Review by Ian Keogh

Devil’s Highway hinges on Benjamin Percy’s observation that truckers travel all over a massive country, and as long as goods arrive on time, no-one pays much attention to what they do. In Vol. 1 they were abducting prostitutes and killing them sadistically, often with snakes involved, then in effect signing their work by carving a snake motif into the corpses. No, this isn’t a pleasant series.

Former military specialist Sharon Harrow’s involvement began with the murder of her father as an innocent bystander, and she ended the previous outing with some righteous vengeance, but with the feeling that others were connected. A downside of the first volume was the introduction of Quentin Skinner, drunken former FBI detective whose help wasn’t greatly necessary, and fed into the cliché of a very capable woman needing rescued and helped by a man. Skinner’s purpose here is thankfully more solid. He’s cleaned up and Percy’s used that to enable his being a more rounded character with the eccentric trait of handing out tarot cards. This time it’s Sharon who has the alcohol problem, and the other major difference is the hunters becoming the hunted. Sharon’s instincts about others being involved is correct, and they have some powerful connections.

Once again Brent Schoonover brings the hardware and scenery to life with a gritty realism, but the people don’t match the backgrounds, having a slight cartoon touch to them. Otherwise it’s as you were with the art, including a tendency to linger long on the cruelty. Over the last two chapters Luca Pizzari is also credited for art, and whether he’s producing separate pages or inking Schoonover’s pencils, the result is far looser and not as attractive.

The first volume was realistic enough within the action thriller format, but here Sharon’s near enough the Punisher, and there are plenty of Punisher stories out there if you want to read them, so the originality’s evaporated. The first Devil’s Highway didn’t fulfil the potential, and this isn’t as good.