Route 666: Highway to Horror
By Tony Bedard and Karl Moline, with John Dell, Nick Bell,
Cliff Richards, Roland Paris and Dean White
Published by CrossGen Comics
Route 666 is CrossGen's most entertaining and energetic title, a horror comic that pulled off an unusual trick in its first issue (included here are issues #1-6) by actually having a moment of horror unlike anything I had ever seen in comics. Re-reading that story as part of this collection, its impact is undiminished. This time I knew it was coming, and was still greatly disturbed by the image. It's a hell of a way to kick off a new series, and if you haven't read the book and don't know what I'm talking about, I'm not going to spoil it for you -- but you're in for a (somewhat grisly) treat.
A recent spate of comics from Midnight Nation to Mortal Souls and Oni's One Plus One all feature a similar theme to Route 666 -- the lead character can see a disgusting, horrific truth about some people that most people can't. In the case of Cassie Starkweather, Route 666's college-age protagonist, some humans look like creatures of legend to her -- zombies, vampires, and werewolves that seem to work in jobs where they'll come into contact with the soon-to-be-departed. Cassie can also see newly-deceased ghosts (echoes of The Sixth Sense, yes, but this series utilizes its influences well) and communicate with them before they move on to a "better place," or worse yet, are...no, that would be telling.
Route 666 seems to move at a quicker pace than many CrossGen titles -- which may be an actual fact but it more likely the assured manner in which Bedard and Moline keep Cassie moving from place to place and in constant and ever-changing danger. You may know Moline from Dark Horse's Buffy tie-in Fray, but as with many artists his CrossGen work seems more accomplished and complete here -- I like him on Fray, but he's working at a whole other level on Route 666. Scenes such as a vampire tearing out the throat of a victim or a spectacular two-car accident have genuine impact, and the two-page spread devoted to that crash genuinely deserves the space, with an incredible amount of detail that recalls the obsessiveness of Geof Darrow.
The introduction of a highly-motivated Fox Mulder-like federal agent at the end puts Cassie in even more jeopardy. She's now hunted not only by supernatural demons but by the forces of human justice, too, and in this case the lead investigator has a good reason for wanting to hunt her down. It's a great set-up for continuing the creepy journey of Cassie Starkweather, and I definitely will be along for the ride. Grade: 4/5