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REVIEW: 78 MPH
Book Title: 78 MPH
Book Description: “78 MPH” is a cautionary tale of what can happen when man tries to play God. The ozone layer is depleting. The United States decides to put five percent of its military budget towards resolving this problem. When it’s all said and done, the best solution money can buy is to detonate a nuclear device in the atmosphere. The concept behind this atmospheric detonation is that it will create a nuclear winter. Sunlight will have a difficult time getting through the atmosphere and clouds, thus reducing global warming. The plan gets the green light. A missile is launched into the atmosphere and is detonated. Instead of causing debris to block out the sun, the detonation intensifies the sunlight. The temperature on the Earth’s surface goes from 73 degrees Fahrenheit to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. In response to this, some enemies of the United States decide to launch their nuclear arsenals at the United States. Because they have too much of a hair trigger these weapons get detonated underground. The geothermal detonation changes the Earth’s axis and spin on that axis. Scientists come to the conclusion that humans can survive so long as they are perpetually moving at a speed of 78 Miles Per Hour. What’s left of humanity is now the world’s largest vehicle convoy.
Book Author: Mauro Mantella
Book Format: Paperback
Publisher - Orgnization: Stonebot Comics/ Red 5 Comics
Publisher Logo:
Illustrator: Tomas Aira
- Story(2.5)
- Interior Art(4.4)
- Cover Art(3.1)
- Dialogue(2.5)
- Mechanics(2.9)
- Editing(3.1)
Summary
“78 MPH” didn’t make it onto my radar until I saw it on the shelves at my local comic book store. It piqued my interest enough to want to go on a curiosity voyage. The story gets out of the gate with a solid start. The world is in a state of emergency with regards to weather and climate change. That’s not a stretch.
The best way to fix climate change is to detonate a nuke in the atmosphere and that will create MORE climate change which is what we need?! At this point the plausibility starts to waver. Why not mandate world wide cooperation on environmental protection laws instead of going straight to nuclear weapons?
By the time we reach the point in the story where humanity is surviving by going 78 MPH as a convoy the logistics made it hard to fathom. This is unfortunate because the interior artwork is stellar. Up to that point it was able to carry the load and keep the reader going, “I’m with you”. It’s vivid and has terrific coloring.
The cover artwork originally had made me think that this was a story that was similar in nature to “Gone in 60 Seconds” or part of the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Instead it’s a mashup of “Speed”, “Weird Science”, and the worst parts of the Bible.
As a geek on a budget I like the concept of “78 MPH”. I loved the artwork. I just have too much difficulty getting past the logistics and probabilities of survival on a planet with 900 degree surface temperatures.
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