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mohan_vee's review against another edition
5.0
"Fuse: The Russia Shift", is a fast paced gritty science fiction mystery. Think "NYPD Blue" in space and you pretty much got it. The love-hate (mostly hate ) relationship between the two detectives is something we have all seen too many times before, but it really does not seem old here. Additionally, the book combines well constructed mystery with a believable future orbital society creating a well balanced fusion between the mystery and science fiction genres. Anyone, who figures out the subtitle of the book before the last set of panels should definitely get extra geek credit.
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine every crime procedural you've ever watched on TV. Set it on a giant power station/city orbiting 22,000 miles above Earth. Then--and here's the big twist--actually take the time to develop your characters as people. Throw in deftly handled worldbuilding and a last-panel cliffhanger that left me desperate to know more ASAP, and that's why I'm so excited about The Russia Shift.
thekarpuk's review against another edition
3.0
This book falls short just as I was really ready to add the series to my Comixology subscriptions. For all but the last issue of the first book, it's an interesting sci fi mystery with less than conventional characters, a world that felt well thought out and reasonably complicated. I enjoyed watching these prickly space cops try to solve a politically charged crime on a space station.
And then the last issue went and Scooby-Dooed the whole damn thing. The killer goes on a long ramble about their motive and reasons, running through the entire series of events, as though trying to pitch a book deal.
This story didn't need easy answers. We could have had the detectives figure out most of this on their own, and just infer the rest. Subtlety would have saved the day on this one. A gritty world doesn't need characters spelling out their motives like a one man show.
It's like if The Wire had ended a season with Avon Barksdale explaining his criminal empire to McNulty at gunpoint on the edge of a rooftop. Just silly.
And then the last issue went and Scooby-Dooed the whole damn thing. The killer goes on a long ramble about their motive and reasons, running through the entire series of events, as though trying to pitch a book deal.
This story didn't need easy answers. We could have had the detectives figure out most of this on their own, and just infer the rest. Subtlety would have saved the day on this one. A gritty world doesn't need characters spelling out their motives like a one man show.
It's like if The Wire had ended a season with Avon Barksdale explaining his criminal empire to McNulty at gunpoint on the edge of a rooftop. Just silly.
rubybastille's review against another edition
4.0
The exaggerated art style was not my favorite (especially since the characters' appearances are key to the mystery) but I enjoyed the story. I'm a sucker for Murder Mysteries In Space (okay anything in space) but this one had some good twists and solid characters. Would like to learn more about why Dietrich came to the Fuse and see the space station setting utilized more.
wealhtheow's review against another edition
2.0
A police procedural set aboard a space station in the nearish future. Shady politicians, overworked cops, a station starkly split along class lines, and the glimmers of a conspiracy...great! The characters and mystery are solid, and the premise is exactly what I love, but the art. The ART. It's ugly, doesn't convey movement well, and isn't consistent--I could hardly tell one character from another. If I can, I'll probably read more of this, though, because I really like Klem (the badass old lady cop who's like a bull in a china shop).
sshabein's review against another edition
4.0
Ending was just an ok payoff for an otherwise very interesting world. Good art.
rosseroo's review
3.0
This first in a graphic novel series hits a bunch of notes that I typically enjoy: police procedural, near-future sci-fi, gritty urban setting, and graphic storytelling. So why didn't I enjoy it more? The story more or less follows a German detective who's willingly transferred to an undesirable posting on The Fuse. Built as an orbiting energy platform, the five-mile long structure has somehow evolved into a city of half a million people. (I don't really get how energy is supposed to be transmitted between The Fuse and Earth, nor do I understand who would build such an expensive device so inefficiently that you could fit a major city inside it, but I'm more or less willing to suspend my disbelief on those points.)
The detective has a body literally fall at his feet on day one, and he's immediately thrust into a murder investigation with a foul-mouthed older female detective as his partner. The story then unfolds in a series of familiar plot beats and twists and turns, including mayoral politics, secret siblings, infidelity, homeless victims that no one cares about, and the like. It's not that it's bad, it's just far too familiar -- it's like the plot points were taken from a 1950s potboiler and tossed into space. Somewhat predictably, the story ends with a large twist that sets up the next in the series.
Unlike some reviewers -- I really liked the artwork, in fact, I'd say the artwork and coloring were my favorite element. On the whole though, I'm not sure it's one to rush out and pick up. By all means, check it out, just keep expectations in check.
The detective has a body literally fall at his feet on day one, and he's immediately thrust into a murder investigation with a foul-mouthed older female detective as his partner. The story then unfolds in a series of familiar plot beats and twists and turns, including mayoral politics, secret siblings, infidelity, homeless victims that no one cares about, and the like. It's not that it's bad, it's just far too familiar -- it's like the plot points were taken from a 1950s potboiler and tossed into space. Somewhat predictably, the story ends with a large twist that sets up the next in the series.
Unlike some reviewers -- I really liked the artwork, in fact, I'd say the artwork and coloring were my favorite element. On the whole though, I'm not sure it's one to rush out and pick up. By all means, check it out, just keep expectations in check.
nigellicus's review
5.0
The Fuse huge power station-turned habitat in regressive geostationary orbit over the Earth. Ralph Dietrich arrives, having volunteered as a homicide detective, only for a cabler to die of a gunshot wound at his feet. A second death and a connectio to the office of the mayor opens a can of worms that Dietrich's partner, hard-nosed Klem Ristovych, is all too happy to kick over in order to catch the culprit. A terrifically entertaining detectives in spaaace thriller with a brilliant pair of tough but likeable leads, particularly the irascible Klem.
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