JUST MY OPINION 06/17/05

Drive GN (Frequency Press)

Writer: Nate Southard
Artist: Shawn Richter

I was pleasantly surprised one day when I got an email from writer Nate Southard asking if he could send me a copy of Drive, his graphic novel debut. Never one to pass up a free book, I had to take him up on his generous offer. And to top it all off, Drive ended up being a really good read that I would have gladly paid money for.

Drive is the story of Brian Ray, a cabbie in the city of Las Vegas. Brian’s existence seems to be fairly mundane until he picks up a fare which changes his life. Soon Brian is in way over his head with a bag full of drugs and no where to turn. It would be really easy to compare Drive to the movie Collateral, and I don’t think that is a bad thing at all.

The story moves along at a quick pace. Just when you think things are going to settle down a little, Southard throws another obstacle in Brian’s path which really made me look forward to each turn of the page. I particularly liked the way Southard uses the dialogue to bring everything full circle by the final page.

Shawn Richter’s art is a little over-rendered and some odd camera angles are used, but he does a good job of conveying the action and you can easily tell one character from another. In fact, Richter’s art reminds me of Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan) in places.

If you are looking for a fast-paced, crime story that keeps you guessing, give Drive a try. I know that I’ll be keeping an eye out for more work from its creators. If you are interested learning more about the book and its creators, Nate Southard’s site can be found here, Shawn Richter’s site can be found here, and Frequency Press’ site can be found here.

8/10

Punisher: The Cell (Marvel/Max)

Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Lewis LaRosa

I can honestly say that this is the best Punisher story that I have ever read. I’ve fallen a little bit behind on the trades for the regular Punisher series which is published under the Max imprint, but decided to buy this one-shot anyway. And I’m glad that I did. Garth Ennis and Lewis LaRosa have crafted a tense, hardcore, prison drama that makes for a riveting read, and even manages to touch on the Punisher’s origin and his motivations.

I think that Garth Ennis was born to write the Punisher. I thoroughly enjoyed his run on the book with Steve Dillon before it moved under the Max imprint, but found myself losing interest once there. If Ennis is writing stories like this for the book now, I really need to catch up. The Cell finds the Punisher turning himself in to the authorities for the sole purpose of getting close to five particular residents of Riker’s Island. The havoc he creates once there and the way in which he achieves his goals is truly a thing of beauty and intelligent writing.

10/10