 | | The Five Fists of Science
Matt Fraction and Steven Sanders |
Graphic novels and comics. Two things that I enjoy on a somewhat limited basis. That's not to say that I don't like them, it's just that I don't get around to reading as many as I would like. I've got a few favorite stories, authors, illustrators, and so forth, but my knowledge doesn't stray much outside that meager little handful. I go more for the graphic novel than the comic, mainly because of size and length of reading, so I'm usually behind the crowd when the compendiums come out and even then, I don't go for the standard super hero-type comics, I go for the off-color tales of human gracelessness and the sobering memoir.
Though it appeared to swim in the norm end of the comic pool, I was immediately interested the first time I heard of The Five Fists of Science. Written by Matt Fraction (Punisher: War Journal, Casanova) and illustrated by Steven Sanders, the story follows Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla as they try to bring an end to War in the beginning of the 20th century. Alongside Twain and Tesla are Bertha Von Suttner and Tesla's young assistant Timothy Boone, one of the only completely fictional characters in the story. Standing in their way is the diabolical genius of Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, Guglielmo Marconi, and JP Morgan who all appear first to be wealthy, power-hungry industrialists building what is to be the world's tallest building, but are revealed to take part in an unholy cult that wishes to (what else) take over the world.
The Five Fists of Science pretty much embodies all that is the steampunk subgenre in comics: real characters, fantasy stories, shades of newer technology appearing in historical form, and the wit and character abrasiveness of gen-x characters. Fraction's story finds Twain and Tesla butting heads with their antagonists with Tesla's invention of a giant mechanical man that mimics the movements of its controller who is wearing a suit that runs through an "osmotic integrator" (think Gundam/assorted animes with the huge human-controlled cyborgs, it's like that. Now, if you know what I'm talking about, go out and get a girlfriend…I'll do the same). With Twain's charm and gift of gab, they pitch their idea to a league of nations that wished to seek and end to war, but confused by the science talk and concern of the instrument falling into the wrong hands, the proposition fizzles. With the help on another invention of Tesla's, a holographic monster, they convince the delegates that their machine is useful, and in the process, bunch up the collective panties of the Edison crowd.
Soon enough, the giant tower being built by the antagonists is revealed to be a giant shell that grows pods that produce demon-like monsters that are poised wreak havoc on the city of New York (and yes, eventually the world). What happens? I've already told you enough, so you'll have to check it out yourself.
Though a fairly quick read, Fraction's story-telling and Sanders' art do the trick and do it well. Fraction captures Twain's personality (at least by reputation) to a tee. He pits Tesla as the awkward genius that he was known as, and the villains carry out their evil deeds with the best of them. Sanders drenches every cell with thick color and exceptional attention to detail. The only time these two clash is when Fraction's fast-paced storytelling urges you to move on while Sanders' art makes you want to stay and take in his coloring and character sketches. I've always found the pairings of writers and illustrators to be either extremely good or awkwardly mismatched, these two make a good pair and this book could go down as their best work both as individuals and as a duo and it's all in the name of science!!!
- Philip Del Costello | 2006-06-28
