The Last Driver #1 Review
The idea of freedom in the American zeitgeist has always been intertwined with the open road. Stories that revolve around cars and roads so often rest their laurels on freedom, but more importantly, the fight for it. There is something about muscle cars and long stretches of highway that reminds you that when you’re behind the wheel, you’re free to go wherever you want. But what if that freedom was stripped away from you? That’s where The Last Driver by Sean Gordon Murphy drifts into your life to explore a world where driving is fully automated and controlled by rich money barons, and personal freedoms are a thing of legend.
As technology in America advanced, cities began creating the GRID—a robotic transportation system that not only made cars obsolete, but made them illegal. But an outlaw named “Clutch” has no choice but to get behind the wheel one more time. What starts out as a race to save his granddaughter’s life quickly turns into a rebellion against technology, fascism, and the future of a divided America.
I don’t like driving, I don’t care about cars, and I was worried about how heavy-handed the previews made The Last Driver look as a series. But from the opening shot to the finish line, The Last Driver pushed every expectation I had to 100 MPH and made me buckle in till the final page. It’s the perfect grindhouse-style comic that wears its own influences on its driver’s jacket sleeve. Everything about this action-centric comic is about pushing back against the rich and powerful’s bubbles made for us. I wasn’t sure of Sean Gordon Murphy’s politics going into this book because of some social media misunderstandings.
Murphy leans into that with this book by clearly laying out the echo chambers we are put into by social media and what we are told about the people on the other side. The division of humanity is a cardinal theme of the book that is explored in its own grindhouse, heavy-handed, in-your-face way. But it always has the tune of wanting to make the world a better place for those who are downtrodden. There were absolutely chances in this book that could be seen as punching down, but the humor is meant to show how taking a moment to hear someone else can help you realize their own humanity.
Everything about The Last Driver is pedal to the metal. It’s loud, explosive, and doesn’t hold back on anything. It may be a lot for some, but I think by the end of the series, it puts the comic in the pole position to be Sean Gordon Murphy’s best work. Even if you don’t care about cars as I do, you will find something you like in this comic. It’s a rough ride, but by the finish line, everything clicks into seventh gear to be a memorable comic with something to say.
Main Cover
AMERICA, THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE — NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE…EXCEPT FOR HIM! As technology in America advanced, cities began creating the GRID — a robotic transportation system that not only made cars obsolete, it made them illegal. But an outlaw named “Clutch” has no choice but to get behind the wheel one more time. What starts out as a race to save his granddaughter’s life quickly turns into a rebellion against technology, fascism, and the future of a divided America. Superstar artist and longtime gearhead SEAN GORDON MURPHY (Batman: White Knight, TOKYO GHOST, Punk Rock Jesus, The Wake) writes and draws this highly anticipated ongoing series.
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