"Imagine If… Walter Was in Violet Sedan Chair" (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #6B)

Showing us a universe in which Walter joined Violet Sedan Chair back in the 60s is, in my opinion, kind of a silly way to end this comic series, but all the same, I actually liked this comic a lot better than the "Ghost Writer" comic. The art is really great and looks very realistic, something that is made very apparent at the end of the comic when we see present-day Walter, Nina, and Belly. Even young Belly, though, looks exactly like young Leonard Nimoy, even more so than the younger Bell in the second half of Jhonen Vasquez's "Ghost Writer" comic, and I immediately knew, as soon as I saw him, that it was a young Bell. I do, however, have a problem with Walter and Belly being depicted as being in college together in this comic, as it would seem to be a continuity error. The first series of comics, the ones that show us when Walter and Belly were lab partners when they were younger, tell us that Bell is younger than Walter by a good seven years or so, as Belly was still a college student when Walter was a young college professor. I know that this is a parallel universe, but it would stand to reason that they would be the same age in every universe, and this kind of annoys me, but I digress. I suppose that the storytelling is what is most important, but continuity errors do annoy me when they happen in regards to any franchise, even though I, from experience as a writer, know how easy it is miss one.

It took me a minute to realize that the red-haired woman was Nina, but I had a major "ah-ha" moment when I did realize it. After Nina gets hurt during a scientific experiment, Walter wishes to discontinue the experiment, something about which he is very adamant, but Belly says, "It's for the greater good, Walter." This is very typical of Belly. It isn't long before Walter decides to quit the field of science and pursue music, ultimately joining, as requested by one of the band members, Violet Sedan Chair. He realizes that it is not a life for which there is room for love and settling down, and at the end of the comic, he meets up with Nina and Belly, now apparently a couple, and expresses his regrets of having lost touch with them, and I get the impression that he is also expressing regret of having let Nina go. Is this indicative of something that went on in the Blueverse, too? Did Walter, at one point, have feelings for Nina that he surrendered? We know that he and Nina spent a lot of time together when they were younger, and we have seen the two of them in intimate settings such as when Nina holds his hand to calm him down during the "Of Human Action" (2.07) episode, so it is possible. I like this comic and give it 7.5 chocolate mint and LSD milkshakes (typical Walter). I am excited to buy the hard copy of the Beyond the Fringe comics, available today.

"Ghost Writer" (Part 2) (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #6A)

The second part of the "Ghost Writer" story is somewhat interesting, and although it is far from being my favorite (I ultimately give it 6 your faces), I am happy that Jhonen Vasquez designed a two-part Fringe comic story. Initially, I was sure that these two comics take place in the Blueverse of the TV series, and the main reason for my having thought so is because the other comics in this series (apart from the first three "A" stories) have been stories that take place in other universes and feature something such as "Imagine If…" or "What If…" at the beginning of the titles, which this two-part comic does not. However, I am now sure that this is, indeed, a different universe because we know from the "Letters of Transit" (4.19) that Nina still has her mechanical arm in the year 2036, which means that this story couldn't have happened. Perhaps, it is a possible future event that would have happened before  Peter disappeared at the end of season 3? I am really not sure whether this is a parallel universe or an alternate timeline or what, but I am sure it is not the TV series Blueverse that we know now.

I really like the art. Younger Bell, for example, looks very realistically like a younger Bell and even somewhat passes as a young Leonard Nimoy. I really would have expected to like Vasquez's art, though, and there are certain "scenes" that are so obviously done by him. I also love the 0-5-2-0-1-0 easter egg. Walter is his usual self, for the most part, although he does seem more stable and collected than the TV series Blueverse Walter, but I love how his mind goes to the gutter when Nina gets the "my office, your face" message from Bell, saying that it sounds perverted. I might be a bit confused by what happened, but I think that I understand it; my understanding is that Bell had a more organic arm building itself and had messages being sent to her mechanical arm in an effort to help her locate it in the event that something should happen to him and he couldn't show her himself. He is always looking for ways to become immortal, isn't he? I found the comic to be a bit slow, but it isn't too bad; it is an average Fringe comic.

"Imagine If… Walter Outlived the Earth" (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #5B)

I find this comic to be rather confusing, as it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, and that includes the title. The year is 2027, and the condition of Earth is dwindling rapidly. The environment is in such bad shape, in fact, that it seems to face the very real threat of being permanently destroyed. However, Walter Bishop seems to have a solution, and he is found by Astrid stored in some sort of container, which she refers to as a chamber, a cold one. Soon, we are transported to 2194, when Walter is a captain on a starship (obviously very reminiscent of Star Trek, as is the gelatinous "strange matter" as it reminds me of the Changelings' gelatinous form from Deep Space Nine), and that's where I'm confused. Did he time travel, or did the chamber allow him to stay preserved for 167 years, sort of like how he, Peter, and Astrid were preserved in Amber for twenty-one years on the TV series? I also wondered if Walter, like the Olivias and the Joneses, was a clone, but there seems to be only one of him, and memories of 2027 seem to remain intact, so I don't think so. In 2027, I kept wondering if the woman whom we eventually see find Walter on the spacecraft was Astrid, and sure enough, it was. We also see Broyles, and Brandon is briefly mentioned. Peter and Olivia are mentioned, which initially made me wonder if Etta were alive, but we learn in 2194 that in this universe, Peter and Olivia had a son, not a daughter, and named him Henry (which still makes me wonder why the name Trevor was significant in the #3B comic, but I digress.

