I love to drive. Who doesn't? (The Amish, I suppose.) I may not have the coolest car in the world -- a far cry, actually -- but getting behind the wheel gives one a sense of freedom, connects one with power. That's what attracted me to the Previews solicitation for The Ride, a new crime comic from Image Comics (that, and the participation of the Gaijin Studios crowd). I actually pre-ordered a copy of the book, but creator Keven Gardner was kind enough to put a copy in my hands and Randy's ahead of its release. The good news is that the art is fantastic, but that comes as no surprise given who's handling the black-and-white line art here. The bad news is that while the characters are fun and colorful, the plotting is scattered. I honestly don't know what this book is about yet.
Sgt. Frank Simms and Det. Samanatha Vega are partnered up for a special stakeout. The Atlanta Police Department has insisted that some of their people are to be involved in a huge drug bust spearheaded by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and Simms and Vega pull a boring stakeout detail. A personal emergency spurs the two cops into action, though. And later, they encounter some chaos on the freeway, courtesy what might charitably be called a "free spirit."
I love that there's a consistent tone between the work of studio mates Hamner and Stelfreeze, but at the same time, their own unique styles are clearly on display as well. Stelfreeze manages to choreograph the over-the-top, explosive action perfectly in the latter half of the book. Meanwhile, Hamner brings out the two main characters' personalities nicely in the first half. The book works pretty well as a black-and-white publication as well, which is surprising, given the big-screen quality of the action later on in the book.
A gun-toting, masturbating, Britney Spears-inspired lunatic takes to the highway in a killing spree that's completely unexplained. OK, I think Wagner definitely ventures into some gratuitous territory here. It's as though the creators, after reading the first chapter, said, "Not enough sex and violence," and arrived at this bizarre and inexplicable scene. Like I said before, the fluidity of the action is amazing, but Wagner arrives at that point with all the grace and subtlety of a rhino playing hockey.
I really do like the characters here. Simms and Vega make for a classic odd couple. Wagner loses me, though, when he loses Vega's story. At first, it seems as though the plot is going to have a lot to do with what's happened to someone close to her, but it seems that by the end of the issue, she's almost forgotten about it, having passed the matter onto other, unseen characters. It makes no sense, and that makes for a confusing read.
