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List Price: $19.99 | | Publisher: IDW Publishing
Salesrank: 1583423
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| Our Price: $11.99 |
| Used Price: $17.72 |
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
Struck down by a mysterious accident, Tom Talbot awakens to find that playing pretend has suddenly become all too real! He now has power limited only by his imagination - but will it be enough to stop the savage Silverback? IDW is proud to present FX, a brand-new superhero from industry legend John Byrne and writer Wayne Osborne.
FX Reviews:
Lame superhero name, pretty cool comic book... 
2009-06-17 - A while ago artist/writer John Byrne made it known that, for an "x" amount of money, he would create a comic book issue for whoever. Longtime comic book reader (and a big fan of Byrne's art) Wayne Osborne took up the man's offer and had Byrne provide illustrations for an original story Osborne had come up with. The result is a complete issue of FX. Osborne then went to the San Diego comic convention and shopped it around until IDW Publishing bit, promising to publish FX as a six issue mini-series, with the caveat that John Byrne be on board to draw the entire thing. And, no worries, John Byrne was on board.
FX is the story of a boy named Tom Talbot. It starts with Tom horsing around with his best pal Jack, when Tom is suddenly struck by a mysterious, radiant shaft of light, and then Jack unwittingly clobbers his skull with a stick. A few days later Tom learns that he's abruptly developed an amazing talent. Merely by using his imagination Tom can now create solid objects out of thin air. Just by goofing around, he's able to call a working bazooka into being. Experimentation leads to Tom finding that he can fly and summon up weapons. His favorite go-to move seems to be tooling around in a robot/golem-shaped construct (or maybe it's a force field?). In a way, Tom's newfound talent reminds me of Green Lantern's ability to manifest solid objects, although Tom doesn't need a paltry green bauble to do his thing.
Naturally, Tom becomes a superhero and takes on the codename FX. And living in a world where talking gorillas and horrible creatures called moleisaurs occasionally erupt from the earth to attack mankind, the fledgling crimefighter quickly gets his feet wet. Demonstrating that high school may actually really be the scariest time of your life, Tom tangles with a seriously disturbed nerd genius whose invention of a thinking cap grants him powers similar to and even exceeding FX's. FX also gets a chance to rub elbows with other superheroes, starting with the Fantastic Fou- *cough* I mean, the Foundation, four super-powered adventurers who get mind-controlled and end up trying to take out FX. Tom also gets to hang out with the HomeFront team as they go up against the world's most formidable Big Bad, Lord Erevos, the self-titled "Father of Death, the First Evil... and the Last." Lord Everos means to steal FX's power, and I frankly don't blame him, once I learned the source of Tom's power.
Tom gets support in his superhero career predominantly from his best friend Jack and then from fellow classmate Vicki, an odd scrawny girl who wields psychic abilities. I happen to think it's cool that Vicki now and then is haunted by a ghostly crusader (just another of those quirky throwaway touches inserted by Osborne). But I guess it's only natural that Jack would eventually feel jealous and left out and very resentful of being considered a sidekick. Soon Lord Erevos takes note of this.
Wayne Osborne takes full advantage of the thing, his writing of FX coming to involve cool nerdy stuff such as nostalgic elements from the golden & silver ages of comics, several iconic monsters from Universal Pictures, and even Greek Mythology. I don't know if it's that Osborne is new at this writing gig, but these issues come with a sense of enthusiasm and a simpler, more innocent feel. I guess it's also partly that the central character happens to be a young teenager, and partly because John Byrne's artwork lends itself to this old-school, old-fashioned look.
This FX trade paperback collects the entire six issues of IDW's limited series, with 14 pages of bonus John Byrne art (original FX covers and character designs in pencil). The storytelling on Osborne's part is easy enough to follow, lighthearted and kid-friendly, although it does show a certain rawness. Osborne probably could've done more with establishing depth and more background to his characters. He basically marches out that talking gorilla and the moleisaurs and his various superhero groups, but then neglects to fill in some necessary blanks. Tom himself could've used some more character development. Also, I would've liked to have seen Tom be more creative with his ability which, after all, can only be hampered by the boundaries of his imagination. But, then again, I ain't mad at Wayne Osborne. He doesn't do this for a living, doesn't know if IDW is gonna pick him up for a future limited series. So he wanted to throw in as much as he could of all the stuff he nerded out on, and, yes, characterization will suffer. As it is, FX is worth looking into; just keep in mind that it may not be as polished as some of the other products out there. But I had fun reading this, and wouldn't at all mind further installments. So I say check it out. And big ups to a regular guy who managed to live out a dream every comic book fan would rip out his left one for. Good job, sir.
Brilliant! 
2008-12-18 - I love all-ages comics. Tellos, Leave it to Chance and Bone are at the top of my list. And FX belongs right up there with them.
Wayne Osborne has crafted a terrific superhero story about a kid whose imagination comes to life in the form of solid energy constructs. It's got a giant ape supervillain. It's got solid John Byrne art. What more could you ask for?
We need more books like this. Pick it up for you or your kids.
Most fun I've had in a long time!
2008-12-18 - FX was the most enjoyable superhero series of the year! This collection includes the entire debut mini-series plus some behind the scenes character designs by John Byrne and an introduction by creator/writer Wayne Osborne.
FX + JB = Awesome!
2008-12-12 - John Byrne returns to Super-Hero comics and am I glad!
This was a dream project written by one of John Byrne's fans.
Wayne Osborne commissioned John Byrne to pencil & ink one comic book. At the time it was simply a commission job, but after Wayne Osborne found a publisher in IDW, John Byrne was convinced to do the art chores on this 6-issue limited series.
Wayne Osborne is a very obvious fan of science fiction & fantasy as he incorporates so many different homages within all 6 issues. You'll see homages to super-heroes (DUH!) as well as Ray Harryhausen films, Star Wars films, Universal's monster films, 1950's low-budget horror films, and so much more.
If you are any sort of super-hero comic book fan, you'll enjoy the storytelling, as it was written by someone who is very well aware of the genre. Wayne Osborne's appreciation for super-hero comic books shines through in every page.
Then you have the penciling & inking skills of John Byrne, who knows exactly what he's doing when it comes to handling homages. John Byrne's mastery at layouts & pacing is as expected...top notch. Every page of art showcases John Byrne's talents.
FX is a must-have for any discerning fan of super-hero comic books.
What are you waiting for? Order your copy now!