When "the Olivias" are first mentioned, I was confused, and my initial thought was that Blueverse Olivia and Redverse Olivia were being referenced, this being a universe in which the two Olivias had become friends, but no, we are, of course, talking about clones, many of them. There are also clones of David Robert Jones, as aforementioned, and they work as slaves below decks to account for the crimes of their original, which, of course, is unfair. Why clone someone only to use the clones as slaves? It violates living beings' rights, but much of what we've seen on Fringe has asked the question regarding when we take our abilities too far and develop a god complex. In 2027, for example, Dr. Helman says, "When will they understand some amount of risk is necessary for science and humanity to move forward?" which is spoken like a true scientist. When President Farnsworth is mentioned, I had thought that Astrid had made it to the future, as well, but no, Astrid is this woman's great-grandmother. I'm confused by that because what exactly is President Farnsworth the president of? The title strongly suggests that Earth no longer exists. Is there something that is the equivalent of the Federation of which she is the president, or is she the president, perhaps, of a land on Euthenia? Also, how is Belly on the ship? Is he a clone, or did he do whatever Walter did? I give the comic 6 Fringe: The Next Generations; the ending is depressing and carries no resolution, leaving you wanting more, and it's very confusing.

"Ghost Writer" (Part 1) (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #5A)

I was really excited about this two-part comic because it was designed by Jhonen Vasquez, and to those of you who don't know who he is, he created one of the best animated series of all time - Invader Zim, something that becomes rather apparent when you take a look at some of the artwork (see example below). I was very excited by the fact that Vasquez is apparently a cortexifan. Perhaps, we will see more Fringe comics by him in the future? In this comic, Nina's arm is writing messages beyond her control, and she therefore consults Walter for help solving the problem. Walter theorizes that deja-vu is caused by neural messages being sent out by people that are alive and also says that this is also to account for why some people claim to see and hear ghosts. This is quite interesting, considering the fact that on the TV series, he explains deja-vu by saying that when we think that we've been somewhere before, it's because we actually have in another universe (an explanation that, in my opinion, makes a lot more sense). However, as becomes apparent by part 2 of this comic, this is not the Blueverse, so I digress. I thought that since the title doesn't start with something such as "Imagine If…" or "What If…" that maybe, this is the Blueverse, but it's not; it can't be. With that being said, however, I am curious to know how much of what happens in this universe also happened in the Blueverse on the TV series.

For example, we learn from this comic that Bell built Nina's arm with his own genetic material, not Nina's, which is why she is receiving messages through it, and this is quite interesting to me because it makes me wonder if the same is true in the Blueverse. Did Blueverse Bell also equip Blueverse Nina's arm with his genetic material? If so, has this kind of situation, Nina's arm sending her messages, happened in the Blueverse, too? Walter, more or less, seems to be his normal self, unaffected by anything that most human beings would deem as disgusting. In fact, after conducting something incredibly gruesome, he has his mind on food, wanting yogurt-covered pretzels, which he secures from a vending machine. It's interesting to see the apparently closely-knit relationship between Walter and Nina, and I think that on some levels, we have seen that on the TV series, as well. For example, during the episode titled "The Cure" (1.06), Nina tells Peter that she and Peter used to spend a great deal of time together when he was a child. Then, during "Of Human Action" (2.07), Nina, simply by touching him, calms a very nervous, worried Walter, so we know that they have history. Near the very end of this comic, Nina says, "It's William texting me through my arm?" which is a funny analogy but, as we learn from part 2, not quite accurate. This is a somewhat decent, not overly exciting, and I give it 6.5 yogurt-covered pretzels.

"Imagine If… Our Fringe Team Were Criminals!" (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #4B)

As this comic opens, we see that Peter has a penthouse located in New York City. He seems to be quite the wealthy heartbreaker, but we learn that he is still in love with Olivia, who broke up with him at some point in the past. It becomes apparent, however, that he is still in love with her and is still sulking because of the fact that he lost her, and he sees something on TV that gives him an idea as to how to win her back. On the TV, there is a man talking about an art exhibit, and Peter has an epiphany; he knows how to earn Olivia back. He convinces Walter to help him pull a theft of a painting off and then the two of them convince Olivia, who is, at first, very hesitant but then finally complies. She is very different in this universe, not quite as shut-off and a lot more shifty. I can't see the Olivia in the Blueverse on the TV series agreeing to steal anything. I love how Astrid is a racecar driver, and I also noticed that Broyles (who is a police chief)' first name is spelled wrong; while it should be Phillip, it is spelled as Philip. Now, this could either be a print error or it could have been done intentionally, and I suggest the latter because it could be that that is the spelling of his name in this universe. After all, on the TV series, Manhattan is spelled as Manhatan over there in the Redverse. We see Peter shirtless at one point, and I only bring that up because he is apparently extremely ripped in this universe; we have seen him shirtless on the TV series before, and he was nowhere near as ripped as he is in this comic, but I suppose that that is a rather trivial observation to make.

At one point, it is also stated that Peter did ballet, and I'm wondering if he really did or if that was supposed to be a joke; I wasn't sure. At another point, Peter says that he was being watched, and that really made me wonder if that was true and that he was being watched by the Observers. There is one point on the TV series during season 1 that Walter says that he was once convinced that he was being watched, something that was dismissed by others as paranoia, but then, we see at the very end of the "Fracture" (2.03) episode that the Observers were, indeed, following him and taking photographs of him. Olivia is apparently a good shot regardless of what universe she's in, even though "Olivia" (3.01) established that on the TV series, only Redverse Liv is a good shot despite the ulterior evidence that suggests that Blueverse Liv is very much so, as well. The painting resurrects the Fringe motif of white tulips; the first time that it is mentioned, it is referred to as Girl in Tulip Field, and the second time that it is mentioned, it is referred to as Girl in Tulips. Is this an error, or does the painting have two different titles? Perhaps, it was simply abbreviated the second time that it was mentioned. In closing, I have to admit that I don't really care much for this comic. It was just silly and even for a comic that takes place in a separate universe, completely unnecessary. While it can definitely be argued that the same is true of the superhero comic, that was much more entertaining; I didn't take much from this and give it 5 station wagons.

