Writer: Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman
Artist: Lee Garbett
Company: Wildstorm

Everyone loves to see action. It’s a simple and unavoidable fact that seems to be hard-wired into our brains. Sure, there are varying degrees of action; the good and the bad, the cheesy and the downright jaw dropping spectacle of watching a thirty car pile up with massive explosions while a hail of gunfire permeates every ounce of our senses. This latter definition of action is exactly what the first issue of The Highwaymen gave us. So really, what more could you want from a second issue? Well, how about doing all of those same things but doing them in even bigger and bolder ways. Non-stop, pedal to the mettle, high-octane fueled entertainment, that’s exactly what Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman furnish in this second installment of their new book, which is like that rare compilation tape of every good notion an action flick has to offer, but insightfully injected with a sly sardonic wit and bite that makes it immediately addictive. Simply put, the book’s a blast. Why? Read on and all shall be revealed.

Even though the action that the book exudes is one of the cornerstones of the series, the story being told has many other qualities that prove to be just as satisfying. Mystery, brilliant art, and lines of dialogue that are instantly quotable, are just a few that spring to mind. The story though, for those unfamiliar with the book (shame on you, by the way), is set a few years in the future and centers for the most part on a government conspiracy, a confused teenage girl and two proficient but retired couriers who get pulled back into their old line of work for that one last job by their previous employer, the recently deceased Bill Clinton. Weird? Yes, there’s no doubt about that. Damn funny though, not to mention an original and more than entertaining concept to base a series on.

Able Monroe and Alistair McQueen continue to be one of the better sets of protagonists. Like an updated and entirely unethical version of the Roger Murtaugh and Martin Riggs dynamic, their word-play and verbal jabs at one another as they drive like maniacs and smash people in the faces with tire irons play out perfectly. As the issue opens, we see a squadron of CIA agents surround our couriers’ safe-house in the middle of the Nevada desert. Nothing special really, a fairly typical set up for an action sequence in any movie or book or comic. What plays out in the panels and pages after that scene though is anything but the average, run of the mill shoot out. Bernardin and Freeman infuse a nice sense of inventiveness in their story and it’s that aspect alone that sets it apart from the pack as we see McQueen take out cybernetic assassins and CIA agents alike with flair and panache and high explosives. There’s even a three panel sequence during the shoot out that shows him reloading his weapon. What’s so special about that? Well, small things like this, in this day and age of decompressed stories, usually get ignored for more important, much grander panels. Seeing it left in adds a whole other level of cool for me and it speaks volumes to Lee Garbett’s storytelling abilities as an artist.

Speaking of the artist, Garbett’s style completely gels with the high level of insanity going on in the story. There’s a definite Frank Quitely influence to his style that may seem a little strange at first for some but really, Garbett keeps your eyes glued to the pages. His character anatomy and designs are all on target but what is even better is the work that he puts into the inanimate objects that you see. His weapons and cars, especially the cars, are all spot-on and bring a certain level of realism to the book. He also delivers in this issue one of the harder things to do in comics, the “Car Chase”. It’s a staple for the genre but more often than not, they don’t translate well to the panels of comics. The chases in The Highwaymen deliver. They execute that sincere, edge of your seat excitement that most are missing, which is a rarity and a treat to find.

So, what more is there to say about The Highwaymen? It’s the comedic camaraderie of Lethal Weapon meets the frenzy action of The Transporter, all hopped up on Tyrannosaurus-Rex sized steroids. Honestly though, it has everything you could ever want in a comic. Go buy this book.