game in St. Augustine, Florida. The rising superstar of the Sharks, backup quarterback Dupree, is feeling the pressure from his teammates, the fans, and also the city’s gambling underworld, to whom he owes a considerable debt. Meanwhile, a sports journalist investigates a string of suicides that may be connected to the big game. At the very least, they are connected to a sinister entity that preys on the minds of its victims.”
From writer Declan Shalvey and artist Luke Sparrow, A Quiet Place: Rising Tides will also be a five-issue limited story. The comic book tale “brings the creatures to the Florida Keys, where a father-daughter duo attempt to survive on water in a houseboat.”
EW further details, “This tense family reunion coincides with the arrival of the vicious creatures that hunt through sound. Grace and her dad find safety on the open ocean, but she’ll have to make landfall sooner or later; the father’s oxygen tank and their supplies are running low, while a hurricane swiftly approaches.”
Learn more about both comic books over on Entertainment Weekly.
You must be logged in to post a comment.