"Imagine If… Peter Was a Superhero" (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #4A)

  "Imagine If… Peter Was a Superhero" is not a comic that I had been expecting to like. When I first heard about it, my initial reaction was, "Really?" I thought that it sounded so silly and so dumb, but now that I've read it, I love it, and it's honestly one of my favorite Fringe comics to date, if not my favorite. In this universe, Walter raised Peter, and I'm guessing that since Peter words it that way, he is from the other universe in this universe, as well, but that's just a guess. Peter is a superhero known as The Pattern, which is kind of a stupid name, but that's just my opinion. He apparently is capable of detecting where soft spots are located and uses them as bases for where he is needed, which is kind of cool. That tells me that indeed, someone crossed over to the Other Side at one point, probably Walter. I really love how the comic is set up; it's very much your stereotypical superhero comic book, but that's why it's so awesome. It works because it's with beloved Fringe characters, and it's funny. Peter is a playboy billionaire who was raised by Walter, and in this way, Peter is Bruce Wayne while Walter is Alfred, and it's absolutely splendid. I just love how I was so pleasantly surprised by this comic and that I actually really love it. Like I said, I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I do, and I hope that other cortexifans that have read it really love it, too.

I wonder if Newton is supposed to be Thomas Jerome Newton. It doesn't say, but it can't be a coincidence that that's his name, can it? I also love how Broyles is Commissioner Broyles, just like Commissioner Gordon from Batman. I couldn't be completely sure, but I think that there might be a strong possibility that Mr. ZFT is supposed to be Jones, and obviously, in parallel to Batman, he is supposed to be the Joker, and I say that because Broyles says that he escaped from St. Claire's Asylum (asylum sounds so much more sinister than institution), which I think is supposed to parallel Arkham Asylum from which the Joker escapes. Peter, in this universe, apparently takes doses of Cortexiphan, so that makes me wonder if that would even be possible on the TV series. In fact, it has been explicitly stated that Cortexiphan is intended for children and rarely works when administered to adults. Many of them die as a result, in fact, so has Peter been taking it since he was a child? I also wonder about Olivia (and I think it's hilarious that she was an aide at St. Claire's; I totally can't see that), since she has Cortexiphan abilities in this universe, too. She even makes Peter's utility belt levitate. She says that her body naturally produces it, but is that even possible? I'd almost think that Walter would have had to have given it to her as a child, and it's possible that she was continually receiving it as an adult, unbeknownst to her. I love how Walter still loves Red Vines, too, and Olivia is now apparently like Batgirl or Batwoman now. I wonder what her superhero name is. I love this comic and award it 10 utility belts.

"Imagine If… Olivia and Peter Had a Child with Cortexiphan Abilities?" (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #3B)

This is definitely one of the better Fringe comics that I've read. "Imagine If… Olivia and Peter Had a Child with Cortexiphan Abilities" takes us to a parallel universe in which Olivia and Peter have a son (probably around twelve or so) named Trevor, and the comic gives us a very brief glimpse of Trevor's life. He is very smart, and he is bullied by a boy named Mark Murphy. He also has a special ability. Because Olivia passed her Cortexiphan abilities onto him, Mark can see into the future. Mark bullies him for this reason; he treats Trevor as if he is some sort of freak, and he constantly pushes Trevor to tell him what is in store for his future, which Trevor refuses to do. Eventually, however, we see that Mark's mother has been diagnosed with cancer and that Mark wants to know if she is going to live. Fortunately, Trevor sees that she will live, which kindles a friendship between the two of them. Trevor is a great character whom I really like, and I wonder if there is a particular reason why Olivia and Peter chose the name Trevor. I think that it's safe to assume that Henrietta got her name from Peter having learned that his son's name was Henry, but I wonder if Trevor has some sort of significance. I also wonder why it is that he can see into the future; I don't think that we've ever seen Olivia able to do that, but then again, this is a different universe, so it's quite possible that her abilities are different in this universe, that Cortexiphan didn't bestow the same abilities onto her, but that's just a thought. It could also be that she does have the same abilities but that Cortexiphan being passed from a parent to his of her offspring doesn't necessarily mean that the offspring will have the same abilities.


In this universe, it would seem like Olivia has managed to keep her abilities under control. Walter recalls Olivia's past as a Cortexiphan subject as a prideful past that made her a special person. On the TV series, he normally talks about Cortexiphan shamefully because he's ashamed of himself for having made so many people's lives miserable, made people outcasts, but now, he urges to Trevor to consider that he and his mother are both beautiful people because they're special. Walter says that Olivia saved a lot of people's lives because of her abilities, so it stands to reason that her past is not quite as troublesome as Blueverse Olivia's. She is wearing a pinkish-purplish color, which is unusual for Blueverse Olivia. Typically, Blueverse Olivia wears black, grey, white, and pale blue. Peter is a great father, and I love how the lucky coin exists in this universe, as well. He tells Trevor, "I was carrying this coin when I met your mother." I wonder if that's true in the Blueverse, too. I love how Trevor calls Walter Grandpa Wally; it sort of reminds me of how Ella called him Uncle Walter. I wonder if Zoom is a real TV series. I don't think that I've ever heard of it if it is. I feel so sorry for Trevor when he is bullied; I know what that's like, but I wonder how Mark had his cell phone number. I really love this comic, mainly because I love Trevor, and I give it 9 lucky coins.

"Peter and the Machine" (Chapter 3) (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #3A)

This comic apparently concludes this arc, to the best of my knowledge, which I find odd because there are supposed to be seven different comics and fourteen different releases since each comic has an A and a B storyline, so I am left to wonder what the remainder of the A story lines are going to be. This is definitely, in many ways, a really interesting comic, but it is so confusing on so many levels. What does September show Peter? Does he show him that if he chooses to return to Olivia and Olivia, his mother will die, that Peter is ultimately the cause of his mother's death? Even in the alternate orange timeline, Elizabeth died, even though Peter died as a boy, so how would that be different? Obviously, it is not different. I also don't understand how he sees a future in which Red Olivia and Red Lincoln are together raising Henry as a child. My understanding is that they died when the Redverse was destroyed, so I just don't understand. We do get a very gratifying answer regarding the Machine, though, one that actually does make some sense to me; I just hope that that answer is integrated into the actual TV series, though, too, because as nice as it is to have exclusive insight that those that are not taking the time to read the comics don't have, I don't want strict viewers to become frustrated with a lack of knowledge and give up on the show; we have had too many people give up as it is.

