Last month, I reviewed the first issue of the three-issue limited series“Time Bomb” from Radical Publishing in my column Artistic License on Airlock Alpha. Issue two hits stands this week, and I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy from the publishers.
Overall, the story is progressing well, with characters experiencing the problems you would expect from this type of time travel. The team has to be careful about altering the timeline, but there are some things that just can’t be helped, as the team struggles just to stay alive and not be captured. The team is searching for the underground city, hoping to change the future. The main action of this issue is team members trying to get information from Nazi soldiers and German citizens. As one might expect, the team has trouble convincing the Germans that they are loyal citizens, and they are in constant danger.
While the story is not racist, for which I commend the creative team, there is an interesting element in the story, with one of the team members being black. Combine that with the fact that he knows very little German, and it makes things much harder for him and the team.
Also adding to the plot is the fact that one of the team members is female, which can be both a blessing and a curse for her and the team. It is good in that she has more ways that she can get information from people, but it is bad as she ends up on the receiving end of some sexist problems.
I have to admit that I am not as pleased with this issue as I was with the first one. The action is a bit slow, and there is not the same sense of urgency to keep things moving. Also, many of the uniformed soldiers look alike, including the team, and it is hard to tell who is who in the panels and pages. This makes for some confusion. Another thing I was not happy with was the choices of when not to translate the German to English. I would suppose that the creative team was careful that all important dialogue was translated, but I wish they had translated it all, so that readers don’t have to wonder.
This series started off quick and had potential, but seems to have stalled a bit in the middle. I am still interested in how the story ends, and I am looking forward to seeing how the situation is resolved, and if the future is saved. Hopefully, the third and final issue will make up for this disappointing middle installment.
