Review: MPH by Mark Millar and Duncan Fegredo

Title: MPH

Author: Mark Millar

Illustrator: Duncan Fegredo 

Publisher: Image Comics

Date of Publication: May 5th, 2015

Number of Pages: 136

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Summary

Growing up in Detroit, Roscoe and his friends know all about hard luck. But their fates take a different turn when they stumble upon a street drug called MPH - little pills that give them the power of super speed, and the opportunity of a lifetime. Now holding the perfect Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free Card, Roscoe leads Rosa, Chevy and Baseball on a lightning-fast crime spree across the nation. But as a good guy dealt a tough hand, that's not enough for Roscoe. Before long, he and his friends are taking the fat cats for all they're worth, and sharing their take with the masses. But zooming through their riches at super-speed has a downside. The pills are running out, the Feds are cracking down, and a mysterious figure named Mr. Springfield is teaming up with the authorities, claiming to know more about the speedsters than they know about themselves. When time is your only asset, what happens when the clock runs out?

Review

When I first picked up MPH I didn't really know what expect, apart from the fact that it had an amazing cover and an interesting premise. Luckily, I wasn't disappointed at all. This comic is a must-read! You shouldn't be surprised though when you think what Mark Millar has already written, like Kick-Ass, Superman: Red Son and Kingsman: The Secret Service.

This is basically a superhero comic, but it has a realistic twist. Roscoe is a man that grew up in Detroit, is poor and works for a drug dealer. When he ends up in prison someone gives him a pill, called the MPH (does it have to do anything with miles per hour?), which makes him move really fast. The first time he took it, the scene reminded me a little of the scene with Quicksilver in X-men: Days of Future Past. The pill helps him escape the prison  and shows him a way towards a brighter future with his girlfriend Rosa, his best friend Chevy and Rosa's younger brother Baseball. They move in California and they rob banks, knowing that they only have a limited amount of pills available. Roscoe, having it hard all of his life, decides to share the money they had stolen with all the poor people across USA. It's sort of like Robin Hood with a superhuman power.

What makes this graphic novel so interesting is the fact that it feels so real. Roscoe is a man that has always been poor and is struggling to make his life better. Rosa tries to look after her brother, but it's difficult for him to stay away from the gangsters if he wants to survive. The pill offers them an opportunity and they grab it. They would do what every normal person would: they try to make enough money until they run out of drugs. The end of MPH is thrilling. It's one of the best twists and it really made this comic a must-read for me. I won't spoil it though, not even the slightest hint because it's best to be unaware of it, in order to enjoy it as much as I did.

MPH is a graphic novel worth reading. It's fast paced, has a lot of action, and likeable characters. You see the struggle Roscoe makes to be with Rosa, even though he has to go to prison and after that when they do get money and she tells him that this is wrong. Then you wonder if his decision to give all of the money to the poor is genuine or driven only from his desire to satisfy Rosa.

I would recommend MPH to anyone who is interested in comics, I believe that you will enjoy it as much as I did. It's not perfect, by any means, but its good qualities are more than enough to make it a delightful read.

So, my advice is...

Take the pill!