Federal Bureau of Physics, Vol. 1

The first installment of this new series tells the story of agent Adam Hardy’s battle against the forces of evil in the America of the future, where the laws of physics have broken down. Wormholes appear, time speeds up in localized regions, and parallel dimensions spring up in city plazas. Hardy works for a government agency that deals with such emergencies; his father was killed in mysterious circumstances surrounding a quantum tornado, giving him a personal connection to his job. Hardy is involved with a mission to save a billionaire from a parallel dimension and, with his partner, Rosa Reyes, he foils a plot to use a wormhole generator to free a jailed gang member. Rodriguez’s scratchy art sacrifices likability for a sense of immediacy, which perfectly suits the tone of the book, much aided by Renzi’s gorgeous color sense and Nathan Fox’s eye-catching covers. While the story is promising, playfully exploring science fiction themes, some plot points are skipped over in a race to get through the complex subject matter. It’s a lot to cram in, but the result is a gritty, grungy story set in a surprising world. (Feb.)