Drive: Act Four

Drive #4

by Dave Kellett

The tide of war can not be stopped. The two greatest powers of the galaxy - the Vinn and the Continuum of Makers - are crashing down on humanity at the same time. But the tiny scout ship Machito has found a sliver of hope: on the isolated planet Astheet, lives a species who evolved to "see" gravity. It was their one defense to survive the beastly forests in which they live. But can the Machito recruit them to pilot humanity's warships.. before time runs out?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

286 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2025

About the author

Dave Kellett is the cartoonist of "Sheldon" (http://www.sheldoncomics.com).

Reviews

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth collected volume of the fab webcomic Drive follows on immediately from where the last one left off. The story is starting to get long and sprawling, with multiple storylines following different factions, each with their own agenda. The heart of the story is always the Machito and her crew. Here they finally make it to Skeeter's homeworld and help him recover his memories. But amongst that, there are the stories of Ahmis the renegade Maker, the Fillipods, the Spark of Thought, and several others. I imagine that they'll eventually all come together, probably with many explosions.

I'm still following the webcomic as well, but it only updates once a week, which makes for a slow paced story. That makes these collected volumes all the more welcome, as they let you read large chunks of story in quick succession.

I'm not sure how much of the story remains, but it does sort of feel like various threads are starting to pull together. But at the slow rate of updating, it'll probably be years yet before it's done. That doesn't stop me from enjoying these little bursts every so often though, and, unless it goes full grimdark (looking at you, Saga), I'll continue reading through to the end.

[Elena Gaillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I wish more people knew about DRIVE!! it's my favorite sort of science fiction, that a terrific mix of danger, humor and derring-do, just enough tragedy salted in to keep the stakes high for everyone. This installment continues the multiple story lines, of the Machito seeking Skitter's people while Los Primos seek cosmic answers and the Fillipods cope with their shattered planet and advancing plans, and the Makers cope with...a lot of shattered history and lore.
The art is wonderful, just the right amount of cartooniness and realism combined.
You really must read this series from the beginning to appreciate this portion. DO IT.

[David H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can hardly believe I've been reading this webcomic for over 15 years. It's got so much cool stuff in it, but I love the story, the art, the characters, the humor, and every so often Kellett can give me a gut punch like Skitter's story on Astheet in this volume. I love Skitter, Nosh, and lil Vinnie, but the Fillipods are the greatest aliens ever created!

[DonKelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I glommed onto Drive after listening to Dave and Brad’s podcast. Tried the webcomic but kept getting sidetracked. Finally did the kickstarter for Act 4 and have read through everything. NOW I can start Act 5 online until that kickstarter comes ‘round.
If you haven’t read this strip I highly recommend you do. It’s great sci-fi! An Expanse type story spanning the known universe.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story full of jokes and zany characters. The author's notes at the end admit that he often writes himself into corners just to see how "Future Dave" will get him out of the situation. This does show a bit in the writing but it's a good time nevertheless. An appealing mixture of compelling art and a story that makes you want to keep turning the pages. A quick read.

[DW Rowlands · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didn't mean to spend three hours this morning and afternoon reading this, but I evidently did.