In the year 2016, in an effort to curb bad driving on the nation’s traditional highways, the government built The Black Diamond, a coast-to-coast superhighway with no rules except one: step on the gas and go. Hard. But now, five years later, the government’s feelings have changed, and they’ve decided to send in the Army and clean up the Diamond… maybe even shut it down. But the lawless culture that sprung up on the Diamond over the years isn’t having that- at all. So they decide to take a hostage, a woman named Kate Maddox. Kate’s the daughter of the Diamond’s designer, giving her some value. However, the Army doesn’t give a shit about collateral damage, which means her husband, Dr. Don McLaughlin DDS, is going to have to brave the Diamond himself, crossing the country in record time in the hopes of saving the love of his life. No plan, no talent for fighting, and no special love of driving fast… the Diamond isn’t something he can give a root canal. It looks like Kate’s kinda screwed.

THE BLACK DIAMOND ON-RAMP shipped nearly two years ago, so saying this book was long in the making would be an understatement. Fortunately, it’s solidly worth the wait. The setup is pure pulp: this is a 70s exploitation flick brought to life. Fast cars, lawless madmen, uncaring government… we’ve seen these pieces before, and we like them. This is exactly the kind of story that Rodriguez and Tarantino were homaging in GRINDHOUSE. Young offers just enough exposition to give you the gist of things, and then steps back and lets Proctor take over, a wise move. Proctor’s stuff reminds me very much of Tony Harris’ early work, which, for those uninitiated, means it’s damned easy on the eyes.

Issue one is all Don and exposition, but issue two gets to the heart of things. We meet Kate and her captors, get introduced to the man who is truly behind the move to clean up the Diamond, and get jump into a secondary plot that looks like it will provide Don with a traveling companion. Even with new-father Young falling a little too much in love with his dialogue, the pacing and interest level jacks up immensely, and demonstrates quite well that the next four issues hold a lot of promise.

There’s also a back-up story in issue one by Dennis Culver (whose mini-comic work I’m very familiar with) and one in issue two from Ken Lowery and Benjamin and Marlena Hall, each telling an amusing tale of life above on the Diamond. In short, a strong effort that I look forward to reading more of.

Marc Mason

THE HOMELESS CHANNEL
Written and Drawn by Matt Silady

TV producer Darcy Shaw has what she thinks is the idea of the century: a 24-hour network focusing on the homeless and issues confronting homelessness and poverty in our society. But getting the channel on the air is only half the battle; she’s going to have to contend with sponsors, network suits, her desire for some sense of intimacy and a life, as well as the fate of her own sister, who is mentally ill and part of the population on the streets. Darcy’s going to make a difference… but will it make any difference?

THE HOMELESS CHANNEL is a strong debut from Matt Silady, and gives him a pretty high standard to live up to for his next project. Darcy is a terrific character, complex, intelligent, and strong; we don’t see many like her in American comics these days. And her network suit/lover Grady is written as a fully realized character as well. Were this a Hollywood film, he’d likely be a underdeveloped cipher with an evil streak, but he actually is balanced in his caring for Darcy and in his actions to protect the network.

Silady’s art is heavily photo-referenced, which can get annoying, but for the most part it looks pretty solid. For a book called THE HOMELESS CHANNEL, a certain sense of reality and depth of image is required in order to give an accurate gravity to the goings on, and the photo-referenced art does so here. The book is also printed in the 6x9 format that’s become more popular among publishers lately, and that’s also a bonus- I prefer it to graphic novels printed at 7x10. The story does hit a couple of rough patches; Darcy has an encounter with a homeless man in the middle of the book that feels forced and “off” in a way that takes you out of the tale. But you can get back I neasy enough once you move past it.

In short: good book. Recommended.

Marc Mason

I had the privilege of reading most of this material when it first appeared in Goodbrey’s award-winning minicomics, and I’ll say the same thing now as I did then: if you’re a fan of mind-challenging surrealism, or just like discovering new talent, then you must buy this book. Yesterday. It’s just that good.

While many creative talents like to believe that they are producing surrealist works, a good chunk are deluding themselves; they’re just producing drivel. Goodbrey has it figured out; his work is still penetrable as long as you can match your mind level to his and understand that there’s a genuine idea at the core of his stories.

For instance, take “The House That Wasn’t Her,” which finds a young man coming home and realizing that his home has been replaced by an exact duplicate. As he challenges whatever entity he believes has shifted this part of his existence, you believe him to be mad until suddenly he is proven quite right and is thrust into a place where he can confront his new “demons.” None of it feels even remotely “right”, but it does feel real and lives at peace within its own logic.

Goodbrey’s art is delicious in stark black and white, and his use of photo reference only heightens the reality within his odd ideas. He has also added some “director’s commentary” at the end of the book, explaining some of his choices and the origins of some of his tales. This is AiT’s best release since ROCK BOTTOM, and one I recommend very highly.

Marc Mason