***WARNING The comic reviewed here is for adults because it does have adult language and situations, and some nudity.***
Time travel stories can make your head hurt. Especially if they involve a key point in our real history. If done well, these stories can be very powerful, and really make you think. The last few pages of Radical Comic‘s “Time Bomb” certainly accomplished this.
After finding a hidden WWII Nazi bunker and triggering a world-ending bomb, a team of specialists is sent back in time to attempt to prevent this from happening. The intent was to send the team back in time one day, but instead, they wind up in Nazi Germany as the bunker and bomb are being established. They must find a way to prevent future events from taking place, while not changing crucial points in history. You can read my review of the previous issue by clicking here.
I had a few problems with the first two issues of this story, but the last issue was a real winner. Early on, there seemed to be some blending of the characters, but not in this final chapter. In fact, the characterization was stronger in this last portion than it had been.
One character I did like quite a bit was Ruth. I think the concept of including an alliance sympathizer in the story was nice, and very well written. She was more than just eye candy, and while there was a romantic aspect to her inclusion, that was not the only reason she was there. When she first appeared in the story, I had my doubts, but there turned out to be a good layer of depth to her character.
I don’t want to spoil the ending for anyone, so I won’t give the specifics of the ending. I’ll just say that if you enjoy considering alternate histories, or explanations for possible inconsistencies, you will enjoy this ending.
Despite the somewhat rocky start, “Time Bomb” ended up being a very good read. Nice art, and well written story. Yes, it is science fiction in nature, but everything about it was very realistic, with very believable characters. My recommendation is to get all three issues and read them in one sitting, as I think it will flow better that way. If you like good science fiction and alternate history stories, particularly ones that make you go “hmmmm” then you’ll like “Time Bomb.”
