Page 45 Review by Jonathan
"Would you be offended if I said this is the most ridiculous stunt you've pulled in all the time I've worked here, sir?"
"Too late, Candice. I'm afraid the words have already left your lips."
"Should I run through today's main requests?"
"Please do."
"First is from the Australian government, and they want you to investigate a series of weird materialisations they've been having.
"Second is from La Folle Journee in Nantes, asking if could compose a new classical overture for their festival in July.
"Third is a brand-new stunt challenge where you drive a car off the roof of our Berlin office, and land on a specific floor on the building opposite. Blindfolded, if you're feeling brave enough."
"Is this from that same kid again?"
"I'm afraid so."
"Well, tell him it's a yes and the others too. I haven't slept in over a month, and I need something to exercise my brain cells a little.
"I've written three plays, designed a new telecommunications system and invented a polymer that keeps food fresh for a century. I also grew the company thirty percent last night, but I'll slit my wrists if I have to look at another spreadsheet.
"These materialisations sounds interesting. Tell Australia we're firing up the jet."
The only thing more annoying than a cocky know-it-all, is a really, really cocky know-it-all. And yet, despite being an immense show-off of the very highest order Edison Crane is actually quite the likeable character. He might even be capable of running a comic shop…
Fortunately for Edison, his primary concern is merely an imminent extra-dimensional invasion aided and abetted by a secret cabal who have been preparing for this very moment for thousands of years. Well, there is also that extinction level asteroid which is going to plough into the Earth that he's promised to devise a solution for, but that's seventeen years away so he can just let his subconscious mind keep working on that minor problemette in the meanwhile…
Well, following on from the exceptional MAGIC ORDER, that most relentless of comics writers Mark Millar is back yet again, and once more he has penned a self-contained piece of action comedy gold. You will find Edison Crane as annoying as he is enchanting certainly, he's like Stephen Hawking crossed with James Bond, as he flits around the globe from glamorous but deadly location to location in search of clues as to how to save the day.
With panache obviously! Just saving the day in a humdrum run-of-the-mill fashion wouldn't do at all now would it?! Along the way there'll be idiots who think they can outwit him, of course, for the cabal is well aware that Edison Crane is the only person who could possibly stand any hope of stopping them. He might even let them think they have outwitted him in true cocky know-it-all fashion…
Much like James Bond, certainly circa Roger Moore era, the plot is delightfully preposterous, the stunts truly over-the-top ridiculous, and the one-liners wincingly hilarious. If you enjoyed THE SECRET SERVICE: KINGSMAN you'll definitely get a spinning, twirling flying head kick out of this.
Rafael AMERICAN VAMPIRE Albuquerque, who has worked with Millar before on the Forrest Gump-esque superhero parody HUCK, provides equally non-stop kinetic, action-packed art, and I've always thought he does a great snidey bad guy face too and here is no exception as Edison Crane's private school bête noire turns out to be the loony tune in question. Albuquerque also does a great snidey bad guy who's just realised his plans of world domination have been totally thwarted by a cocky know it all face too. With panache…
