FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, Vol. 4: The End Times

FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #4

by Simon Oliver, Alberto Ponticelli (Illustrator)

The FBP is scrambling to work with counter-agent Blackwood to restore universal laws of order. Is Agent Adam Hardy dead? Is his long-lost father alive? Does Agent Rosa Reyes have the secret key to spanning universes and saving the day? Interdimensional space, dark-energy super-bridges and an insane plan to save humanity from annihilation collide in issues #20-24.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2016

About the author

Simon Oliver was hatched in South London in 1969. Since that date he has consistently strived for mediocrity in a number of fields of employment, from cooking at the legendary Hacienda Club of Manchester in the late 1980's, scuba diving instructor in the planet's more tropical climes, to a career as a camera assistant in Hollywood. With such a spotty and heterogeneous employment record is seemed only fitting that the comic book would industry welcome him with open arms in 2005 for his writing debut in THE EXTERMINATORS.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series started out really well and I was still enjoying it by the time it reached this fourth and final volume... just not as much as I used to.

I'm usually saddened when a comicbook I've been reading comes to an end but, in this case, I think it was probably for the best. The book really suffered from the loss of the original artist/co-creator and the story was in danger of disappearing up its own arsehole in places.

At least we got an ending and weren't left wondering what would have happened like we so often are when things get cancelled.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the final volume of the series, Adam and company finally figure out what's behind all of the phenomena they've been dealing with and the real story with Lance Blackwood and his connection to Adam's family. Things end with a bang....

....that might as well have been a fizzle. By the time it ended, I no longer cared about really any of the characters. I hated how much the story devolved into this vague theme of the end of the world and how terrible humanity is. I love dystopians but this just felt half-assed. The characters had ceased to be interesting, the science was still incomprehensible and the motivations made no sense. The little girl was possibly the oddest little girl I've seen in fiction and never felt realistic at all. Just...disappointing all around.

Full series review here

[Devon Munn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent series. I prefer The Exterminators over this. Also this volume contains one of the most brutal death scenes I have ever seen in a comic

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I salute this series for its ambition and I'd be happy to have supported it for that reason alone. It was a wild ride, that's for sure. It felt to me that it lost some momentum and direction after the second volume. I don't have the first two volumes here to compare the art, but I seem to remember being blown away by the art in the beginning, where it just seemed fine in the last two volumes. And I do remember being super excited by the story originally and just wanting to see where it went and how it wrapped up by the time it got to the end because the direction it ended up going it wasn't thrilling to me anymore. But that may in part be because it was wrapping up and when a writing knows he has to tell a story with a defined end point it's different than when he has an open-ended project where he can let his imagination go wild and bring forth all sorts of interesting and original things. It's a shame it wasn't a bigger hit, I'd have loved to see what incredible physics emergencies and solutions Oliver could have created over more time. Maybe someone will pick it up again in the future. I'll be interested if they do.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wacky and at times dense series comes to an end. Physics has gone wacky and now there's a mastermind trying to end our dimension, but it's up to Agent Hardy to overcome his own demons and save the day.

I enjoyed this series quite a bit, but it might be better to read all 4 volumes in one sitting. There's a lot going on and the scientific jargon can be a bit confusing at times. Overall, though, this was a nice sci-fi adventure. Probably would make a pretty good movie or tv series.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

"FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics: The End Times" is a well written and satisfying conclusion to this innovative and imaginative series.

Expect adventures in interdimensional space, murderous hippies, Bailey's full back story, a moment of clarity for Adam and the rise of a new agent.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't mind things not making sense when there were magic physics canyons; when it seems like I'm supposed to be understanding some Deeper Meaning it is the worst. On the one hand, at least the series is over? On the other, I wish it had been so much better.
read more...

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Art changed in this volume, did not get any better, just a different kind of bad.

4th volume wrapped up a pretty lackluster and dull series that could have been much better if the story was easier to follow, the art allowed you to actually tell who was who, and if the story parts were a whole rather than bits of a story here and there that did not add up.
Story ended pretty much where it began, just a new generation and no real conclusion.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't real happy with the ending. There were some interesting revelations in this volume but overall I just thought it got even more confusing and the ending was a little unsatisfying. It may have something to do with the series being canceled, not sure?

Not a bad series overall, but I felt like I was always waiting for it to get better.

[Ross Alon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series is weird, remind me in its spirit an anime I've seen years ago called wolf's rain. not in story, but in its general spirit. yet in the end of the anime i cared, and here i found myself not caring about it all, felt it was too messy and point less.

Cannot recommend this to anyone

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feels unfortunately rushed due to the cancellation of the series.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read my review for this entire series here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit to learning some physics have read
this series, very interesting- dark matter!

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt the ending, more specifically, the last couple of pages lacked explanation. While not all storylines need that, this particular story lacked no details throughout and so it seemed the ending came up short. Overall though, super creative, thought-provoking, with some interesting philosophical themes. I really enjoyed this series.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ends the FBP series, and honestly the brilliance of the concept was never matched in execution. This volume ties up the separate storylines, never really bringing them together but at least giving them all closure. It's been a while since I read the previous volumes, so I was a little lost but the volume did ground the story fairly well, reminding me who the prominent characters were, even as it did terrible things to some of them. There are some decent moments, but the climax didn't really feel earned, and the resolution for one of the side stories was pretty facile, even if it did bring the series full circle. I'm not sure I can recommend this series; it has its moments, but not enough to keep the series afloat for its relatively short length. It's better than average, but just barely. Hence the three stars.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the story is over and it's good and tight the way it is but Ina just shines in this last book. She manages to keep her head on straight during the worst and most trying times at the almost end of days. While she isn't the hero who saves the universe single handedly, she is one of them. And it's hinted in the coda that she grows up to do even more heroic things.

http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2016...

[Alex Sarll]

Finale to the Vertigo series about physics gone awry which, for me, never quite recovered from losing its original art team. Without their lurid colours and cartoonish distortions, the quantum tornadoes &c stopped looking genuinely weird and instead veered a little close to generic Asylum movie apocalyptic.

[Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series and loved the colorful art style. I'm just sad this was the last volume.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My spoiler-free fangirling about this excellent series is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series definitely started off much stronger than it ended.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

More exciting than the previous volume, but still more drama than science-y action than I hoped for. :-(

[Kailee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um okay? I think after reading it I feel more confused than anything.