Crazy Gas

Crazy Gas is another book that I discovered from drivethru comics' new release section.  Nothing identified it as a Canadian production at first glance, I selected it simply because it looked cool.  But in reading the solicitation, one line in particular caught my attention.

Crazy Gas is the story of the super-hero Rambler who is exposed to crazy gas in a fight with the villain Poisoner. The gas starts to drive Rambler insane. As he moves through his city, is he helping it or hurting it?

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Fun fact: Most of the names of the characters in the story are based on the names of towns in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Right.  You don't do that unless you're from the area in questions.  It would be equivalent to me naming characters and locations after towns in Missouri.  Sure enough, I did eventually track down writer Stephen Cadigan and his Twitter account places him in Newfoundland.

Rambler's ongoing struggle to overcome the effects of the gas and retain his sanity is interesting enough, but his relationship with a supporting (at least for now) character named May is intriguing.  May is a former sidekick of The Poisoner.  She has apparently gone straight as a result of Rambler's guidance following her capture.  You get the sense that there's something brewing there but aren't quite sure of the direction it will take.

The book is in black and white.  Whether this is due to a business decision or an artistic choice is unknown to me but regardless, the book probably works best that way.  The coloured cover is sharp, but the black and white interiors help sell the intensity and paranoia in the story.

A special edition with a variant cover includes a preview of the second issue as well.