Comic Reviews - Oct 2016 pt II

The Fix

Story: Nick Spencer

Art: Steve Lieber

Image Comics

Comics are like cable TV these days. Writers and artists plan their story arcs like TV series seasons. And the way we consume comics is like watching Netflix. Instead of buying the single issues, we wait for the trade and read everything at one go.

That’s how most of us would have read The Fix, the new crime / comedy series by hot writer, Nick Spencer and the ever-reliable, Steve Lieber. The first issue had good press when it was released in April (it went into third printing). Four issues later, the first trade is out and it did brisk sales at this year’s STGCC where Spencer was a guest and was on site to sign and promote the book.

Two bad LA cops (who rob old men in old folks home among other things) are under orders from their even worse superior to smuggle drugs through the LA international airport. The uncorruptible cop standing in their way: a police dog trained to sniff out drugs and bad cops. So Bad Cop #1 shoots Bad Cop #2 in the hand (reinvented as a call of duty incident of saving…nuns) to get him transferred to the K-9 unit. But the dog knows better and could smell a dirty cop a mile away. In the meanwhile Bad Cop #1 gets himself assigned to protect a Hollywood child prodigy who is way out of his league. This first trade ends with a cliffhanger as a new villain appears. Not as if there are any good guys in the story.

Nothing much has happened yet for this first ‘season’. Spencer and Lieber have set up the premise and established the lead characters and the main storyline. Like TV, there will be subplots and side characters popping up soon. In fact, one wonders why The Fix is being produced as a comic book as there is nothing in its execution that taps on the strength of the comic medium (unlike Spencer’s Morning Glories). This could have been easily a HBO series. Maybe Spencer is hoping that it will be picked up by some TV network. Still, it’s always great to see Lieber’s work in the comics.

The Fix will appeal to fans of the crime genre in comics. The characters are not particularly appealing or likeable. But the dog, Pretzles, is a champ. We root for the little guy.

(3.5 stars)