Customer Reviews

Brit Volume 2: AWOL

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As I read through this I thought to myself "huh, Robert Kirkman must be stretching himself too thin. The dialogue is kinda crappy for one of his titles". Then I realized it wasn't actually written by Kirkman, just using his characters. That explains a lot.

Welcome back to Britworld, where geriatrics and cranky rule the day. Brit (short for Brittany, and is why dude prefers to be called "Brit") is an old coot, yes, but he's also friggin' invulnerable, which means that he's indispensable to the Pentagon and is the primary field agent deployed when the crapcake comes down. Brit is pretty much the ultimate government grunt. For those fond of hearkening back, Brit Volume 1: Old Soldier (Vol 1) goes into Brit's previous exploits, reprinting in color his three action-packed black & white one-shots (BRIT (2003), BRIT: COLD DEATH (2003), and BRIT: RED, WHITE, BLACK, AND BLUE (2004)). They're very much worth checking out.

BRIT Vol. 2: AWOL collects #1-6 of the ongoing title and finds Brit dealing with dinosaurs escaped from the San Diego Zoo, terrorist missiles and designer meta-viruses, more sinister super science gone amok, and the erosion of his invulnerability. And, since Brit is pretty much a one-trick pony, once you strip away his unhurtability (oh, snap, did I just coin a word?), well, all that's left is this unlikeable, surly geezer. Unless decades of field experience count as a superpower? Oh, and Brit's divorcing his wife, who just had his baby. A super jerk move for the ol' Brittany.

But, really, is this dude that much of a wanker? Or is something else going on? Brit's been shifted to a new government division and gotten himself a new boss, an underhanded scuzz named Deputy Director Slitter. And Slitter has something to do with Brit not being himself lately. Anyway, things get so bad that word gets to Brit's younger sister, Britney, even as she's busting an extraterrestrial drug deal. And, yes, Britney is near as tough as Brit.

BRIT reminds me a bit of the first SUPERPATRIOT mini-series I read years ago. It's not as much that the explosive action sequences are that similar (Superpatriot tends to rely more on firepower). Rather, Brit and Superpatriot both approach the conflict in a blue-collar, no-nonsense way. Not much with the fancy talk, these two dudes. Although, there's actually quite a bit of exposition going on in BRIT. It's just that the central character is this gruff, laconic curmudgeon. Ergo, there might be a misplaced notion that this title doesn't sizzle with dialogue. But, au contraire, Fred Astaire.

By the way, if I've gotten you at all curious about Superpatriot, give this one a try: Super-Patriot: Liberty and Justice. It's good stuff, even though it's not the mini-series I was referring to (that's not available in trade, far as I know).

Robert Kirkman edits the title but relinquishes writing duties to some schmoe named Bruce Brown, who isn't at all half bad, if these six issues are to judge by. Brown spends quality time with Brit's supporting characters, thus fleshing out even more this corner of the Kirkman universe (which Kirkman's more well-known superhero Invincible also inhabits). Donald Ferguson, robot extraordinaire and sort of Brit's field partner, keeps on being a favorite character of mine. Brit's sister debuts in issue #2 and she's one of those take charge types, reminding me somewhat of Power Girl in temperament and busty curvatures. Britney, alas, doesn't really do anything for me. Meanwhile, I wish there were more moments with baby Brittany and Jessica, whom Brit wants to inexplicably divorce. Jessica's not feeling too good about things right about now.

For those who'd rather forego the touchy-feely stuff, there are plenty of oddball visuals here, from sharks with jet packs to gruesome stuff being hronked out of nostrils to the fleeting awesomeness that is... the Platadoom. Oh, and another family member of Brit's shows up.

There's also a sketchy subplot which, if I got this right, involves Dr. Immortal sometime in the future sending a group of whoevers back to the present, probably to avert whatever scenario led up to the dystopian situation in that future. A splash page near the end of issue #6, featuring three of Kirkman's more prominent characters, did get my blood pumping. The next story arc bodes to be a doozy, so that's something good to go out on, anyway. That's right. Kirkman confirmed that BRIT will end after issue #12, having gotten bit by the poor sales bug. Turns out, the only way to break an unbreakable man is by killing off his series.

Brit Volume 3: Awol, not yet released, collects issues #7-12 and closes out this series; it has Brit teaming up with other Kirkman heroes. It's weird that Volume 3 is also co-titled "AWOL" because, trust me (I'm looking at the trade right now), BRIT Vol. 2 also has "AWOL" as part of the title description. Doesn't matter, though. If you're at all a fan of Brit or of Robert Kirkman, it's a cannot miss.

Just to let you know, it says that this volume collects issues 7-12, but it is 1-6 of the new series by Bruce Brown and Cliff Rathburn (if you're looking for talented young Nate's art, it's not in this particular trade). If you have those already and are looking for 7-12 (which you should find odd to begin with, as issue 12 has not come out yet), then you best wait for volume 3.

But I'll tell you, for those who call themselves Kirkman fans, this is a great addition to the mythos, and has ties directly to Invincible. The art of Cliff Rathburn, as well as colors, are just about as professional as you can get, especially for a one man show. Andy Kuhns layouts are great, I don't know this for a fact, but I'd swear the man does layouts secretly for half the industry, and it's guys like him that keep our favorite books coming out on a regular basis.

Bonus content is in the same fashion as other Kirkman books, with some great behind the scenes stuff by Cliff and Andy Kuhn.

I can't wait for the next, and unfortunately last installment, where Nate Bellegarde takes over on art, and we see Fco's outstanding colors!