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On the Fringe…

If you are a TV watcher, you may notice ads for the new show, another ‘J.J. Abrams brainchild’, Fringe.  I have to say, I am a fan.  Fringe is like X-Files without the boring 40 minutes of nothing nearly every episode.  (I can already feel the legions of X-Files fans googling me to hunt me down…)  Fringe centers around Fringe science, the ‘mad’ doctor mostly responsible for it being in the world, the FBI agent assigned to stop the crazies using it, a cow, and for some reason Pacey from Dawson’s Creek.  Throw in writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci as producers and you actually end up with a pretty screwed up television show that interests me a lot more than half the stuff on television right now.  Unfortunately, none of that is present in the comic.

The Fringe mini-series out on the shelves right now, #3 of which I picked up this week, is a story in two parts.  The first part tells of Dr. Bishop (the mad scientist) in his younger days, before he was, well, as mad and his old partner Bell, whom in the show portrays as the founder of a faceless conglomerate of mega-corporation of evil.  The story moves quickly and has no frame of reference if you missed the first two issues.  The art is passable, though very dark and sometimes a bit too crowded.  Moreover, even though a science-based comic somehow should not surprise you with the amount of exposition in it, this one still does.  This back-story lacks the frenetic weirdness of the television show in an effort to explain some of Dr. Bishop’s past. 

The second story focuses on someone with a death ability. Right from birth, this boy kills anyone who touches him.  Poked, prodded and experimented on by some organization all his life, the boy learns and watches, yearning to join the real world.  An interesting read, but seemingly no influence on the previous story and not really relating to any events on the show currently, the story held little impact.  The artist is the same for both stories but the second story seems less crowded somehow.

If you are a fan of Fringe and picked up this book, assuming it a companion to the TV series, you will probably end up with some disappointment.  The story of Dr. Bishop in his younger days could prove to be very interesting, but at least from this issue, does seem to fit well in the comic medium.  The second story would hold more impact if we know that this character might actually show up on the TV show, using the book as a lead in.  Alas, no such promises.  Overall, a quick read, but may be something that will stand out more as a trade. 

Fringe #3 (of 6)
“Bell & Bishop Part 3: The Escape”
Writer: Alex Katsnelson
Artist: tom Mandrake
Colorist: WSFX
Letterer: Wes Abbott

“Run Away”
Wrtier: Mike Johnson
Artist: tom Mandrake
Colorist: WSFX
Letterer: Wes Abbott

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