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A review by thebetterstory
FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, Vol. 1: The Paradigm Shift by Robbi Rodriguez, Simon Oliver
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Well, this was a disappointment. It gets a star and a half for the interesting premise and serviceable art, as well as not being actively unpleasant for the most part, but that was a dull read that failed to show me why I should care about anyone in the cast, while using uninspired and confusing page layouts.
The main character, whose name I already can't remember, works for the FBP because he's following in the footsteps of his dead dad. No, it doesn't do anything original with that backstory. There's an early betrayal by his partner, for vague reasons and with no build-up, which happened before I'd been given any reason to care about anything. There's a background plot involving protection from the setting's unreliable physics being privatized and the potential that holds to be unjust and dangerous, but again, other than relying on our real-world knowledge to know that privitization of important services like that is bad, little happens to make it engaging in the story.
Despite the main character being Palestinian, the book gets a "no" on the diversity front from me for having white and male be the default with the majority of the characters, to the point it's kind of bizarre. Pick any random page in the book and everyone but the protagonist is liable to be white. Every ten pages or so for the first half, a woman shows up to look hot in the background or be ogled. Occasionally she gets a line like a flirtatious "hi." The FBP appear to be 99% male except for the service staff and are called "the guys." People have sexist quips like "and they call us the weaker sex," and "I thought men liked pain." (Sorry, what? Since when?)
Oh, and at one point someone responds to someone acting socially awkward and indifferent by going "Jesus, you ever been checked for Asperger's?" Great. Thank you for that.
The second half of the book introduces the MC's female partner, who's Hispanic. Her first dialogue scene is her making a crack about people expecting her to work as cleaning staff because she's Hispanic when a white woman states there are no openings at the FBP. (Which would land a lot better if the book actually seemed thoughtful or aware of race in any meaningful way.) To drive the point home, later in the same story arc we get to see our second immigrant woman, who speaks poor English and has a dirty house full of tons of children for the small space, which our MC snarks about because again, that's the level of social awareness this graphic novel has.
I don't see why you'd spend time with this series unless the premise is so fascinating you just have to give it a shot. Certainly the plot and characters aren't going to draw anyone in.
The main character, whose name I already can't remember, works for the FBP because he's following in the footsteps of his dead dad. No, it doesn't do anything original with that backstory. There's an early betrayal by his partner, for vague reasons and with no build-up, which happened before I'd been given any reason to care about anything. There's a background plot involving protection from the setting's unreliable physics being privatized and the potential that holds to be unjust and dangerous, but again, other than relying on our real-world knowledge to know that privitization of important services like that is bad, little happens to make it engaging in the story.
Despite the main character being Palestinian, the book gets a "no" on the diversity front from me for having white and male be the default with the majority of the characters, to the point it's kind of bizarre. Pick any random page in the book and everyone but the protagonist is liable to be white. Every ten pages or so for the first half, a woman shows up to look hot in the background or be ogled. Occasionally she gets a line like a flirtatious "hi." The FBP appear to be 99% male except for the service staff and are called "the guys." People have sexist quips like "and they call us the weaker sex," and "I thought men liked pain." (Sorry, what? Since when?)
Oh, and at one point someone responds to someone acting socially awkward and indifferent by going "Jesus, you ever been checked for Asperger's?" Great. Thank you for that.
The second half of the book introduces the MC's female partner, who's Hispanic. Her first dialogue scene is her making a crack about people expecting her to work as cleaning staff because she's Hispanic when a white woman states there are no openings at the FBP. (Which would land a lot better if the book actually seemed thoughtful or aware of race in any meaningful way.) To drive the point home, later in the same story arc we get to see our second immigrant woman, who speaks poor English and has a dirty house full of tons of children for the small space, which our MC snarks about because again, that's the level of social awareness this graphic novel has.
I don't see why you'd spend time with this series unless the premise is so fascinating you just have to give it a shot. Certainly the plot and characters aren't going to draw anyone in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death and Pregnancy