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OVERTIME GN
Recommended (8/10)
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Cyberosia Publishing
Writer: Marc Bryant
Artist: Mal Jones
Price: $9.95 US/$15.95 CAN |
Having read Overtime, I feel like Bryant and Jones have only scratched the surface of this idea, and I want more. Which is not to say that the book doesn't have a complete story, or that they didn't flesh out the idea beyond it's base concept. Overtime is a compelling
read, taking an undeniably solid idea and running with it, while leaving plenty
of room for other stories in the future. This is true science-fiction, a rare
sighting in modern comics, done with style and skill, and fans of the genre
should not miss it.
Overtime centers on a rookie cop, who is assigned to
work with a near-legendary cop as her partner. Sounds routine enough, but then
you throw in the setting, which is a world where an accident made everyone
immortal about 400 years ago, and you're off to the races. Giving birth, not
murder, is the big crime on this world, and rather than capital punishment, the
law offers a sentence of virtual reality for many years while stuck in an
orbiting coffin. The setting, and the approach the graphic novel takes to it, is
quite grim.
However, even in such an
unreal and inhuman setting, the humanity of the characters comes through. Bryant
does a fantastic job establishing officers Desoto and Cafferty, whose
contrasting attitudes but shared dedication to their jobs gives them an
immediate rapport. Bryant's dialogue has a natural flow and rhythm, and the
grounded and real sense of characters helps to overcome the truly alien
background and plot mechanics of the story.
I could wish for a little more clarity in terms of story, quite honestly, as the questions raised by a society where immortality is the norm are numerous and vast. I was unsure if anyone was actually being killed, or if they were just sent into comas or brain death by the weapons being used. And for all the fleshing out that was done of Desoto and Cafferty, I felt that Bryant sacrificed a little bit of exploration of the world of Overtime to do it. The ending also comes a bit
suddenly, giving a satisfying conclusion but leaving me hungering for more
stories and more exploration of this world.
Also hit and miss for me was
Mal Jones's artwork. His style is misty and vague, mixing ink and paint with
computer graphics, and it is undeniably unique, but it is also sometimes hard to
follow. Thanks to what was clearly a strong collaboration between the two
creators, I was never completely lost as to what was going on, but there were
times when I wished for a sharper image, a clearer picture of what was going on,
rather than relying on the art for atmosphere and the writing for explanations.
While both of these creators
have done other work, in many ways this is their first big effort, and I have to
say it's a smashing success. There's certainly room for improvement, but this is
a story that even veteran creators could be proud of, and it's another
entertaining effort from Cyberosia Publishing.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
