Image Comics; 3.99 

I've always had a soft spot for stories about the last guy who refuses to follow the rules, especially when cars are involved.  

Written and drawn by Sean Gordon Murphy, the first issue introduces a future America where the GRID has taken over transportation and driving has become illegal. Cars are basically relics of another time, but Clutch still knows how to drive – and that makes him a pretty valuable outlaw. 

Clutch is a former racecar driver and stuntman who gets pulled into one final job when his granddaughter needs a heart transplant. What starts as a desperate drive across the country quickly becomes something much bigger. There are corrupt authorities, robotic cops, technology controlling everyday life, and a society that feels increasingly divided. 

The dystopian setting isn't exactly unfamiliar territory. We've seen plenty of stories dealing with technology versus humanity, rich versus poor, and governments taking too much control. But Murphy has put enough of his own personality into this world that I didn't find myself bothered by the familiar elements. I was having too much fun looking at the cars and watching Clutch try to stay one step ahead of the people chasing him. 

And man, Murphy can draw a car. 

His attention to detail is ridiculous. You can tell this is a creator who genuinely loves automobiles, and that enthusiasm comes through on practically every page. The horizontal format was another pleasant surprise. At first, I assumed it was mostly a gimmick, but once I started reading, I understood why he chose it. The wider pages give the book a much more cinematic feeling, especially during the driving sequences. 

The comic also brought back memories of The Last Chase, the 1981 movie starring Lee Majors. In that film, Majors plays Franklin, a man living in a future where driving has been outlawed and his car is one of the last privately owned vehicles around. The Last Driver obviously goes in a different direction, and I'm not saying Murphy based it on that movie, but the similarities immediately jumped out at me. As someone who grew up collecting old VHS tapes and deliberately watching all kinds of strange movies, The Last Chase was going to come to mind sooner or later. 

What really works here is that the car stuff isn't the entire story. Clutch's relationship with his granddaughter gives the book something to hang onto emotionally. He's not simply rebelling because he hates the system. He's got someone he loves who needs him, and that makes his decision to get behind the wheel feel personal. 

There are also hints that Murphy has something bigger planned for this world. The deeper you get into the issue, the more questions start popping up, and the final pages make me very curious about where this is heading. 

I had a blast with this first issue. Murphy clearly loves the material, and that enthusiasm comes through in the writing, the artwork, the cars, and the world he's created. I'm definitely along for the ride. 

–Scott Schlazer