I’ll be honest in something — based on the group of kids I grew up with and hung around, whenever someone screams “SCIENCE!”, I instantly find something to relate with/to. It’s things like this that keep me going back to writers like Brian Clevinger, Warren Ellis, and Mike Mignola. However, little did I know that there was a book by one of my favorite writers in which “SCIENCE!” was screamed aplenty. A (semi) wise man once said to me, “You should buy anything with Fraction’s name on it,” and it was with that in mind that I purchased the original graphic novel, The Five Fists Of Science.
The Five Fists of Science is a book that I can easily say caught me off guard. Considering I had never even heard of it before, I had no idea what to expect. However, as I read the introduction to the book, I knew I was in for an amusing little romp to say the least, and I was not let down. The book is funny, smart, and to be honest it’s exactly what I imagine the upcoming Sherlock Holmes film will be like (starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law). An excellent blend of both wit and mild historical/fictional accuracy create a very entertaining, albeit quick, read that I feel I could easily recommend to anyone.
So what’s it all about? Well, the book stars Nikola Tesla and Mark Twain as well as Tesla’s assistant as the Five Fists of Science (Tesla’s assistant being the one extra fist). Twain is portrayed as a drunk socialite who is more interested in getting a buck and causing a scene than he is … well, than he is in every other portrayal I’ve seen of him anywhere. He has a new idea for a revolutionary way to end war, and with that you can cue his coming to Tesla. Tesla is portrayed as the ridiculously eccentric man that he is, full of odd quirks and quiet methodology. Together with Bertha von Suttner as a financial backer, the group band together in order to bring Twain’s idea to life. Of course they must also do battle against Thomas Edison, John Pierpont Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and Guglielmo Marconi. The four devious industrialists have banded together in order to design a brand new building, entitled Innsmouth Tower, because nothing bad could ever go bad from that, right? Lo and behold, they are of course trying to summon the demon of extreme darkness that will end all of existence. Pleasant!
As goofy as I make it sound, there is nothing truly comical about the book. It’s not portrayed as some sort of parody. In fact, the artwork by Steven Sanders is actually quite refined. In all actuality, Sanders does a great job of giving his characters realistic portrayals in a non-realistic setting. My favorite scene is near the beginning when Tesla appears as a steampunk superhero of sorts. So at the quick overview, you wouldn’t notice the overly quirky nature of the storytelling. This is where Fraction comes in. We’ve often applauded Fraction’s storytelling ability, recently with Gil pointing out one of his lesser known titles (Casanova). In this one he really cuts loose, display his more humorous side over the one we’ve seen recently with his work on Iron Man and X-Men. While his story telling prowess is something we’ve always been appreciative of, his humor side definitely takes the forefront in this title, and it makes for a book so hilarious that, when reading it, I found myself laughing heartily in public on many an occasion.
Five Fists Of Science is, unfortunately, a title that you just might miss when you’re going to the comic book store. It doesn’t stand out on the shelves as much as other books do, and having been published in 2006, you’re unlikely to see it being promoted by your local comic book store. But if you’re a fan of quirky science humor a la Atomic Robo as well as revamps of characters and people a la League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you’re in for a treat with Five Fists of Science. I’d keep your eye open for it if I were you.
