Creative Staff:
Story and Art: Pau
Designer: Patrick Satterfield
Digital Art Technician: Ann Gray
What They Say:
Curtiss Hill is a millionaire, philanthropist, and famed dog-racecar driver. On the day before the biggest race of the season, his cat-engineer has gone missing! With his rival planning to steal the race, a photojournalist hot on his tail, and a civil war between the cats and dogs beginning to escalate, Curtiss must uncover the truth behind the sudden disappearance of his friend in a race for life, liberty, and freedom!
* From renowned Spanish writer and artist Pau (The Atlas and Axis Saga, Baboon!)!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Two notable things that the early 20th century is known for are the introduction of cars and the never-ending wars. Pau takes the best and worst of both to create this tale of woes and triumph. Humans are missing but in their place, animals have been personified to take on their traits and dogs stand on top of the food chain. Even among the top of the food chain, there must be one that stands above all. Racing is everything to the people but there is more to life than this simple sport.
That one animal is a dog, Curtiss Hill, a millionaire who spends all of his time being the best racecar driver. Being at the top means being constantly challenged by those below you. All he wants to do is smell the delicacies of the race track and victory. Luckily, Curtiss Hill has the best car mechanic, Dino, at his side to cement his role at the top. One rainy night, Dino disappears to fight in a war. Even though he is painted as the hero, his facade breaks, and his true face is revealed. He has to decide what is important in life and if he can continue with his facade.
Rowlf Zeichner is willing to whatever it takes to beat Curtiss but he’s barking up the wrong tree. Curtiss represents what good sportsmanship looks like while Rowlf takes an unsavory path to victory. Victory is sweet but it’s not the end. His unjust victory means that many victims of war will get a second chance at life. But do the ends justify the means? A person or a dog always has to wonder if they can be a winner by their own skills. This path doesn’t come easy for Rowlf. But that what makes this path so exciting as he seeks to break what is expected of him.
Pau’s art style captures the beautiful aesthetic of the early 20th century. It pays homage to how bright life was in the metropolitan cities. Not only does it captures the majestic style but it also goes down and dirty to pay homage to the hidden side of society. It paints a clear image of how no matter how pretty cities look on the outside, the inner workings are distasteful.
In Summary:
Curtiss Hill is a jack of all trades and master of some. It has exquire characters on top of a thrilling mystery. It touches upon World War I and II to amplify the mystery. War changes everything and it’s intriguing how characters must change to this new development. No character can simply stay idle while a war is raging on. There are times where this book attempts to take on too much and doesn’t deliver on all of them. This is a tale of sportsmanship, love, redemption, economy, war, and it doesn’t know what to do with all of these elements.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 16
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 17th, 2021
MSRP: $19.99
