The Fuse #2
Written by Antony Johnston
Illustrated by Justin Greenwood
Colored by Shari Chankhamma
Lettered by Ed Brisson
Cover by Justin Greenwood
Image Comics
Release Date: March 19, 2014
Cover Price: $3.50

Multiple murders in a space station’s city; two detectives at odds with each other’s methods; a mystery and an election. These are everyday occurrences in The Fuse #2 by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Justin Greenwood. Read on to find out my thoughts.

When Dietrich arrived at the orbital space station known as Midway City, he was ready to continue his career as a homicide detective, 22,000 miles above Earth; however, he did not expect to be thrust into work before having a chance to even settle into his new apartment.

Now, he and his new partner, Klem – an old, female veteran who isn’t keen on following step by step procedures – are scrambling to find a link between two recent killings. If that weren’t enough, it would seem that some very important people are hiding key information.

Johnston definitely picks up the pace in this issue, giving his two protagonists new leads and offering some nice twists to the story; unfortunately, I am feeling very disappointed with The Fuse in general. The first issue seemed to set up events and introduce characters fairly nicely, but it felt like it was missing something. Issue two gives the same impression. I read through the comic a second time and it clicked: The Fuse doesn’t feel any different from other police procedurals.

It is set on a space station, high above the earth, but it could very well take place in a crime infested Earth city; characters are constantly making comments to Dietrich about how insane he must be for volunteering for the homicide unit in Midway City, but it doesn’t seem any more dangerous than what we as a culture have come to understand from this particular type of story. From the very first description of the series, I was expecting a bit of science fiction mixed together with a crime comic, but all I’m getting are rehashed stories that I’m told take place in space.

I can’t really say that I’m too impressed with Greenwood’s illustrations either. If it weren’t for clothes, skin color, and hairstyle, I wouldn’t be able to tell any of the characters apart.

Fuse #2 is definitely a step forward for the series, though it’s a little too late. I liked the first issue enough to give the second a shot, hoping that things would improve, but the execution just doesn’t fuse with the concept.