UXB Review: Shut Up, Rif

Post-apocalyptic stories are nothing new. Creating one that’s original and interesting is hard. Colin Lorimer attempted one with “UXB” and instead produced a story that lacks any depth or anything of interest.

In a post-apocalyptic London, three brothers, Das, Muc and Rif, are placed into suits that give them superpowers in an underground lab. Once the lab is gone the brothers live out in a destroyed London just wasting their time watching movies, pornography and playing video games. Their life gets even worse when the dead citizens of London come after them.

This is a story where very little happens. We get to see how the brothers got their suits, their life in the underground lab and how they use these suits to lounge around all day. There is a tragedy in their past but it comes off as phoned in.

In fact, everything in this comic is phoned in without any rhyme or reason. Their powers, the obvious symbolism between them and lab monkeys and the “villain,” all fall flat. The story goes from one situation to another without any thought put into it. It becomes more like different stories that have very little in common with each other.

One of the biggest annoyances is Rif’s swearing. Yes, he is supposed to be that ultra immature bully teenager type who uses every swear word in the English language. The problem is this character trait quickly gets on the reader’s nerves to the point where a simple “shut up, Rif” is highly appropriate.

The two big plot twists in this comic are meant to shock the audience, but instead comes off as hastily put together. The first twist comes and goes so quickly and without any noticeable long term repercussions from the brothers that it feels like it almost never happened. The second one near the end feels like Lorimer wrote himself into a corner and needed a main villain and a reason why everything happened in a hurry.

All of these details could have been slightly forgiven if the characters were interesting. Alas, the brothers are about as interesting as a door nail. At least a door nail is useful and can be made interesting. These characters are as stock and boring as they come. The nail and his buddy the hammer would’ve been better characters. Actually, that would be an insult to hammers and nails.

Sadly, the artwork is the only thing this comic has going for it. Lorimer is able to draw characters and places that are as bleak, dark and serious as the story tries to be. The reader does get the feeling of as London that has been destroyed and that there could be no hope in this world at all.

“UXB” is as dull as an empty London that a competent artist tried to pretty up. The shoddy work put into the story insults the competent art and makes one wish the end would come.