Cyrus Perkins and the Haunted Taxi Cab #1 Review - Just for the Hell of it Mondays

One Way Trip

Written by: Dave Dwonch
Art by: Anna Lencioni and Dave Dwonch
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 28, 2015
Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment

The thing I like most about Just for the Hell of It Mondays is that we get to review books that interest us, but may not get the attention that the Big Two's books get.  I'm not saying that we are going to make a difference or turn a book into a hit, but at least the people coming to our site get an idea of what we like besides DC Comics.  Action Labs has a bunch of books that interest me and this is one of them.  Cyrus Perkins and the Haunted Taxi Cab caught my eye when it debuted and now I get to review it for the site.  That's a win for me...but is it any good, you ask?  Let's find out...



Dave Dwonch throws the reader right into the action, that's for sure.  Dying kid, Taxi Cab, Cyrus Perkins...we may be running blind, but I can't say we are running bored...nope, I can't say that at all.  Actually, this beginning played well against the only real thing we know about the issue going in and that's the title, Cyrus Perkins and the Haunted Taxi Cab.  While I can't say that I was sure where we were headed after these couple of pages, I had some guesses.

The issue then goes back to earlier that day where we learn a little more about Cyrus as he talks with fellow cabbie, a mysterious woman named Mors.  Dwonch still isn't giving out much and what we do get is strictly through dialogue, but I have to admit, it really does feel like Cyrus is an old friend already.  After a little taxi can confessions, we see the kid from the beginning get into the cab and away we go.  I don't want to spoil too much here, but this book is not setting itself up as a fantasy where everything is sunshine and happy endings.

The issue picks back up a month later with Cyrus finally heading back to work, but after seeing his old cab (yea, for some reason, his boss gives him the same cab...really?), he has some second, third and fourth thoughts.  Of course, he ends up biting the bullet and heading out in his cab and at first, everything seems normal.  Normal doesn't make a fun comic, though, does it?  The issue ends not with a surprise (I think Cyrus might disagree with that), but with the promise a fun little ghost story that already has hints of a mystery.  

This was a really quick read and it's not because or a small page length.  Dave Dwonch really does a great job setting the mood of the comic as well as making us care for Cyrus right away.  Cyrus' life is presented as a boring, nothing changes kind of existence, but that has all changed and looks to get even crazier from here on out.  This is a really promising start to the series.

I loved Anna Lencioni's art.  She has a clean, cartoony style that was easy to follow and looked fantastic.  Since we are normally a DC Comics review site, I would say that if you like the art in Gotham Academy or Babs Tarr's Batgirl, you will love the art here.

Bits and Pieces:

Cyrus Perkins and the Haunted Taxi Cab #1 is really good start to a series I'm interested in following.  Dave Dwonch uses this first issue to introduce Cyrus and after a couple pages, he felt like an old friend.  We also get the start of the ongoing story and while there are only a few big moments, one of them is a cliffhanger that has me excited for the next issue. Add in Anna Lencioni's great art and I can easily recommend this issue to anyone looking for something between the capes and ultra violence that seems to be the focus nowadays.  It may not exactly be all-ages, but any teen and up comic fan is sure to enjoy it.

8.8/10