Time Bomb #1

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Paul Gulacy

This is a can't-miss comics project.  To begin with, Palmiotti and Gray have been doing amazing things lately, especially on their independent projects (check out The Last Resort and Random Acts of Violence).  Next, we have Gulacy on art, which is never a bad thing.  Finally, this is one of those 56 page square-bound Radical comics, which is a format I love.  Add all these up, and we have a definite purchase.

This book completely lived up to my expectations.  The story revolves around an underground Nazi missile complex that is discovered in the middle of Berlin when some repair work is done on a section of subway.  The exploration of said complex triggers the launching of a missile, which carries a strange bioweapon payload, which has left humanity with only 72 hours of existence.  A team of operatives is tasked with riding a 'time bomb' into the past to stop anyone from ever opening the bunker.  Of course, the 'time bomb' is not very accurate, and there is no way of knowing when the operatives would be sent, providing us with the next two issue's worth of story.

Much of this issue is taken up with the necessary exposition and character development, which is unfortunate but needed.  It may have gotten boring with a lesser artist, but Gulacy is more than up to the task of making talking heads interesting.  This whole thing reads as much as a treatment for a movie as a comic, but I have no problem with that when the book is this good.