Steve Niles is best known for his horror work these days, but Fused is an exception, a sort of off-beat superhero project. The original series suffered from serious rotating art team problems that eventually killed my interest, but this first issue of the new series has me cautiously back onboard. The Image series featured the origin of the character, but this issue is more in the vein of Concrete, exploring the day-to-day life aspects of a character who is trapped in a cumbersome shell, with a touch more suspense added because of changes in the fusion between man and machine. Though the artwork isn't as good as the Paul Lee art that started off the original series, Josh Medors does a solid enough job throughout and really sells the key finale moment.
It took me a few pages to get back into the swing of this story, and I have read the first series, so I think that Niles could have done a better job with the synopsis on the credits page, in particular mentioning that Nikki was (and is) Mark Haggerty's wife. That said, this is a pretty accessible issue even for those who missed the first miniseries, as the story is clearly about adapting to a new life and how others around you adapt as well. Niles really makes the reader believe Haggerty's uncertainty and worry about what's happening to him, and it's easy to sympathize with him and his wife as they try to adjust to their new situation.
The relationship between Nikki and Mark (or Cy-Bot) are really the strongest elements of the issue. You believe these two are a married couple, and there's some nice banter between them without it turning into something that feels overly scripted. Mark's physical changes have clearly affected their relationship in important and maybe even relationship breaking ways, but at the same time, the core of their relationship is still there. It is these moments that give me the Concrete vibe, as that book was always more about the psychology of the lead character than his superheroic feats and abilities.
Fused does feature some superheroic elements, although those are a little unusual as well. I really enjoyed the notion of Haggerty having become a subject of study for a military science project in exchange for living quarters and protection, and I like the government superteam seeking to recruit him as well. The really interesting running subplot, though, has to do with (of all things) nausea. Cy-Bot's nausea turns out to have horrific consequences in a surprising last page reveal, but the hints that the unnamed government official and Nikki are also both suffering from stomach-related ailments lead me to believe that there's more going on there as well.
Medors's artwork is hard to describe, but it is reminiscent of the Herrerra/Ramos style that has defined Rocket Comics, albeit with a touch of Art Adams in the mix as well. While there is definitely some exaggeration of anatomy going on, I found Medors's artwork to be some of the more realistic found in the Rocket Comics line, and he does a particularly good job of making the inhuman face of Cy-Bot seem expressive and human. Then there's that last page reveal, which is a horrific moment dependent in no small part on the artwork, and Medors delivers exactly what was necessary to make it work.
