Graphic Novel Review - The Fuse Volume 1: The Russia Shift

Graphic Novel Review - The Fuse Volume 1: The Russia Shift

Recommended for Adults who love Sci-Fi and Crime

Image Comics are blowing me out of the water at the moment. Honestly, everything I read at the moment seems to be golden. From Black Science to Southern Bastards, Nailbiter to (obviously) Saga, it's series after series that I'm desperately trying to get everyone who comes into the library to read. I've always loved the stories that DC and Marvel have created, but I'm firmly in the third camp of Image at the moment for who the true masters of the graphic novel are.

The Fuse is no different. It's the story of Ralph Dietrich, homocide detective and recently reassigned to the Fuse, and his veteran partner, Sergeant Klem Ristovych. It's a strange world up there, with the death of a homeless person giving Dietrich his first case immediately.It should be open and shut, but when a second turns up dead it's clear that there's more to this than first thought, especially when there are implications that the Mayor's office might have some involvement...

As with all the best stories, the relationship between the main characters is fantastic here, as is their dialogue. Dietrich is trying to find his way in this new environment, while Ristovych has seen it all before but enjoys leaving Dietrich in the dark as long as possible. They make for a classic cop team that I'm quite happy to follow in further cases, he being not exactly the good cop, and her certainly not trying to be the overly co-operative and friendly one to anyone, even in her own department.

The setting is great, with the 'cablers' (homeloess) living inside the walls with their own rules that even a cop shouldn't dare break. It's almost dystopian without being dystopian, if that makes sense, a very familiar setting without being overly familiar. Houses with picket fences, for example, set on a space station.

The mystery behind the murders is nicely wrapped up within the story, so it'll be a brand new case next time around, but it was a great first standalone story with a satisfying reveal of the truth, and I look forward with much anticipation to the next one. This is a Sci-Fi Crime series that should be on everyone's radar.

5/5