The Middleman: The Collected Series Indispensability Horror Book Review

You can add me to the list of people who were fans of the TV series The Middleman last summer.  (Unfortunately, the number wasn’t large enough and it got canceled.)  Naturally, I was curious enough to pick up a copy of this book.  It collects the entire run of the comic books that preceded the TV series.  Basically, that’s three stories.


Up first is “The Trade Paperback Imperative.”  In it, we meet Wendy Watson and learn how she came to be the apprentice to The Middleman.  The mission in this book is to fight evil apes who watch gangster movies and are plotting to take over the world.


Next is “The Second Volume Inevitability.”  Wendy is going to get training in martial arts from master Sensei Ping, that is until he is kidnapped by a gang of masked Mexican wrestlers out for revenge.


Finally comes ““The Third Volume Inescapability.”  While Wendy struggles with balancing her art career and her new job saving the world, The Middleman gears up for a battle with their arch nemesis, F.A.T.B.O.T. (that’s Federated Agents of Tyranny, Betrayal, and Oppression’s Yoke).  This one ends quite differently than anything we saw on the TV show.


And, frankly, that was my biggest disappointment with the book.  These stories had already been told on the show, so I remembered where they were going even if there were some changes along the way.  Furthermore, the TV series ran 12 episodes, so we got a much richer, deeper, and funnier canvas.  Heck, there is hardly any focus on Wendy’s home life, which often provided some of the best laughs on the show.


But what is here is still fun.  The whit shows up just fine.  It’s just slightly bizarre enough to still be believable and funny at the same time.  The adventures are imaginative.


I’m really not sure if the comic books will continue or not, but I will admit this one left me with a “to be continued” feeling.


This book ends with a fan drawn coda to provide some closure.  It also includes all the covers of the various issues included in this book.


For fans of the TV show, this is a nice book to have, but it won’t replace your love of the show.  If anything, it made me want to watch them again right now.  The DVD release can’t get here fast enough.