Road Rage #1

Road Rage
Story by Joe Hill & Stephen King (Adapted by Chris Ryall) with Art by Nelson Daniel

I’m gonna start off by saying that I’ve wanted a team-up between father and son for ages. Ever since I first cracked open Locke & Key (a comic you SHOULD be reading) and then realized Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son, this has needed to happen. Thankfully, the seven gods have answered my prayers and given be Road Rage, a comic based on their short story, Throttle. I also love Sons of Anarchy so this motorcycle club based story delivered the crime filled intricacy I’ve come to expect. The story begins with a wife beater wearing young man named Race leading The Tribe, the club he runs with his father, Vince, to a small town to find money the invested in a meth lab that went bust. As Race and Vince argue about the path the club should take (Race wanting his money back and Vince wanting to just let it go), Vince notices a truck driver driving off, noting he may have overheard them, but oh well. The group head to a bar where Vince and an associate named Lemmy discuss the members, many of which Lemmy feels are going to leave as soon as they can. They’re both torn over what Race is going to do and they head back out, catching up to the same trucker who may or may not have heard the earlier conversation between Vince and Race. This irks Vince for a reason he can’t peg down but he pushes the thought away, finding comfort in the fact they’ll be leaving the truck far behind. It isn’t long before the truck catches back up to them and starts crushing the riders, one by one. As The Tribe’s numbers whittle down to five, Vince utilizes Morse code to signal the others to break away from the truck. Race,  headstrong young chap that he is, fails to get the signal and the comic ends with the truck right on his tail.

I’ve never seen the movie that inspired this story, Duel, because it probably came out when I was a baby and didn’t know awesome from crap. I DO think Daniel does wonderous things at bringing these characters to life. There are no soft edges here but gorgeous line art and the sandy, dusty tones of desert. It’s rough and tough and I appreciate the added effect all of the art adds to the fulfilling story.

Pick this up!