 

Older Peter has the opportunity to talk to himself in the past, to talk to a younger version of himself, and he reminds him that he hasn't always been a good person, reminding him, for example, of Ahmed. He tells him that the Machine amplifies your desires, turning them into reality. Therefore, it would seem to me as if Peter used the Machine to think himself out of existence. Now, why he doesn't realize this or remember meeting himself from the future is beyond me, and that part of it doesn't make a lot of sense to me either because at one point during "The Day We Died" (3.22), Walter tells Peter that he will bring Peter's consciousness forward from 2011, and if that's the case, how does 2011 Peter become 2026 Peter? How does he have memories from the past fifteen years? It's all so confusing, and the writers definitely have a major mess to clean up. These comics have helped a little bit but not nearly enough, because as usual, the questions that they answer only lead to more questions, and I fear that the TV series will not answer these questions. I really appreciate the Violet Sedan Chair lyrics that Walter is singing at the institution, as well as the reference to Alice in Wonderland, something that FRINGE likes to refer to on a regular basis.

 

Really, my only other issue with this comic is September, and I tend to think that, in a way, he is wildly out of character. Peter tells September that he doesn't want to be spoken to in riddles anymore, and September rhetorically asks, "Why are you Bishops always so stubborn?" Again, I think that this is wildly out of character, far too human. The closest that we see the Observers to being human is when August develops feelings for the young woman Christine. They are not smart-mouthed like September is here, and I don't even believe that he actually said that for that very reason. The events of this series lead to the final scene of "The Day We Died" (3.22), the season 3 finale, which is nice, but its conclusiveness is incredibly limited, as there are still many questions that need to be answered, and again, my fear is that the series is not going to answer these questions, especially not if we don't get a fifth season, which I unfortunately fear that we will not. Too many people, at this point, have given up on the series and are not watching live anymore, and the numbers are dreadful. I try hard not to dwell on such misfortunes, but it's hard not to when FRINGE is not only your favorite show but a passion (as should be evident due to this website); I do not want this show to end prematurely. If you feel the same way, please make time for the show on Friday nights, and be sure to tune in for "Back to Where You've Never Been" (4.08) on January 13th.

"Imagine If... Astrid Was a Spy?" (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #2B)

I want to start by saying that I absolutely love the cover of this comic, as I wonder whether or not I am the only one that is reminded of Catwoman. The leather outfit is primarily what does that for me, but also the position and the rope (or whatever that would properly be called). However, the comic itself has a very strong Alias feel to it, and I know that I have said this before, but if you are a Fringe fan that has not seen Alias, please do see it, as I think that you will find it to not only be an amazing show but also to be beneficial to your appreciation of Fringe. There are many Fringe season 1 substories, for example, that intentionally (I say intentionally because Alias is a series in which J.J. Abrams, Jeff Pinkner, and J.R. Orci were all involved.) parallel Alias storylines, such as Olivia needing to sort through John Scott's memories in the tank. Also, Alias is indirectly mentioned from time to time, as well. Back in season 1, the "villain" in "The Transformation" (1.13) is named Marshall Bowman, a combination of the names Marshall Flinkman and Carrie Bowman, a couple on Alias, and in season 2, Peter, in "Grey Matters" (2.10), mentions a girl named Sydney that lived across the street from him when he was a child, and Syndey is the name of the main character on Alias.

 

I was so shocked and surprised when I found out that Astrid was working for Nina, and I wondered whether or not Nina still worked for Massive Dynamic in this universe, which does end up being the case. Astrid is an agent of Massive Dynamic, to what end we don't know. I love how Astrid stands up for herself, though; she tells Nina that Walter means too much to her, that Fringe Division means too much to her, so she doesn't want to work for Massive Dynamic anymore. Nina tells her that that is not a decision that she gets to make, but Astrid continues to rebel, and eventually, she finds something that she could really use. She finds information that implicates Nina as a criminal, and she blackmails Nina, warning her that if she doesn't let her leave the agency, she will spill what she found, which results in Nina caving. I wonder what it was exactly that Astrid found. What nasty business is Nina involved in this time? Astrid goes to Cairo to obtain information from an agency that is posing as a technology company (sound familiar?), and apparently, Nina is involved in this company somehow. Is the company Massive Dynamic, or is Nina involved in something overseas? It must be that Nina is rotten regardless of the universe or timeline, and that tells me that my theory regarding Nina being the face behind the interdimensional typewriter is, in fact, the case; she's rotten no matter what.

 

Something that this comic really makes me wonder is whether or not anything like this has ever happened in the Blueverse. We wouldn't really know if it had, would we? Astrid stepped down from her role as a Massive Dynamic agent in the comic, and she told her that she would never do any work for her again, so is it possible that something similar happened at some point in the first three seasons? My boyfriend Ray thinks that Peter's Shapeshifter killing-spree back in "Reciprocity" (3.11) is due to the promise that he made to Nina back in "The Cure" (1.06), and I think that that is a very real possibility. We just can't trust Nina, and if you return to episodes that involve interaction between Nina and Astrid, it is usually very brief and awkward. People used to theorize that Astrid was the "lovechild" of Nina and Broyles, but I don't think that that is the case because we learn in "The Day We Died" (3.22) that Astrid knew her father; that isn't to say that he wasn't her adoptive father, but I really don't get that impression at all. I also wonder about the lab fire in this comic. It is caused by edible plastics. Walter mixes a bunch of different liquids and heated them; he then asked the agent in the lab for a saline solution but was given something else instead, something that the agent thought was a saline solution. This caused a fire, and I wonder if this is how the fire that killed Carla Warren happened. Ultimately, I give this comic 9.5 Astrid Bristow Catwomen; I really enjoyed it.

