< comics/x >
66 THOUSAND MILES PER HOUR #0 & 1
by Mike Cavallaro
(#0 is $5.50, #1 is $3.50, from
Chunksaah Records)
Review by Steve Keeter
This is an incredible and incredibly wonderful comic, the story of an entire town abducted by aliens and... What? Well, yes, and even my wife had this to say: "that's been done before." True enough, but thus far the focus isn't on the sf theme that forms the series basis, but rather, and very successfully, on the characters who inhabit the town. In #0, an issue in gorgeous full color, creator Michael Cavallaro introduces us to Evie Pryce, a discontented teenager stuck in the appropriately named town of Squareville, New Jersey, and her family and friends, her two-timing boyfriend, a couple of wacky hitmen, a shady sideshow promoter, and a town mayor with a skeleton in his closet. Each and every character is an intriguing story in his/herself, and this issue only hints at the changes they are all to go through as a giant glowing pyramid spacecraft descends on the town.
#1 is all in black and white (except the standout front cover), and at first seems to suffer from this, but any doubts are quickly forgotten as the story takes off again, even faster and more exciting than in the first issue. It's action-packed, mind-boggling, and pleasantly humorous all at the same time, and Cavallaro's cartoony approach to the artwork lends a slight tongue-in-cheek touch to the proceedings that is highly effective. I found myself wanting more, and it is hoped that this comic will be able to maintain the announced quarterly publication schedule.
Sheesh, there aren't too many comics that one can really rave about these days. I think
66 Thousand Miles Per Hour qualifies. An A+ work.
[ Link to this review ]
