I’ve been waiting for the wide release for this issue for some time. I actually supported the Kickstarter and got the issue early, but I’ve only recently read it again for this review. It holds up, I’ll tell you that much. I think that’s something that a lot of comics lack, do they actually hold up over time. We’re all so obsessed with getting monthly comics that we often times forget that not every comic is going to be worth reading in a year or ten. I have a storage closet full of comics that I will likely never read again to prove that point. But there are those issues that we go back to, that we do pull back out and read. The premise and first issue are pretty easy to sum up. We meet Cyrus Perkins… he’s a taxi driver. I know. Shocker. He runs through the job and the different types of people you meet on the job until he gets an unusual fair… a young guy that’s bleeding. Cyrus takes off towards a hospital, but his driving gets him pulled over. The cop is less than friendly. In fact, he’s downright hostile toward Cyrus. Cyrus books it towards the hospital after the delay and some arguing, but it’s too late. I’m sure you saw that coming, but Dave Dwonch does a fantastic job of building up the hope leading to the reveal. Even knowing it, you’ll still kind of hold out hope for this kid.
There’s a lot not addressed in this issue. What happened to this guy before he got in the cab? What happens now? There’s a lot of questions left unanswered, but I doubt you’ll be frustrated by this. It leaves the series with somewhere to go. I really can’t compliment enough the balance of the story and the reveals throughout. Dwonch has a wonderful pacing that you’ll wish more comics would use his story breakdown. There’s plenty of subtle character development throughout the issue. We see Cyrus’ character in action which says a lot about him, but then afterwards we see how he’s effected by the events. It may not seem like much, but you will definitely know the character after reading the issue.
Anna Lencioni does a fantastic job on the art. The characters are dynamic and the range of facial expressions really sells the drama and the humor. Considering that the setting is mostly inside of a taxi cab, Lencioni does a great job of spicing it up and keeping the panels interesting. Additionally, the scene with Cyrus driving to the hospital was intense and felt high impact. Car scenes in comics are typically very boring so this was a nice change of pace. Overall the art was really solid and the perfect fit for the story.
I, like many of the other Kickstarter funders, really liked the concept of this comic the minute I heard about it. This first issue turned out great and sets the stage for a very interesting rest of the series. Stories like this are prime for comic books. They’re why we read comic books because their stories that complement the medium. If you’re down with reading something that’s different and new, then check out Cyrus Perkins and the Haunted Taxi Cab.
Score: 4/5
Cyrus Perkins and the Haunted Taxi Cab #1 Writer/Letterer/Colorist: Dave Dwonch Artist/Tones: Anna Lencioni Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/28/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital