Bad Medicine follows disgraced former cardiologist Dr. Randal Horne and hard-nosed NYPD detective Joely Huffman as they work together to solve strange murders apparently caused by fringe science and exotic diseases. Also along for the ride are the ever-cranky pathologist Teague and his oh-so-snarky partner, Hogarth. The first collected volume of Bad Medicine includes two story arcs. In the first arc, detective Huffman discovers a dead man with an invisible head in an experimental lab, and tracks down Randal Horne to help solve the mystery. In the second arc, the CDC asks Horne and Huffman et al to investigate what appears to be a werewolf attack.

As I was reading Bad Medicine, I couldn’t help comparing it to Fringe, and it isn’t just because the mysteries are caused by weird science. It’s also the fact that the main characters are an eccentric, disgraced doctor who went on walkabout and a no-nonsense blonde female detective. Even still, that wouldn’t be such a big deal if Bad Medicine brought anything unique to the table, but it really doesn’t have much to offer in terms of originality. The first mystery seems stranger than it actually is thanks to a bit of misdirection from the villain, and the second is a fairly bog-standard werewolf story.

However, I did generally like the art in the book. It’s reasonably unique, stylized enough to be distinctive while still feeling fairly grounded. I did have occasional problems figuring out what was going on in panels that were either too stylized or laid out poorly, but I was usually able to decipher the action upon further reading. It may also have been a side effect of reading a digital version of the book. The real problem with Bad Medicine is that the writing is stilted and uninteresting.

The dialogue never feels very natural, and the cast consists entirely of stock characters without any real defining traits. Horne talks to a ghost and Huffman has a pet cat she dotes on, but the characterization doesn’t go much deeper than that. We’re told that Horne has a terrible bedside manner, but he never actually says anything particularly off-putting, so it’s hard to see how he got the reputation. One of the supporting characters, Hogarth, spends most of his time throwing out wisecracks that just fall flat or feel out of place, and he ends up coming off as a one-note attempt at comic relief.

Overall, Bad Medicine was a pretty forgettable read, and I definitely won’t be checking out future volumes of the series.

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this book from Net Galley. ( )

I’ve requested the comic from the publisher because the blurb which is mighty interesting. However, when I found out that the copy was only 32 pages, imagine my dissapointment and realize its a new series which is umm.. interesting.

The story revolved around a detective investigating a murder. She found out that although the corpse is headless, she actually can TOUCH the absent head. Curiously, she called for help from the CDC and a doctor called Dr Horne to investigate. But sinister events followed when there were links in more death in which all involving Dr Horne.

Unfortunately, as you all were aware that I am a huge fan of Fringe. So even if I like the heavy medical terms inside – it is intriguing. I’m all for retroviruses embedding into the host DNA altering the cellular function including brain function – but it like a season 4 Fringe episode rerun that pays tribute to HG Wells’ The Invisible Man.

Reading 32 pages of the graphic novel doesn’t really provide enough material to do a full review on the entirity of the story but for a short copy, its not really a bad piece of science fiction procedural crime comic. I would want to get more of it but since it does provide a good first impression by the artwork which is very noir with a slight Hellsing into it. Again, its 32 pages, I usually do reviews on full graphic novel volumes. sigh….

I could say that the novel is written for fans of HG Wells, Fringe and clever readers seeking medical science fiction which is a difficult and rare genre altogether.The cliffhanger and the extra at the end sort of helped with the continuation of the comic series. And I hope its a good thing, Fox’s Fringe that had recently finished its season 4 airing might help since there’s barely anything science-fiction-interesting in tv these days.

The monthly graphic novel will be out on 13th June 2012 by Oni Press. ( )

I received this as an electronic Advanced Reading Copy through the NetGalley. The novel isn't out until February 2013.

This opening volume to a new series is an 120-page graphic novel, consisting of two parts. The vibe is very strongly like an urban fantasy with a dose of science fiction and Law & Order. In the first part, a headless corpse is found--or so it seems, until the detective finds the head is still very much there, but invisible. The event brings together the investigative team. In the second part, a woman is attacked by a werewolf and they are sent to find a scientific explanation for the mystery.

The artwork is fabulous. Every panel is strong, and some of the scenes are outright gorgeous.

I had some trouble getting into the book at first with how it skips around. One of the main characters, a female NYPD detective, is quite a stereotype; I can only hope she becomes more complex as the series evolves. I did like the lead, Dr. Horne, as a brilliant scientist with poor social skills--it is rather cliche by recent TV shows like House or Sherlock, but their approach added a fresh angle.

There are limits to what you can do in a comic, and this creates those Star Trek TNG-like tidy solutions at the last minute. That said, Bad Medicine has potential with its diverse cast and science fiction approach to the paranormal. I was reminded of X-Files, and that's not a bad thing. ( )