''Route 666'' is a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

published by American company CrossGen Entertainment starting from July

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

. Written by

Tony Bedard Antony J. L. Bedard is an American writer and editor who has worked in the comic book industry since 1992, and in the video game industry since 2012. His best known video game works include several installments in the ''Call of Duty'' franchise, s ...

and drawn by

Karl Moline Karl Michael Moline (June 26, 1973 – September 11, 2024) was an American comic book artist who was the co-creator of Fray (along with Joss Whedon). He provided the artwork for Fray, as well as the associated Fray-centric story in Tales of t ...

, it was CrossGen's first horror comic venture, and contained a blend of action, menace and humor. It ended at issue #22 in June

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, as part of CrossGen's bankruptcy.

Setting

''Route 666'' takes place on the fictional planet of Erebus in a country called The United States of Empyrean, which mimics the innocent feel and the actual mindset, lifestyles and technology of the USA in the 1950s. A feuding nation, the People's Republic of Rodina, presumably a combination of Russia and China, creating a mood through the book that mirrors the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

between capitalism and communism ('' Rodina'' is

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

for "motherland").

Plot summary

The lead character, Cassie Heloise Starkweather, or Cassie, could see dead people when she was a child, but repressed the ability. As a college student, she finds herself on the run after a pair of dark spirits catches her talking to the soul of her recently deceased roommate and teammate, Helene Mengert, a young Welkin State University gymnast who had been inadvertently killed by a chain of reactions created by Cassie's lack of concentration on a balance beam. Ridden with guilt and declared unstable by a Doctor Melchior, Cassie is dispatched to a sanitorium, Melchior Asylum, where she learns that half the staff is tied up in this sinister conspiracy. There is a war going on in the next world, and agents of "The Adversary", disguised as mostly B-movie monsters or creatures of the local legends, prowl this world to kidnap the souls of people who've died violently. Cassie flees from the monsters, but they manage to pin the blame for the murders on her, so she's building quite a reputation as a psychotic serial killer. Cassie has problems getting help. Most people do not want to admit they are sharing a world with soul-stealing monsters, so they refuse to believe anything Cassie says. One person who does believe her is a psychotic serial killer known as the "Railsplitter". As Cassie flees from local authorities, the National Bureau of Investigation, and her home state of Welkin, she brings misfortune to the small county of Gossmer. Cisco, a local sheriff, recognizes her as the accused murderer reported on the news. Cassie steals his squad car; Cisco wants to give chase in his son's truck, but his son Miguel insists he is the only one who can drive it. While in pursuit, her car loses control and they all crash, leading to Miguel's death. Cisco becomes her most supportive "compadre", and the two are close.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Route 666 (Comics) 2002 comics debuts CrossGen titles Supernatural comics Horror comics