By: John C. Mayberry
Being a sucker for unusual and unique premises to just about any story out there, I had check this out Top Shelf/IDW Publishing’s F.A.R.M. System. I mean, taking two different and very popular pass-times, and putting them together in a comic book that even the most dedicated of sports fans would find entertaining as hell? The combination of the two just seems too perfect. One of the trickiest things about it is trying to come up with something original when all stories have already been told in some form or another. But after finishing this graphic novel, it’s clear that creator Rich Koslowski has crafted something special which will surely stand out in the veritable ocean of sports or superhero stories already out there.
The drafting practices of major sports teams can provide the basis of excellent dramatic stories, especially with all the behind-the-scenes drama and politics that I’m sure are involved in obtaining new talent. Add a touch humor to it, and you’ve gotten yourself something great. Now take all that, and apply that to the recruitment of superheroes to new teams? You don’t just have something great after that…you have yourself some damn comic book gold. You get to see various sides of the business, from the possible recruitment of new, and naive, talent to following the story of a potential hero who has the skills, but just never got his chance to make it big.
Aside from this, another part I found was depicted particularly well was that no matter how attractive a lifestyle of fame and fortune looks from the outside, actually being in it is something entirely different. This is made evident several times throughout the story through the setbacks and hardships experienced by other supporting characters throughout this graphic novel. The cherry on top of this already fantastic work? Definitely the humor and the artwork. As dramatic as some situations of the story are, I found myself laughing at several interactions between characters, and laughing often. The artwork also adds a lot to the general feel of F.A.R.M. System, great in both the way it adds that touch of seriousness to certain situations and enhancing the humor in others that will leave you laughing out loud.
Of anything I’ve read and reviewed on here, this one is definitely up there amongst the most entertaining. Highly recommend that you get this and read it if you haven’t done it already. F.A.R.M. System is a very unique and very entertaining read, and if you’ve never experienced the work of Rich Koslowski before, it’ll leave you wanting to see more of it. Personally, I’m going to be looking for and adding more of this man’s work to my personal library, it’s just too good not to. If the rest of his work is as good as F.A.R.M. System was, you’re going to love it just as much as I do.