"Peter and the Machine" (Chapter 2) (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #2A)

I don't know how anyone else feels about this comic, but I, myself, feel like I have an intense love/hate relationship with it. I love it because, well, it's awesome; we get so much insight into what Peter has gone through since "The Day We Died" (3.22), but it's all so confusing and doesn't make much sense, at least not to me. For example, who is Dian Cecht? Are we ever going to understand who he is and how he seems to know so much about Peter and his life, and why he is wearing a suit in the time period in which he is? Does the latter part of that question have anything to do with the Observers? He says that he is neither Olivia nor "the Bishop," and initially, I had thought that he said "the Bishop" because he had heard Peter say his last name and didn't realize that it was his last name, but I don't think so anymore, not given what knowledge he eventually reveals. Also, now that I have seen the most recent episode, "Novation" (4.05), I notice a potential continuity error. He says to Cecht that the "universe is trying to correct itself by wiping me out," yet he seems to arrive at that realization for the first time in the episode, so unless he has no memory of doing any of this, that is a continuity error most likely, and it can't be said that it's because the comics are not canon; Josh Jackson is writing these A stories.

 

Much like he tells his beloved team in "The Day We Died" (3.22), Peter tells the tribe chief upon whom he stumbles that he has seen the future and that it is worse than anything that he could possibly imagine; it is, in fact, nearly word for the word exactly the same line, which I don't like because it kind of weakens the strength of the line from the season 3 finale, knowing now that it wasn't the first time that he delivered it. I do like the panel of images that we see when he says this, though; we see Olivia with a bullet in her head, we see a picture of what appears to be Red Olivia and Red Lincoln together as Red Olivia loses her baby, so my guess is that when the Redverse was destroyed, Olivia and Lincoln were officially together romantically, and we see a limbless Colonel Broyles, among other horrifying scenes. Not too long after that, we see Sam Weiss, and I am so confused. Is this the Sam Weiss that we know from the series, and if so, where do I even start with questions? What happened to him in the timeline in which he and Peter are in this comic? How did he eventually make it back to his time, and if he didn't, does that mean that he ceased to exist in his time? Is he his own ancestor, and if that's the case, why does he look identical to himself? Everything that we know about genetic science says that that is impossible, but that's where time travel becomes shaky; you have paradoxes that don't make any sense.

 

I certainly hope that he didn't stay in that time and therefore ceased to exist in his time because that would mean that we won't ever see him again. I want answers, and I don't know if we will get them as it is. Peter, in this comic, entrusts Sam with the First People's information, assigning him to protect it and to "tell our story," so why doesn't Sam tell Peter and Olivia and Walter that they are the First People? Why, in "The Last Sam Weiss" (3.21), does he tell Olivia that he is not supposed to intervene? What about the 6955 kHz frequency? Obviously, it ties into the mythology, but how? Why are there two boxes (two Machines, for that matter)? Peter soon jumps to a scene in which he is at the Statue of Liberty, and an agent tells him that the world is falling apart. What time period is this and which universe? Is this meant to be the scene from "The Last Sam Weiss" when Peter goes to the Statue of Liberty and thinks that he's in the Redverse? He then encounters September, and September says that he has to come with him. Peter replies" not yet," which tells me that he knows he's going to be obliterated from existence when he's done, so, again, why doesn't he understand that now? September then tells Peter that Peter is the last piece of the Machine, which reminds me of Harry Potter. I give this comic 8.5 kHz; it's very telling but even more confusing.

"What If... Peter Never Died?" (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #1B)

"What If... Peter Never Died?" is a really interesting comic; as a B story, it gives us a scenario that might have played out had something happened differently, so much like my "Collapse into Tomorrow" fanfiction does, it gives us a glimpse into a separate parallel universe that is not a part of the TV series. In this universe, Peter never died as a young boy. Perhaps, he was never sick, or perhaps, he was, but Walter and/or doctors either found a cure for his illness or found a way to keep it dormant. At any rate, Peter, now in his teen years, and Walter still don't have the greatest relationship; Walter is dismissive and doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to Peter. For example, when Peter receives news that something that he wrote is going to be published, he tells Walter, and Walter doesn't really seem to care. He just gives Peter money to buy pizza to celebrate by himself, which is really sad. Bell and Nina are in a relationship, as we see them in bed as Walter speaks to Bell over the phone. We also know that apparently, the lab fire never happened, or if it did, it didn't kill Carla, since she is alive. There is, however, an incredibly profound difference in this universe, which I think says a lot, and that is that in this universe, the parallel universe is public knowledge.

 

In this universe, Walter stands as a public figure; he is famous and appears on television to talk about the parallel universe. Although people cannot travel to a parallel universe, they can look into one using one of Walter's windows, and the primary purposes seem to be to see how you, yourself, are different and also to see people that you may have lost in this universe, to see them living. Peter meets Olivia, and she doesn't think that this is right, and I agree with her. We cannot possibly grow as humans if we have such an ability, to see people that are supposed to be dead, for example, because grief will be much harder, possibly impossible, to surpass. Olivia is an artist, a painter, something that I didn't know about her (is she in either the Blueverse or the Redverse, I wonder?). I love the "white tulip" reference, since Olivia painted a painting of white tulips; apparently, even in this universe, they have special meaning. Also interesting is that Peter seems much more timid and introverted than I would have thought him to be, and he is even bullied; the Peter that we know from the TV series seems like the type that would bully rather than be bullied. The best part of this comic is, perhaps, the scene in which we see Astrid and the Milkshakes and who appears to be Broyles enjoying the show in the crowd.

