Review: Road Rage #1

Written by Chris Ryall
Illustrated by Nelson Daniel

Acclaimed novelist/Eisner-winning graphic novelist Joe Hill collaborated with his father, Stephen King, for the first time on a tale that paid tribute to Richard Matheson’s classic tale, Duel. Now, IDW is proud to present comic-book tellings of both stories in Road Rage. First up, is the Hill/King adventure tale, Throttle! Adapted by Chris Ryall alongside Hill & King and featuring art by Nelson Daniel (Joe Hill’s The Cape), Throttle tells the tale of a motorcycle gang pursued by an unseen assailant in a big rig!

Calling this Sons of Anarchy with an evil truck would be a bit lazy, but still a little bit apt.

Hop past the cut and see me not be so lazy when talking about this comic.

As a little context for the review, a personal note: I have little to no experience with motorcycles. My friend’s mom was very into them as well as a former co-worker once, and I learned bits and pieces of things from them. Really, my only major experience into the world of motorcycle clubs is from the television show Sons of Anarchy, which I’m admittedly a big fan of. None of that makes me a knowledgable source when it comes to discussing the men and women who get together and ride, though.

That being said, there are some things that are fairly understandable from a universal standpoint. Camaraderie, for instance, is a universally understood trait; the sense of fellowship experienced when grouped together with friends for a mutual goal. Gang violence is a fairly understandable element as well, if not from real life experience then certainly from films, both fiction and non-fiction. Big honking trucks with sinister intentions? That’s a no brainer!

Motorcycle clubs are an interesting breed. They’re not the same as simple gangs, as the formation and hierarchy of them establishes a more concentrated effort to separate themselves from gang-related stereotypes; after all, they’re clubs, and the associated connotation of the term “club” certainly offers up a much more illustrious visage than that of a meager gang. In bringing together a club to life, such as the Tribe, it is very easy to create for it a believable environment, because clubs inherently make sense. Even if you don’t agree to their morals or their ethics, it is easy to follow the logic of creating and joining a club — the sense of free spirit, the visceral assimilation of the “American way,” and the take no shit attitude lead to quite an interesting lifestyle.

With all of that in mind, we enter Road Rage. Road Rage is an adaptation by Chris Ryall and Nelson Daniel of Stephen King and Joe Hill’s Throttle, which was their first collaboration and a tribute to Richard Matheson’s Duel. It tells the story of the motorcycle club the Tribe, a band of brothers and family, riding for generations and getting mixed up in all kinds of violence in trouble. That and, you know, the big honking truck on the cover, which causes all sorts of problems for the club.

King and Hill are always a treat, and their collaboration together is exciting (to say nothing of the fact that it’s a Matheson tribute, which is wonderful), but the real duties fall to Ryall and Daniel. Both King and Hill already have a clout to them. King, for example, is a master of the fine details, truly fleshing out the scenery and worlds that his characters inhabit, which is to say nothing of his mastery of horror and Americana. Hill, meanwhile, is a fantastic storyteller in his own right, both for the same reasons as his father but with a more youthful tone (outside of the obvious reasons). While this isn’t the original source material (Throttle), you certainly know what you’re in for when you see their names on the cover.

The question is truly as to if Ryall’s literal adaptation and Daniel’s visual adaptation captures the same vibes that King and Hill have. The answer, however, should really be a no-brainer: Ryall has a number of adaptations under his belt, including horror work originally by Matheson, George Romero and Clive Barker, while Daniel has previous experience with Joe Hill (by way of Jason Ciaramella) as the color artist of The Cape comic. Of course it works basically out for the best. Ryall brings the soul of the story into the book, introducing the main characters well with a streamlined and entertaining tale of road rage, and Daniel’s art and sense of color gives the story of bright and vibrant feel.

However, Road Rage ostensibly has the same issue that the adaptation of The Stand at Marvel had. Stephen King himself is good at detailed world building and a wide cast of characters, but this doesn’t translate very well in the comic medium. King’s penchant for detail and often dry but tense dialogue should be particularly familiar for anyone who has read his prose (or, heck, even his American Vampire short, really), but it’s not an easy style to fit well into the pace of a comic. It doesn’t translate that well to comics due to the often thick nature of it, which is not inherently Ryall’s fault (and yet somehow still is due to the given nature of an adaptor).

On top of that, while Daniel’s artwork is visually enjoyable and with strong use of color to boot, the issue’s finale essentially descends into chaos, throwing characters left and right at the reader (somewhat literally). It’s not impossible to follow, but it still falls to the same issue of adaptation that the writing does — without King’s immediate guiding hand, there is much to be lost when compressing the story to the pages of the comic.

Still, the books overall atmosphere makes up for any of its shortcomings. The truck and its driver in particular are very reminiscent of classic road horror (and is somewhat reminiscent of Pick Me Up for those of you who remember Showtime’s Masters of Horror), and its rage is cinematic. Truly, once the book hits its stride and gets where its going (see: the cover), the book’s quality increases greatly, and a slow beginning and somewhat messy ending can ultimately be forgiven for its latent entertainment value.

I have the utmost faith in Road Rage. King and Hill are strong storytellers on their own, and Ryall and Daniel have both proven themselves several times in their past work. While Road Rage isn’t the comic you would initially assume it’d be with KING and HILL branded so boldly on the cover, there is enough angry truckin’ in it to satisfy your vicious GTA-based driving fantasies.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – Buy