Villordsutch reviews MPH #1…
“The all-new Millarworld Universe kicks into high gear with the launch of Millar and Fegredo’s fast and furious miniseries. When a group of hard-luck teens in Motor City stumble upon a street drug called MPH, they gain the power of super speed. Will they use it to save the world? Hell no! Not when there’s dolla, dolla bills to be had, y’all. A high-octane urban adventure, MPH brings you super speed like you’ve never seen before! This launch features a variant cover by Jock, a blank cover variant, and a special series of linked cover variants by Fegredo showcasing the book’s cast.”
The above introduction really should have turned me off this comic especially the, “…dolla, dolla bills, y’all.” That grated on the inside of my skull, however the chance to review a new mini-series from the excellent Mark Millar, with the fantastic artistic talents of Duncan Fegredo bringing this universe to life, and I’ll happily believe I’m hip with the jaded X-Generation (or is it the Y-Generation and I’m that far behind?) for the next 30 minutes of reading.
We open with movement. The first superhuman, in the year 1986, tearing up America not with guns or germ warfare but with the heels of his shoes as he attempts to slow down; when our hooded figure finally does slow down and give himself up to the authorities there is no attempt to make any sort of getaway, and it’s here he hands the Police a pill bottle with MPH labelled on the front.Our story then flips forward just under thirty years and we meet our new protagonist, a drug-dealer named Roscoe who has a dream of getting out of it all with his girlfriend and setting up in business selling Property. Unfortunately the occupational hazard of his current role lands him in jail where after a negative turn he comes across a certain pill bottle we’ve seen in the past.
This comic is all rather interesting, but at this moment that is all it is.Its opening and closing scenes made me sit up the most, but we seem to get this a lot these days, especially in television shows (I’m looking at you The Walking Dead). However this is only issue one of five and we are setting up our main player here so it is unfair of me to expect to be gripped instantly.It would be more appropriate to say my curiosity has been piqued and I am very much looking forward to seeing what issue two brings us.
Check out our preview of MPH #1 here.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
Originally published May 23, 2014. Updated January 18, 2020.
