Review: The Man Who F#&%ed Up Time #1

How many times have we day dreamed while sitting on the subway or stuck in traffic on the way to our less-than fulfilling jobs about all the things we would change in our lives if we only had the chance to go back. Well that is exactly what happens to lowly lab assistant Sean Bennett in John Layman’s latest offering from AfterShock Comics the very aptly titled, The Man Who F#&%ed Up Time #1.

Layman wastes no time in getting to the action as this issue begins by literally cutting to the chase. Straight away our eyes are treated to a gorgeous splash page by artist and co-creator Karl Mostert depicting Bennett being pursued by what appears to be some sort of law enforcement officer astride something akin to a stegosaurus, but much larger, faster and armored. A completely mind-blowing turn of events to say the very least, but who is this guy being chased, why is he being chased and perhaps most perplexing of all, who is chasing him. These questions are very entertainingly addressed by Layman as the backstory leading up to this strange pursuit unfolds in the following pages.

It seems Bennett has ample reasons for wanting to change his lot in life and as luck would have it his job as lab assistant at A Finer Tomorrow Inc. affords him the unique opportunity needed to accomplish such a lofty task. Although as things stand in the current office hierarchy, Sean Bennett is firmly entrenched somewhere beneath the bottom rung of the ladder of success an unexpected rendezvous with his future-self sets events into motion that will soon change this. However there is an old saying about the best laid plans of mice and men going astray and that certainly applies to Sean and his ill-conceived plot with his future-self. At the core of his problems, both professional and personal is Bennett’s former college roommate now workplace superior, Grant Cooke. Cooke is the archetypal self absorbed, narcissistic jerk. He exudes arrogance, beyond self-confidence, his is a superiority complex of the highest order and Bennett is his unwitting prey.

The interoffice politics play out nicely as a sub-plot woven into the larger narrative of Bennett’s misadventure through time. Layman does a fabulous job of character development in very few pages; through some very sharp dialogue and meticulous body language courtesy of Mostert’s sophisticated approach to the visual storytelling these characters come to life in short order. As Bennett finds his actions have some unforeseen consequences the story gets to its science fiction core and we are once again treated to Mostert’s fantastic visuals. Bennett’s intentions to only tamper with time enough to change his own circumstances soon have catastrophic results and he finds the Future Police, Temporal Crime Prevention Unit are now on the case promising some rather significant censures if he does not put things back to right. By this point it has become apparent that Sean Bennett has royally and substantially effed up time! Layman’s writing is so well paced that the end of this book comes out of nowhere and leaves you wanting more, immediately. I’ve been a fan of Layman’s work since his imaginative series Chew, his writing is complex and high concept yet it maintains a very well developed comedic sensibility. His characters are so vibrant and imaginative, always flawed in the most interesting and strangely endearing ways. The detailed environment this narrative is set in surely contains some hints at whats to come, particularly the alternate timeline’s apparent obsession with Lincoln and more flying dragons than Game of Thrones.

The visuals play such a huge role in this book and while I wasn’t familiar with Karl Mostert’s work prior to reading this book, I was truly impressed with his highly detailed style very often bringing to mind two of my favorite artists, Frank Quitely and Geoff Darrow. Mostert’sÂ dynamic character designs and his intensely emotive facial expressions work exceedingly well to add depth and excitement to Layman’s already entertaining narrative. Colorists Dee Cuniffe’s vibrant pallet brings a cinematic feel to the visuals as well as punching up Mostert’s wildly imaginative settings and characters. Mostert offers an entirely new perspective to Layman’s work; frequently Layman pairs with artists of a more cartoony style, so to see this collaboration on this story is definitely exciting.

The debut issue of this series does its job remarkably well and that is to get readers excited for the next issue. Layman and Mostert set the stage for some bigger thrills and more action to come and do so with some seriously fun characters. The book looks great, its paced like a speeding Amtrak and pulls you in like a magnetic field, what more could you ask for in a comic book?

SCORE: 4/5

Writer/ letterer-John Layman
Artist-Karl Mostert
Colors-Dee Cuniffe
Publisher – Aftershock