 

Olivia really seems quite different, as well. She is not the typically stoic, serious, "down to business" kind of girl that we know her to be (in the Blueverse, that is); she is definitely more of a younger Redverse Olivia. She is sassy, fashionable, preppy, etc., and don't get me wrong; she is a teenager, but I definitely get the impression that Blueverse Olivia has been the way that she is for a long time, which makes me wonder if in this universe, the Cortexiphan trials didn't happen, or if they did, maybe they didn't involve Olivia. Peter discovers that he has done what Walter hasn't done yet; he has managed to develop the window into a portal, so that he can do more than just look "over there"; he can actually go there. He looks "over there" and sees that this particular Peter is not ignored by his father, that he and his father have a great relationship; he also sees that his mother didn't leave Walter (another difference in this universe, which is that Elizabeth apparently didn't die). I love the ending, how instead of going to the parallel universe, Peter goes with Olivia, and Walter finds out what Peter discovered. You get the implication that now, he might pay a little more attention to him. This is a great comic; the animation isn't bad, the story is compelling, and I give it 8.5 Dropkicks. I don't know if comic #2B will follow this storyline, but we'll find out soon enough.

"Peter and the Machine" (Chapter 1) (Beyond the Fringe Chapter #1A)

I am so happy that there is now a third series of comic books, but I do very much wish that it were available in print, as well, not just digitally, especially since I can't figure out how to actually download the comic to my computer; it would seem that, even after paying for the comic, you can only read it on DC's website, which I don't appreciate. I wish that, at the very least, it were available on iTunes. I do think that comic books are becoming more and more obsolete, but I do fear the day that all literature will only be available digitally, which may be good for the environment but not for humanity's lack of dependence on electronics. Granted, I do wish that I had an iPad or something like it so that I wasn't limited to reading the comic on my computer; at least, then, the comic might feel more like a possession. My intention, however, is not to merely complain about the comic being limited (for the time being, hopefully) to a digital release; my intention is to talk about the comic itself, and I am really thrilled that Josh Jackson wrote the comic. I don't know if he will write all fourteen issues, but I do know that, at the very least, he is writing a couple of them, and that is really exciting.

 

The artist is named Jorge Jimenez, and I have to say that in comparison to most of the previous artists that have done work for Fringe comics, Jimenez did an excellent job of capturing the characters. Previously, Peter has been seen not looking anything like himself, but now, he looks exactly like himself; the art is much, much better than much of what we have seen in the past. I am really excited about this series of comics, because I have a feeling that this is how all of the questions with which "The Day We Died" (3.22) leaves us will be answered. What exactly did Peter do that resulted in his non-existence? How did he and Walter "fix" the timeline so that Olivia wouldn't be dead? It seems that this series is going to answer those questions, as we are going to learn what happened during the time that passed in between Peter and Walter deciding to alter the timeline and Peter returning to the present and consequently disappearing. Because we haven't seen that time period, we don't understand how Peter doesn't exist. It seems to be very likely that, like "White Tulip" (2.17), Peter had to repeatedly jump until he reached his goal, and this most likely created some sort of paradox which resulted in his current non-existence. What is interesting, though, is that Peter seems to be ready to die, but he also wants to be with Olivia, even though he seems to understand that he can't have both.

 

Also interesting is that Walter comments how what they are doing is a part of a loop, so they will unknowingly do this over and over and over again, and I love how he names the Machine "Daisy" simply because he is trying to enlighten the dark times. Walter then says that they will know that the time travel has worked when they both cease to exist, but this doesn't make any sense. Why would Walter not exist? Does this mean that they are stuck in a loop in which they never live past 2026? Both of them ceasing to exist could help support the theory that their intention was to somehow prevent September from saving them from Reiden Lake; however, Walter still exists, even though he fell into the lake with Peter and therefore should have died, too, so that can't be what happened. I am also confused because Walter says that the plan is to first send the Machine back in time and then send Peter, but my understanding was that it was the Machine that made time travel possible, so if they send that back first, how would it be possible to then send Peter back in time? It's interesting how you can see three people watching what is happening from a distance, but I wonder who one of them is. One is Astrid, one is Broyles, but I have no idea who the other one is.

 

Peter then goes back in time to a dinosaur age, which is kind of silly, but this is, after all, a comic book, and I suppose that it would stand to reason that if Peter went back in time far enough, he would run into a few dinosaurs along the way. He continues to travel through time, including to Ancient Greece and Ancient Spain, and Ancient China, and he is keeping a journal in which he stores his thoughts. What is his objective? Well, it seems to be to locate scattered markers so that he knows where to deposit pieces of the Machine. After some time, he starts to feel a bit hopeless, believing that there is nothing that he can do to save Olivia, and he apologizes to her, and the comic leaves us hanging on a cliff, which obviously means that we have to wait to find out more of what happens. Now, unfortunately, I don't think that we will find out when the next comic is released, because from what I understand, there will be seven issues but fourteen releases, as each issue will have an A and a B story; the A story will take place in the Fringeverse with which we are familiar, and the B story, as far as I know, will ask "What if?" questions, so I would say that I am more so looking forward to the A releases, seeing as how it is most likely via those releases that we will be getting answers, but I'm looking forward to the remainder of these comics regardless.

"War Games / Sacrifice" (Tales from the Fringe #6)

Before I begin discussion of the final comic in this series of Fringecomics, I, as per usual, want to advise those who have not yet read this comic but would like to read it not to read any further until you have read it, because this does contain spoilers. I did like this comic a little bit better than the last one, but not by a whole lot. The first half of the comic, a story titled "War Games," shows us how Olivia became a Marine Special Investigator and ultimately nothing more, which I don't perceive as being too important. The second half of the comic, a story titled "Sacrifice," is a little story that potentially explains the significance of some of the glyphs, which sounds pretty cool, but it really isn't; once again, I don't perceive any tie-in to the mythology of Fringe. It just comes off as an X-Files-esque story that is ultimately more "paranormal" than it is "pseudoscience," but I digress - for now. In the meantime, I would like to give my Bunsen Burner rating, which is five butterflies. It is definitely higher than the Bunsen Burner rating that I gave to the last comic but not by a whole lot. These last two comics were definitely disappointments, especially the fifth.

