A slick if somewhat nonsensical sci-fi actioner, Time Bomb (Radical Comics) opens on the discovery of an underground Nazi city with a missile that amazingly launches after all these years (kinda like the fantastically resilient cigarette lighter in Wall-E) when its trigger is tripped by agents of the ironically(?) named New World Order investigating it. Said missile proves to have a virulent virus so aggressive “it makes Ebola look like a runny nose.” Unchecked, it will wipe out most of the planet within 72 hours. What to do? Sent a quartet of agents back in time to prevent the missile from being launched, of course.
Our foursome is a fairly standard grouping: quarrelsome newly divorced couple, sociopathic licensed-to-killer, NWO agent whose disdain for the regs is typified by his refusal to obey the no smoking signs in the office. As drawn by seasoned comics pro Paul Gulacy, they’re an attractive bunch for all their familiarity, though. Scripters Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (Jonah Hex) treat their “mature readers” confection with gobs of ruthless violence — when the missile launches we can see it decimate much of Berlin, while the panels of bubo-laden plague victims are all suitably icky. Who’s responsible for this bioengineered chaos is a mystery at the end of the first of this three-ish mini-series, but I’m betting the original vanished scientist responsible for the creating the time traveling tech is somehow connected to the underground city’s anachronistic gadgetry.
On the basis of its opener, Time Bomb looks to be a decent little popcorn comic book mini-series. Just try not to get some of that fake butter crap on the pages when you’re reading it, okay?
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