I previously reviewed Miami Vice Remix #1. Spoiler alert: I loved it. A long and unruly wait courtesy of Amazon.com prevented me from reviewing the remainder of the series until now. Learn from my mistakes. Support local comic book shops.
The story deals with an influx of a new drug called “Miami Bath Salts” and the efforts of our unconventional heroes Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs to find the source. Almost everybody who tries the new drug becomes, for all intents and purposes, irreversible zombies. The drug lord is a practitioner of voodoo, and is reminiscent of Disney’s Doctor Facilier, albeit much darker. The five-issue run ends on a cliffhanger, so the issue of whether or not the use of voodoo is problematic is hard to gauge. In fact, the only issue (pun!) I took with the series is the lack of characterization of the Big Bad.
I said “almost everybody” because I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my personal favorite sequence in the entire run. Detective Rico Tubbs trips on the bath salts in a controlled (by the standards of the comic) environment. It is absolutely insane. The narration is simultaneously hilarious and awesome and the art is at its best in the entire series. I don’t want to give any specifics, but that sequence is worth reading the comics alone. Also, I officially claim Disco Psychosis as my next band’s name. None of you can take it from me.
The artwork of Miami Vice Remix is assaulting in the absolute best way. It was the standout of my review of the first issue. If you are a casual fan of comic books and also a fan of NRW, I can’t think of a single better comic to start with. It captures the aesthetic of the scene so perfectly.
As I mentioned, the story ends on a cliffhanger. The ending is mostly satisfying, but does wind up feeling rushed. This is not so much a fault in the writing as much as it’s a fault in the short run. The story demands more than five issues can allow. This could have easily been stretched into a phenomenal ten issues. I haven’t been able to uncover any news of a continuation to the series, but suffice to say I will be pretty bummed if it doesn’t get continued. The story throughout the entire run is full of unexpected turns and never feels boring.
Buying individual comics can be daunting for people who don’t do so often or don’t have any shops near them. The good news is that all five issues will be compiled into a graphic novel to be released in November of this year. I strongly recommend it to fans of NewRetroWave; the pages will sync with pretty much any song on our channel.
