Back in May we introduced to you a new ongoing series called COLLIDER from Vertigo Comics written by Simon Oliver (THE EXTERMINATORS), with interior art by Robbi Rodriguez (POLLY AND THE PIRATES), and cover art by Nathan Fox (DMZ). Well I finally have the first issue in hand and must say that this is a promising new book full of sci-fi fun, an intriguing story set up, and some stellar art.
COLLIDER starts things off quickly without wasting any time. We get a short but sweet setup that takes place a few years in the past, then we catch up with our main hero a few pages later, and in no time we are knee-deep in the story that takes place in a pretty cool future where our physical reality is all out of synch. A good example of this is shown when a group of teens accidentally fall into a pocket of space where gravity is out of control. What’s a boy or girl to do now? Call the Federal Bureau of Physics (FBP) of course. Sounds pretty cool right? I really enjoyed a panel where someone had to report the incident and the call lady says “…and the nature of your emergency…fire, ambulance, police…or physics?”. We are obviously in a future where the physics of the world are regularly out of whack. It’s all very “FRINGE-ish” and a cool kind of sci-fi that I really dig. It’s grounded in reality, imbedded in the day-to-day culture of people’s lives, and seemingly gives this title an infinite amount of story lines to tackle. The story really grabbed me and opened up my mind to all the fun possibilities. This is a fun set up to what will surely be a great ongoing comic. We are even introduced to the possibility to some back stabbing and evil doing from within the Federal Bureau of Physics that could add some cool character dynamics down the line.
I was also pulled in by the superb art on display by Robbi Rodriguez. He is really the perfect artist to tackle a book like this. His highly stylized characters and landscapes really compliment the zaniness of this story. His characters have interestingly elongated features, the colors by Rico Renzi are eye popping, and there are quite a few creative panels that really add to the “fun-factor” this book has on display.
After being introduced to this world and these characters, I must say that I am interested enough to pick up issue #2 when is hits store shelves. The story is interesting, the characters are fun, and the art is great! What more would one need to get excited about a new original book!?
Final Score: 8 out of 10
COLLIDER #1 is on store shelves now with more on the way soon!
In the San Francisco area looking for your next comic book fix? If so, Check out MISSION: COMICS & ART. They’ve got you covered!
