REVIEW: Miami Vice: Remix #2

STORY BY:Â Joe Casey
ART BY:Â Jim Mahfood
PUBLISHER:Â IDW Publishing
RELEASE DATE:Â Apr 22nd, 2015

Who didn’t want to be Crockett or Tubbs back in the day? Party all night, hang out with babes, drive fast cars all whilst decked out in cool clothes with a banging soundtrack to accompany your fast life. This comic from IDW tries to recapture that vibe, with loud colours and art that takes some getting used to.

Crockett and Tubbs are searching for Lt. Castillo’s daughter who appears to have fallen into the wrong crowd and become a package in what you have assume is a prostitution ring. Along the way, we get undercover plays, deals being made, an attack on Elvis (the alligator who lives on the St Vitus Dance used to be a mascot for Crockett’s alma mater football team, the Florida Gators……I am since a geek!) and a zombie attack.

The book is paced pretty much like the show, containing language that you would’ve expected to have heard if it wasn’t Â a mainstream show. Joe Casey’s plot holds up well with the various threads all getting some attention and from the get go, you feel invested Â in the main case. Where the strain begins to show is the zombie story, which seems a little high-profile for two undercover cops to get involved in.

Now the art. This is the first time I spent time looking at Jim Mahfood’s work. I think I need to take a couple of aspirin and go and sit in a dark room. To say it’s loud is an understatement. The colours contrast with the heavy inks with panels per page the only real attempt at control. Mahfood could be said to be channeling his inner Skottie Young but for the most part it works, fitting in with the feel of the book well. My only concern is that if you have to point out where a character is in a panel, you may have taken the crazy just a tad too far.

The book won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s loud, chaotic and brash. But if we all liked the same things life would get pretty boring. For me, I am more than happy to head into the remix again, but next time will definitely bring the Ray-Bans.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Check out the trailer,Â Starring Jim Mahfood.

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network