GRAPHIC-NOVEL REVIEW
30 Days of Night and of course, The Walking Dead, have set the standard for horror-based graphic-novels. These fantastic works of dark art feature a high tempo storyline coupled with fantastic imagery. Storm King Comics, the comic publishers of horror legends John Carpenter and Sandy King Carpenter, bring the Horror Nation their next release, Long Haul. Written by the talented duo of Cullen Bunn and Heath Amodio and edited by comic publishing queen Sandy King, the expectations will be high for the newest outing from the Dark and Twisted series.
Carl, Danny, and Sarah Blake are tight-knit siblings taking care of their sickly father. Hell on earth is unleashed on the brothers after Sarah disappears and their father passes away shortly after. Carl and Danny come to find out that their beloved sister has been either captured or killed along with over 700 other missing persons along America’s dark highways. The vengeful brothers take to the road as they begin to hunt down a famous group of haulers called The Nine. Protected by their road warrior brothers and tried and trained in the art of all manner of vicious brutality, The Nine attempt to put down the blood raged hunting hounds before their entire operation crumbles. Carl and Danny must fight against a legion of sociopaths and time, in a desperate attempt to put their broken family back together.
Long Haul is a rip-roaring, action-packed, horror road show that will leave the reader breathless. There are no holds barred in the prose from writers Bunn and Amodio. The artwork by Gigi Baldassini, Andrea Mutti and Valerio Alloro is brutally stunning while the lettering from Janice Chiang is perfect. Long Haul plays out like Mad Max and the Saw films had a love child. This sinister saga takes the reader through the dark countryside of America’s isolated roads with frequent stops at places that harbor the underworld of trucker life. It would have been easy to produce a plot that just shocks the reader with horrific slaughter, but this terror tale also produces empathy for the anti-heroes and gives the audience a rooting cause. Long Haul is a must for horror graphic-novel fans and a fantastic first read for any new fans to the sub-genre.
Scream Score:9/10
(Long Haul will be available February 21, 2024, wherever comics are sold)