 

Seeing as how this comic gives us back-story of Olivia, I was expecting a lot, and it fell short. Again, we learn how Olivia became a Marine Special Investigator. When I first opened the comic and saw the title and the image of Olivia taking cover with a pretty large weapon that I am unable to identify, I thought, "What? Since when was Olivia in combat? I thought that she was a prosecutor." However, it isn't long before we learn that she is actually undergoing some sort of virtual simulation as a way of being tested for the position for which she is applying, which I find to be somewhat of an inconsistency, because that means that the pilot episode was not the first time that Olivia came in contact with fringe science of sorts. Yet another apparent inconsistency is that this comic makes it clear that Olivia is a good shot, as I said in regards to the season 3 premiere (titled "Olivia"); in fact, for a little while, I thought that this comic was actually about Redverse Olivia, but that can't be because we see her talking to Rachel, who we know doesn't exist on the Other Side. Olivia failed the test because someone tampered with it beforehand, and that person did so because he felt that Olivia was too dangerous. At least he was on the money.

 

The second half of the comic (titled "Sacrifice") follows a couple who takes a tour on a tall temple, and their tour guide tells the couple a story about an ancient man, a very powerful man who had six fingers and was carried to the top of the temple by butterflies where he first sacrificed frogs and then humans. Obviously, three of our glyphs come into play there, and that would be really cool, except I once again don't know what ties can be made into the TV series. Even if that is the origin of the glyphs, how? What does it have to do with the mythology of Fringe? As it turns out, the tour guide turns out to be one of them and attacks the couple, but, yet again, what significance does this have? Were those people First People? If so, then what evidence of that do we have? The theory positing that the Observers are First People wouldn't hold any value, because they only have five fingers on each hand, and the theory positing that Sam Weiss is a First Person also wouldn't hold any value for the same reason. I really don't like the writers of most of these comics. I mean, like I said, how do you even attempt to explain this? This isn't a fringe science at all; it would have worked much better as an X-Filesepisode. I think that the three glyphs were brought into the story for no reason other than to attempt to give it some relevance. I do, however, very much appreciate the Slusho nod.

 

As I said, overall, I am not a big fan of these past two comics. I mean, seriously, give me some really good material that gives me some really good insight into the story of Fringe. I mean, even the "stand-alone" stories should have some kind of relevance, yet most of them don't. I definitely like the first series of comics much better than this series, which is a major disappointment, because I was expecting to like this series a lot better. Olivia does not look at all like Olivia, and I found that to be incredibly disappointing, especially in comparison to how Olivia looks in "The Visitor" (the final comic in the first series of comics), in which she looks just like herself. Many characters throughout this series do not look like themselves, and Nina was much too young in her comic. Also, Olivia in sweats and a t-shirt really isn't something that I can imagine, not in the colors that she was wearing, anyway. The artist ignored Olivia's tendency to wear black, grey, and pale blue due to her having been given Cortexiphan as a child. However, I don't think the writer forgot that she was given Cortexiphan as a child, because I think that that is why she was perceived as dangerous.

"Gene's Dream / The Perfect Woman" (Tales from the Fringe #5)

If you have not yet read this comic but would like to read it, then please don't read any further, as this does contain spoilers, even though not having read this really doesn't put you behind at all as a Fringe fan, as this comic holds almost nothing that is valuable. This is, by far, the worst comic book so far out of either Fringe series. I feel like this comic was created entirely as a filler. "Let's see, we are saving Olivia for last, and other than Olivia, we are covering Peter, Broyles, Astrid, and Nina. Who else to cover besides Gene?" It would have been utterly awesome, however, if we had been given a comic about the Observers, or about Sam Weiss, or even about someone from the Other Side. Lincoln Lee would have been really neat. Don't get me wrong; I love Gene. I mean, how could you not? However, this comic is pretty much a complete waste of time, and the only reason why I am even reviewing it is because I am a man of consistency; it wouldn't feel right to skip over it. Before I start talking about this ridiculously useless comic, I will give my Bunsen Burner rating, which is the lowest rating that I have ever given anything Fringe related - two mercows. Needless to say, I was not happy with this comic.

 

The first half of the comic is titled "Gene's Dream" and obviously gives us a story involving Gene, Walter's cow (only Walter could get away with having a pet cow in Boston, Massachusetts), but Walter and Peter are in this story, as well. Walter says goodnight to Gene and tells her not to get into any food, so, of course, that is exactly what she does. She gets into the fridge and pilfers some Chinese food, and she consequently has a dream that involves the corpse of Dan Gillespie (a reference, obviously, to "Fracture") attacking her, and chaos ensues. The following day, Peter finds Gillespie's crystallized ear in Gene's droppings, which suggests to us that it is possible that it was not a dream at all, which is utterly ridiculous, even in the world of Fringe. I think that it is much more likely that Gene got hungry and wasn't satisfied by the Chinese food, so she went for seconds, her seconds involving Gillespie's corpse. I do appreciate the reference to "Fracture" (2.03), but that is really the only value that this story has. All we learned is this random little mishap that occurred one night in the lab, but we don't get anything meaningful or anything that gives us any insight whatsoever into the story of Fringe. It is quite frustrating, and while I wasn't expecting much from a comic about Gene's dreams as it was, this was even worse than I was expecting.

