REVIEW: Route 3: Volume 1

Route 3, created and written by Robert Jeffrey II with art by Sean Damien Hill, centers on teenager Sean Anderson. Having recently lost his mother, Sean finds himself depressed and drifting through the daily motions of life. Little does Sean know that events that took place in 1690 will set him on a course to gain absolute power and reset the course of history.

The opening scenes of Route 3 take place along Highway 78 in Stone Mountain, GA. Immediately, I was hooked. Pre-COVID,  I literally drove the stretch of Highway that Hill’s art captures every day. Sean Anderson was a teen from my hometown, well, at least my Georgia hometown, and I needed to know his story.

Route 3 is fast-paced, yet thoughtful in its storytelling. Action is peppered throughout the story from the very first pages, but there are no frivolous fight scenes or unnecessary drama. Jeffrey keeps his story tight, relevant, and with just enough secrets to leave you wanting more. The story progresses quickly from the halls of Sean’s high school to a gunfight in the middle of rural Tennessee. Sean goes from depressed teenager to possible superpowered savior of the world as he’s pursued by a group of operatives and helped by a mysterious savior.

Jeffrey’s dialogue is perfect, with each character coming through as a unique personality. The tone and cadence of dialogue clearly shift as the story shifts between teens, hired guns, government officials, etc. The characters reveal backstory through conversation rather than lengthy narration, adding to the genuineness of the characters.

Sean Damien Hilo’s artwork helps propel the story and his representation of real locations adds a sense of reality to the story that might not often be in superhero tales. Jeffrey’s choice to begin the story in the suburbs of Atlanta, rather than New York City, LA, or Chicago and Hill’s depictions of these actual places adds to the story, at least for this Georgia resident.

Volume 1 left me wanting more, so much so that I scoured Google trying to find Jeffrey’s plans for the next chapter. I’ll save you the trouble, there’s nothing out there yet. The story of Sean Anderson, a complicated, depressed teen who is suddenly thrust into a world where he has powers, people are trying to will him, and he must leave everything he knows, is a compelling new take on superheroes. With great dialogue, solid art, a well-paced, unique story, and zero editing issues. Route 3 easily earns 5-stars. 

You can read Route 3: Volume 1 right now! Buy a digital copy on Amazon or Peep Game Comix! Grab yourself a copy, you won’t regret it! And, perhaps if we all buy a copy and pester Robert, he’ll announce chapter 4 soon!

Learn more at http://robertkjeffrey.com/comics/route-3/

About Robert Jeffrey II:

Robert Jeffrey II is a freelance writer based out of Atlanta, GA and his portfolio includes a multitude of work in the arenas of print/ web journalism and comics. He’s written for such publications as J’Adore Magazine, The Atlanta Voice Newspaper, Black Sci-Fi.com, and Urban Voices in Comics. He was chosen as a participant in the DC Comics Class of 2017 Writers Workshop, is currently the Editor In Chief for BlackSci-Fi.com, and is a guest contributor to the Tessera Guild blog.

About Route 3:

Centuries-old prophecies. Shadowy government conspiracies. Superheroic action. Just a typical day for teenager Sean Anderson. This is the story of a Stone Mountain, GA teen, and the events that lead him to gain the absolute power to set a fractured world on the right course- assuming he survives.

Route 3 is published by Terminus Media, interior art/inks by Sean Hill, colors by Ann Siri Obrien, and Omi Remalante, letters by Khari Sampson, cover art by Anthony Piper.