In BOSTON METAPHYSICAL SOCIETY: THE SCOURGE OF THE MECHANICAL MEN, available from Source Point Press on June 30th, 2021, Granville reluctantly teams up with Nikola Tesla to stop a mad scientist from unleashing a virus that turns men into mindless, mechanical slaves.
The Details
- Written By: Madeleine Holly-Rosing
- Art By: Gwynn Tavares
- Colors By: Gwynn Tavares
- Letters By: Troy Peteri
- Cover Art By: Gwynn Tavares
- Cover Price: $11.99
- Release Date: June 30, 2021
Was It Good?
Yes, it was good.
Fictional history with a steampunk edge rarely fails to disappoint, and this title is no exception. Holly-Rosing carries over the manic and stakes-driven insanity of the first Boston Metaphysical Society series and concocts a challenge involving alchemical elixirs, political intrigue, and an evil plan for world domination that only the likes of Granville and Tesla can solve.
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To be fair, there’s very little of the metaphysical in this one-shot except for a brief deus ex machina involving demon blood and the dialog is a little stiff (particularly between the Morgan brother and sister), but the execution is no less fantastical.
The art from Tavares and the team is generally quite good for this story. It’s a little rough around the edges as the linework leans more towards a loose, sketchbook style which loses the distinctiveness of the characters. Without a clear look at character faces, you lose some of the emotion, so the net result relies on the dialog and the action to carry the story. That said, the settings and in-panel action scenes are good enough to carry the story adequately.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Emily and Travis Morgan are brother and sister, and they have plans to rule the Great Houses. Emily is the scientific genius of the two, and she’s developed a virus that turns the infected into a mindless, mechanical slaves.
Together, they begin distributing bottles of soda pop to dockworkers and day laborers to start spreading their virus as quickly as possible. before long they have a small army of metal men who obey only them.
Meanwhile, Granville is summoned back home after the events of the great battle with The Shifter to find Nikola Tesla has been hiding from capture in his estate. Since it was Tesla’s mad machine that was responsible for so much destruction in Beacon Hill, plenty of people want Tesla either arrested or dead. Granville allows Tesla to stay temporarily (and kept in handcuffs) until he can figure out a way to get him out of town.
Later, Granville visits a colleague at a local hospital when he sees the Metal Men virus has infected several people. He takes a skin sample back to his lab and accepts Tesla’s help to find a cure. The urgency of their efforts increases when young Sarah innocently drinks some soda pop and becomes infected.
Meanwhile, the Morgans approach the heads of the Great Houses and demand to be made into their own House and given control of Norcross House, or else they’ll take what they want by force with their army of metal men.
Back at the lab, Granville and Tesla devise a way to separate the virus from a human host using an EMP burst (thank you, Tesla) and an anti-virus mist created from demon’s blood (thank you, Granville). However, they need a plan to get all the metal men in one area to set off the EMP burst and administer the mist.
We conclude the issue with a tense chase to free the hapless residents of Beacon Hill from becoming pawns in a plan for world domination.
How Does It End?
When a wire is severed, and metal will work. Tanks are useless without power. Colorado Springs has a new (and eccentric) resident.
Final Thoughts
BOSTON METAPHYSICAL SOCIETY: THE SCOURGE OF THE MECHANICAL MEN is an imaginative tale of science, sorcery, and scientific genius gone awry. Despite the sketchy art and occasionally stiff dialog, this book is a fun, imaginative steampunk adventure.
Score: 7/10
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