This is the first time I've ventured into the world of Robert Kirkman's Brit. I was worried I'd be lost, given this is the third one-shot to feature the character, but fortunately, the writer provides an accessible script... accessible and unfortunately predictable. Still, there's an Authority-esque tone to the intense level of action here and art to match, with strong character-based subplots that remind me of the sort of thing one can find in Jay Faerber's Noble Causes. Still, after reading this book, I'm puzzled as to why it's not an ongoing series, since the overall tone of the script points to an ongoing narrative, not a series of self-contained one-shots.
Brit and his allies have seent heir world turned upside down. Brit was forced to kill his best friend -- his ex-wife's new husband -- in order to save the planet, and Donald lost not only the majority of his organic body but his home life as well. They've begun to heal those wounds, though. As Brit spearheads a project to save the life of his ex's super-powered son, a sinister plan for world domination is being hatched across the ocean. The government of France conspires with an alien invasion force... one so powerful that even super-heroes such as Brit may not be enough to prevent the enslavement of the Earth.
Rathburn's art brings a lot of energy and action to the story. I was particularly impressed with his depiction of the android Donald. There's an average joe look to him, and one can see a confidence envelop him when he engages his robotic powers. Rathburn's use of grey tones is adept; one never misses the colors here, as Rathburn has managed to include plenty of depth, texture and "special effects" within the confines of the black-and-white format. My only qualm with the art is that the female characters look far too much alike. It's easy to confuse Brit's new wife with his ex, for example.
I'm at a loss to define the sort of sub-genre of this book. It's a super-hero book, yes, but at times, it's a "widescreen" action book, and at others, it's more of a grounded look at super-heroes, a la Noble Causes or Astro City. And finally, the whole French government as alien lacky thing smacks of super-hero genre satire. I get the feeling we're not meant to take anything too seriously, but the character interaction is so strong at times, it works against that spoof quality.
The ending here is a letdown, and it's surprising, because the rest of the book is so entertaining. Kirkman brings an edgy quality to super-heroes, and the dialogue is inventive and engaging. But he telegraphs the end incredibly early on. Maybe he's trying to spoof other super-hero stories that make the same mistakes, I don't know. But it struck me as being some clumsy plotting in an otherwise solid book.
