Drive Like Hell #1: Step On It

In reading this comic, one feels like they’re on a rollercoaster, following after images of car chases and flashbacks, trying to make sense of a new world. Dark Horse’s latest miniseries is the ride that action lovers seek.

In the first two pages, the reader is introduced to a trumpet player on stage who finds himself on the precipice of being mugged outside. As it happened two days ago, the story now shifts to the present, where panels depict a man named Bobby Ray driving while screaming at a mysterious woman named Dahlia in his passenger seat. It’s then revealed that Dahlia just took a bullet to the head.

While the car chase becomes more intense, with the reason why the officers are after Bobby Ray shrouded in mystery, Dahlia begins to speak as if she were alive again. Bobby Ray is startled as to how she could survive a bullet to the head; the blood-covered Dahlia then asks him where he got his car from.

This leads us into a backstory, with Bobby’s tale beginning at a small shack called Lulu’s. While two troubled men, Roarke and Hiram, discuss shady business terms, Bobby Lee listens in on their conversation. It’s then revealed that Roarke left something in the trunk for Hiram and that the doors were left unlocked. The two men go outside the bar, only to find Bobby Ray racing away with their vehicle carrying some odd possessions.

Continuing the recap of how Bobby and Dahlia got themselves into the mix, it’s then recounted how Dahlia came running out of a bank with a blood-stained shirt. Before they drive off, Roarke storms out of the bank and shoots at the stolen vehicle as Bobby steps on the gas.

In the present day, the couple find themselves being chased by a car driven by an officer and Roarke. Tensions rise as cannons and other war-fare mechanics are revealed on the police car. Sitting in the driver’s seat, the officer morphs into a demon and screams at Bobby to pull over, with the couple seemingly managing to get away.

Being the first issue in the series, the story starts by introducing its protagonists and antagonists, along with a mystery that Bobby Ray and Dahlia have gotten into. There are multiple questions about where the story can go, but with the reveal of demonic characters by the end, one can expect the series to go down a supernatural route.

Alex Cormack’s art depicts the story phenomenally, depicting dark undertones and violent, blood-filled scenes, complimenting Rich Douek’s narrative.