Polite Dissent

Medics: Code 3 Special was a one shot put out last month by Shanda Fantasy Arts (though you’ll find no mention of it on their website). It concerns the ambulance crew of “Shift A from Southside.” It’s your standard “wild and crazy” crew: there is the handsome heroic leader (with a spit curl, of course), who’s good at anything he does. The second in command is a beautiful and intelligent woman (and cat). The rest of the crew is comprised of the dumb blonde, the Elvis-loving assistant, the wide-eyed newcomer, and the surprisingly wise cook.

In the first story, the team attends their annual training. There are simulated rescues, obstacle courses, and classroom work. They screw up a little bit at first, but come through when it counts. In the end, the trainer passes them and sends them home early because another teacher warns him “that whole bunch is crazy.” (Though it’s never made clear why that warrants them getting sent home early. There’s no property damage and the only people injured are on the Southside A team.)

The city (Cedar Rabbits) is planning on switching to a private firm to run their ambulance service in the second story. The paramedics mount a full offensive to save their jobs: they talk to council members, lecture school children, and steal drugs from their competition (to prove the drugs are illegal, of course). With the help of a friendly city council member and some conveniently delivered memos, Southside A is able to prevail.

The final story has the most medicine in it, and honestly, all the medicine is well done. The plot is straightforward: the main hospital used by the ambulance is on diversion and they have to take their patients to another hospital. In this hospital, the nurses (all female, by the way) ignore the EMTs and provide horrible patient care. By the end of the story, the ambulance team gets their revenge (more by luck than skill though).

The stories are strictly by the book. Within the first page or two, you know how the story is going to end and there are no surprises. There’s certainly potential, but not much more.

The art is very loose and cartoony. Inking and shadow show up now and again, but not often. The background, when drawn at all, resembles what you would expect from a second-grader. The color art on the front and back cover are very well done; it’s a shame the same art wasn’t produced internally.

I grew up on Captain Carrot. I read Kevin and Kell daily. I enjoy a good anthropomorphic comic. Sadly, this isn’t one. Don’t get me wrong — it’s not a bad comic, just very mediocre. The only interesting aspect is the anthropomorphism, and if you remove that, the comics’s not even mediocre. For $4.95, I expect a great deal more.