Devil's Highway #4 Review
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Brent Schoonover
Colours: Nick Filardi
Letters: Sal Cipriano
This issue really makes a point of filling all the blanks in, so that both the reader and Sharon have a pretty good idea what she’s up against. But it isn’t just the ongoing storyline where the reader gets plenty of answers to their questions, just as important is finding out a little bit more about Sharon’s history and what has made her into the woman she is today. The way that Benjamin Percy does this is quite clever and sublte though, he doesn’t spend ages on needless exposition, sometimes a single panel and line of dialogue is enough to tell the reader everything we need to know. It’s cleverly done, and relies on a close bond and trust between the writer and artist, which is exactly what we have here. It’s a sign of a talented writer that Percy understands the best storytelling doesn't always rely on the dialogue, and that in any medium but especially comics the artist’s role in telling the story is massive.
Another strength of Percy’s writing is the way he trusts the reader to be able to draw their own conclusions and understand what is going on without needing to be taken by the hand, and the story is stronger for it. The concept behind the story, of a cult of serial killer truck drivers, is excellent, and Percy really manages to up some of the more horrific elements of the serial killers, veering more towards horror than crime like the set up might suggest. And the character of Sharon, and her single minded pursuit of her fathers killer which is another strength of the series.
Brent Schoonover’s art has been excellent throughout the series, he carries a big weight of the storytelling duties here and the story is so much stronger for that. He manages to deftly set the tone depending on what the story demands, leaning into heavier horror elements at times, while managing to set lighter, more comedic tones at others. He captures Sharon’s expressions excellently, the action when it arrives is swift and action-packed, and he doesn’t shy away from some of the more horrific elements, drawing them in all their graphic detail. Nick Filardi’s colours work really well with Schoonovers art, the bleak white snow is so excellently done readers will have an involuntary shiver while they’re reading.
Devil’s Highway continues to impress, excellent storytelling and art throughout the series, a creative team who work really well together and are firing on all cylinders here. The concept of a cult of serial killer truck drivers is excellent, suitably scary yet managing to remain believable. The series is so consistently good it really manages to stand out from the crowd.
Artist: Brent Schoonover
Colours: Nick Filardi
Letters: Sal Cipriano
This issue really makes a point of filling all the blanks in, so that both the reader and Sharon have a pretty good idea what she’s up against. But it isn’t just the ongoing storyline where the reader gets plenty of answers to their questions, just as important is finding out a little bit more about Sharon’s history and what has made her into the woman she is today. The way that Benjamin Percy does this is quite clever and sublte though, he doesn’t spend ages on needless exposition, sometimes a single panel and line of dialogue is enough to tell the reader everything we need to know. It’s cleverly done, and relies on a close bond and trust between the writer and artist, which is exactly what we have here. It’s a sign of a talented writer that Percy understands the best storytelling doesn't always rely on the dialogue, and that in any medium but especially comics the artist’s role in telling the story is massive.
Another strength of Percy’s writing is the way he trusts the reader to be able to draw their own conclusions and understand what is going on without needing to be taken by the hand, and the story is stronger for it. The concept behind the story, of a cult of serial killer truck drivers, is excellent, and Percy really manages to up some of the more horrific elements of the serial killers, veering more towards horror than crime like the set up might suggest. And the character of Sharon, and her single minded pursuit of her fathers killer which is another strength of the series.
Brent Schoonover’s art has been excellent throughout the series, he carries a big weight of the storytelling duties here and the story is so much stronger for that. He manages to deftly set the tone depending on what the story demands, leaning into heavier horror elements at times, while managing to set lighter, more comedic tones at others. He captures Sharon’s expressions excellently, the action when it arrives is swift and action-packed, and he doesn’t shy away from some of the more horrific elements, drawing them in all their graphic detail. Nick Filardi’s colours work really well with Schoonovers art, the bleak white snow is so excellently done readers will have an involuntary shiver while they’re reading.
Devil’s Highway continues to impress, excellent storytelling and art throughout the series, a creative team who work really well together and are firing on all cylinders here. The concept of a cult of serial killer truck drivers is excellent, suitably scary yet managing to remain believable. The series is so consistently good it really manages to stand out from the crowd.
A Look Inside
