FUSED #1
"Canned Heat, Part One"
Recommended (8/10)
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Image Comics
Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Paul Lee
Price: $2.95 US/$4.65 CAN |
Most of Steve Niles comics work up to this point has been on various Spawn-related titles from Image/Todd McFarlane Productions, and they didn't really hold my interest. The main reason I decided to check this book out was the art... actually, it was as simple as the design for the metallic protagonist. I'm pleased I was drawn into the book, as Niles delivers a fun story, and Lee's art is stunning.
Mark Haggerty is a robotics engineer whose latest project -- a "negotiator" robot designed to carry items safely to a suspect in a hostage situation -- has turned out to be a colossal failure. Little does he know, though, that his mentor, Dr. Smith, has designed something far more sophisticated, and he asks Mark to test it out. Meanwhile, a robot of unimagined sophistication attracts the attention of the military by blowing up one of its tanks.
I missed the fact that Paul Lee was handling the art on this book. I sampled his work on a number of projects for DC's Vertigo imprint, and just as he did then, he impresses here. Lee is exploring new territory with Fused, though. His work always boasted a supernatural feel, but here, he shows he can handle sci-fi and espionage elements just as adeptly. His work has an almost painted look to it thanks to the colors. He establishes a foreboding and tense atmosphere that makes the conspiracy/spy side of the storyline work well.
At the heart of the plot is a simple idea, something that reminds me of something one would see in the first episode of a somewhat cheesy one-hour sci-fi/drama TV show. Fortunately, Niles builds on that idea with a more mature and darker atmosphere. There's an interesting philosophy at play in Dr. Smith's new approach to robotics, and there's a chilling edge to the Man in Black who will apparently serve as the chief antagonist.
What really makes the book work, though, is that Mark Haggerty, the central hero of the story, is an Everyman. He has rotten days at work. His wife nags at him (albeit in a cute, newlywed kind of way). He has weaknesses that he tries to overcompensate for. Mark is a character to which the reader can relate. His grounded personality -- and the realism of the art -- makes this unbelievable tale of power suits of armor and government corruption easy to accept and enjoy.
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