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Backseat Drivers #2

Well, it’s official: this series is a blast. I played it cautious at SPACE this year and only got this this issue, and am now kicking myself for not getting the rest of the series. I did pick up the first issue of the character that absolutely dominates this series, the Cosmic Norseman. All the other characters don’t stand a chance against that moustache, that oar, and the fact that he has The Brotherhood of Celestial Foxez haplessly trying to kill him over the centuries. We get to learn more about damned near everybody else in this issue, which is essentially the group riding around in a cab, setting up camp in an alley and eventually, briefly, getting to meet the mad scientist who has everybody so worked up. We learn that Ruffian doesn’t know much of anything about anything, Doyle Lee at least partially raised Dr. Herman, and Rhodes and Molehill are still pretty much a mystery. Which is fine, as this is the point in a four issue series where Clint is still trying to hook people in, serve up a little intrigue, so you certainly can’t fault the guy for an excellent sense of timing. It might be awhile until I get to learn what happens in the next two issues (maybe as long as SPACE 2009, although I’m hoping I can get them before then) but the good news is that I did manage to pick up the first issue of his next series, dedicated solely to the Cosmic Norseman, which makes me very happy indeed.

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Backseat Drivers #1

It’s a rare comic that, when I finish reading it, I immediately go back and read it again. That can be a good or a bad thing, of course. It could happen because the comic is so amazing that it has to be read again to be fully appreciated, or it could be (as was the case with this one) that there was so much happening so fast that the whole thing needed to be slowed down to make any sense. A group of heroes, or possibly villains, decide to confront a local mad scientist, Dr. Herman, each for their own reasons. Most of these reasons aren’t spelled out here, but that’s OK, as this is the first part of a four part series. There’s Doyle Lee, an old lady with many, many guns who seems to be after Dr. Herman to shave his moustache. Molehill is only interested in worshipping the guy. Ruffian, after escaping from some cops, seems to be along for the ride. Rhodes doesn’t say much of anything, but she does seem to be looking for the guy too. And finally there’s Cosmic Norseman, who spends most of the issue fighting with a random villain who uses old laundry to attack and Doyle Lee, who covers him in hot apple pie. Why is this all happening, who are these people? Damned if I know. It’s almost too busy, which is a strange thing to complain about. Most of the characters seem to have gotten where they are by accident, so I suppose it’s all a cosmic coincidence that they all end up finding what they’re looking for. Clint does get some serious style points for all the sound effects (my favorite is “crubble”), but a book with an editor AND an assistant editor shouldn’t have any misspellings. All together, taken as the first issue of a series, it’s a blast. It may fall apart completely from here, as all these characters and motivations are going to have to start making sense at some point, but for now it’s worth a look. $2.50