Review: Devil’s Highway #1 (of 5)
Behind every dinner counter there always seems to be a luckless Joe, trying to eek out a living. In small town America, where everyone knows your name, address, drinking habits and has a list of your ex’s, this can be a little disheartening. But for this actual Joe, the idea of his daughter returning for Christmas becomes something of secondary goal when a half naked girl runs into his dinner window looking for help.
Benjamin Percy, of Batman, Green Arrow and Wolverine fame, provides the beats for a story that starts out homely enough before devolving into a macabre horror tinged detective story. With the introduction of Sharon, Joe’s daughter, things get a little more introspective as she follows the steps in order to uncover who or what killed her father. Percy gives Sharon a sense of strength and determination. As a writer, Percy has mixed his genres well; this in no different. It’s a crime book that moves along at a deft pace. Some of the elements are a tad exaggerated maybe; Sharon’s interaction with the cops for example. With a book that is devoid of traditional action, Percy does resort to the now infamous 9 panel page, though it is used far more effectively here than in some of the other books that feature this oft-used storytelling method. The dialogue can be overwrought, but I think that this is more to do with the tropes and genre in play rather than in any slight in the writing.
The art is provided by Brent Schoonover, of Batman ’66 fame. Here with no likenesses to contend with or “Kapows” etc, the affair is a darker look for sure. Schoonover does well with some of the setup pieces in this issue, though it sometimes feels that his is more focused on the key characters of the story rather than the whole cast. This trend is something that I have seen across all aisles of the comic book industry. Here, it wouldn’t be noticeable if all the art featuring Sharon wasn’t so strong! Colors are provided by Nick Filardi whose scheme is tinged by a darkness. Of course, with this being a murder case with most of the action occurring a night, that is to be expected. Filardi takes this a step further with clever faded colors in certain situations. Finally, letterer Sal Cipriano delivers a font that is easy to read, notably spaces between words and a less emboldened font.
AWA or Artists Writers & Artisans Inc. giving them them their full title ,may sound a little pretentious, but based on this first issue, Percy, Schoonover and company are certainly trying to live up to the company title.
Writing – 4.5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4.5 Stars
Overall – 4.5 Stars
Written by, Benjamin Percy
Art by; Brent Schoonover
Colors by; Nick Filardi
Letters by; Sal Cipriano
Published by;Â Artists Writers & Artisans Inc. (AWA)
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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