“‘Escape From NY’ Meets ‘Vanishing Point'”: Sean Gordon Murphy’s ‘The Last Driver’ — New From Image Comics

Artist and writer Sean Gordon Murphy (Batman: White Knight, Tokyo Ghost) has a new sci-fi series for all you gearheads out there, The Last Driver, from Image Comics. The ongoing series aims to be a “pedal-to-the-metal, action-packed” joyride with covers by Murphy and artists Corin Howell (Lilith, Wonder Woman: Black, White, and Gold), Matteo Scalera (Batman, Black Science), and Ryan Ottley (Invincible).

Here’s the series’ set up:

“As technology in America advanced, cities began creating the GRID: a robotic transportation system that not only made cars obsolete, it made them illegal. But an outlaw named “Clutch” has no choice but to get behind the wheel one more time. What starts out as a race to save his granddaughter’s life quickly turns into a rebellion against technology, fascism, and the future of a divided America.”

Murphy recently told The Hollywood Reporter, who first announced this new comic book:

“I was in France when I started to think of this book, at the race track at Le Mans. The museum was doing construction, so they moved about a billion dollars worth of cars to a nearby hangar located in a cow pasture. It was an amazing sight! And it made me wonder who was going to take care of such valuable cars in the future — not just race cars, but movie cars. Not only would this story be an excuse to draw cars, but I could compare the dying of car culture — switching to electric cars that drive themselves — and use it as a metaphor for people ceding control to government control. And for America, I wanted the main character to be Native American — someone who understands freedom in a different way, because of how it was taken from him.

“Escape from NY meets Vanishing Point in this high octane cyberpunk action comic perfect for fans of Petrol Head, Death Or Glory, and Tokyo Ghost.”

Eric Stephenson, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer at Image Comics, added:

“Sean’s a virtual force of nature in comics. Everything he does is astounding — whether it’s his bestselling Batman comics or his contributions to creator-owned work like Tokyo Ghost and Joe the Barbarian, he raises the bar time and time again. I guarantee you, The Last Driver isn’t like anything else you’re reading right now — so strap in, buckle up, and enjoy the ride!”

The Last Driver #1 is out on Wednesday, 19th August, from Image Comics.