 

The second story is titled "The Perfect Woman,"and I actually disliked this story even more than I did the first. A man is conducting some sort of science experiment, and someone is willing to kill for it (someone that I, at first, thought was Mosley from "The Arrival" (1.04), but his hat doesn't have the green-green-green-red sequence). That person does, in fact, kill for it, killing the man's daughter but failing to kill the man, who survives. The surviving man conducts the experiment on his deceased daughter, apologizing to her for her need to be his first subject. Ultimately, we see that the experiment involved turning her into some sort of sea creature, so she looks like some sort of hybrid between Ursula the Sea Witch and a mossy mermaid, and she gets her revenge by killing the man who killed her, saying that she bets that he didn't think that he would ever be seeing her again, yet here she is. The ultimate fate of her father is not revealed, but his experiment was apparently successful, and she becomes, as the title suggests, "the perfect woman." Yes, we see the traditional Fringe concept of human experimentation, but I still was not happy with this.

 

First of all, why? Why is this important? Why did we need to see this? I want to feel rewarded for spending the extra money as an exceptional Fringe fan, and usually, I do. For example, prior to "The Bishop Revival" (2.13), I already knew that Walter's father had been a Nazi spy. I also have a lot of insight regarding the days that Walter and Bell were lab partners that someone who merely watches the TV series does not have, and I also know how Astrid was hired as an FBI agent - a very cool story, indeed. This entire comic, however, was pretty much useless; I don't feel enlightened at all, and that is why my Bunsen Burner rating is so low. Even when it has come to episodes that have not been all that great, I was given something. For "The No-Brainer" (1.12), I met the mother of Carla Warren, the lab assistant who was killed in the lab fire, and that story involved Walter and Peter growing closer. For "Night of Desirable Objects" (2.02), I met Sam Weiss. This was just utterly useless, and plus, would someone please explain to me how a cow got into a fridge? The art was great, especially when it comes to the first story (Walter looked exactly like Walter, even though Peter wasn't quite as great), and Gene's art was fantastic, as well. Needless to say, though, out of the twelve total Fringe comics, this is, by far, my least favorite.

"Plan B / Knock Knock" (Tales from the Fringe #4)

This has definitely been my favorite issue so far from this series, and it's definitely the one that I have been looking forward to with the most anticipation, but before I begin to discuss it, I would like to warn those who have not read this comic yet that this does contain spoilers. Ever since my boyfriend started watching the series, he has been convinced that the hand in a jar that Walter retrieves from his old car in "The Same Old Story" (1.02) is Nina's hand, and I agreed with him, commending him for such a valuable observation that had not once crossed my mind in the two years that I had been watching the series. Therefore, I was very excited when I discovered that there would be a comic involving the history of Nina's arm, figuring for sure that he would be able to gloat. However, this comic confirms no such thing, which obviously does not rule the theory out, but it is very possible that that scene was intended as nothing more than to demonstrate how much of an oddball Walter is, that that hand could be anyone's hand. Plus, she lost half of her arm, not just a hand. On the other hand (no pun intended), the hand in the jar is a right hand (which is the one that Nina lost), and it also seems to be feminine. There could very well be a great deal to the theory.

 

In the comic, we learn that, for one reason or another (I have no suggestions to offer), Nina believed that she was not physically able to have children and was therefore very surprised when she discovered that she was pregnant. I really don't know what to make of that. Something that this comic does seem to confirm is that Nina and Bell were intimate, since all indicators are that Bell was the father of her child. This has been suggested many times, and the two examples that come to mind is Nina telling Olivia in "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver." (2.16) that she knows what kind of feelings can sprout from a working relationship, and Walter having romantically paired Bell and Nina in his story in "Brown Betty" (2.19). When the doctor tells Nina that she should consult the father of her child, she says that he is "unavailable," which is what she tells Walter in "Peter" (2.15) as to why Bell could not attend Peter's funeral. As I know I have posited before, as well as many other Cortexifans, was Bell traveling between the universes even then? If so, doesn't that mean that Walter is not responsible for causing the damage between the universes?

 

Yet another piece of evidence to support the idea that Bell, even back then, was traveling between the universes is that Nina is surprised when he calls her, saying that she hadn't been expecting to hear from him. When they do meet, though, his behavior is so typical. He basically says to her that although he understands that she wants to have a family, that's not important to him when it's up against science, and Nina even tells him that she won't be a trophy. I was hoping for a twist at the end, to find out that the father was actually Broyles and that she would give birth to Astrid. Wouldn't that be a major twist, and the best part of it would have been that it would have been exclusive to those who read the comics. The ending, however, doesn't make much sense. If the lightning strike was bad enough to kill the baby, then how come it didn't do any serious damage to her? The doctor tells her that the arm saved her life, but I don't understand the science behind that at all. He tells her that the metal in her arm took the electricity and that she, therefore, didn't, but metal is a conductor, so if anything, it should have made the impact even worse, especially since the arm is now part of her DNA. Without the arm, she probably wouldn't have been electrocuted in the first place.

 

Was it just me, or did the suspicious man in the background of the hospital room look suspiciously like an Observer? It does appear as if he is wearing some sort of scarf, which we have not seen an Observer wear before, but, by all other appearances, it could very well be an Observer. If not, then I don't know why else he would be placed so creepily in the background like that, watching Nina and the doctor interact with each other. One final thought is that in the pilot episode, Nina tells Olivia to tread lightly, something that she would tell her own daughter. For quite a while, we wondered if perhaps Nina was Olivia's mother, but, of course, we now know that that is not the case, but now, what Nina said makes a whole lot of sense. Moving on to the second story, there really isn't a whole lot to say besides (a) it is an incredibly creepy story, (b) it kind of reminds me of "The Same Old Story," and (c) I would have liked to understand the science behind it. A pattern of rapid aging occurs like a virus, intentionally being passed from one person to another, and in effect, when a person causes another person to rapidly age, that person reverts to his or her original age. Overall, I give this comic eight and a half selfish William Bells.