FCBD – ‘Speed Racer’ #0 Is Going To Go Far

Welcome to the table,

I’m a big fan of chaotically beautiful, brightly colored, and fast paced things. I like them even more when they are anchored with themes like family, personal passion, and weird worlds where everything seems almost normal and aligned with our own reality except for some super strange or off the wall element that sets it apart and opens the door for an unending stream of stories. In the case of the ever epic Speed Racer, it’s this focus on death defying races that somehow define the cultural of this reality and where something as silly as a super fast car with slicing saw blades could easily turn into laughable at best and cringy at worst the pit crew of creative talent that Mad Cave Studios has put together to tell us this turbocharged tail is nothing short of extraordinary.

For the dazzling Free Comic Book Day #0 of Speed Racer we are treated to two stories. The first, titled Welcome to Palm City, is written by David Pepose with art by Davide Tinto, colors by Rex Lokus, and letters by Buddy Beaudoin.

Off the starting line the story kicks off in the fast and frantic race centered Palm City where Speed’s little brother Spritle, in this version of the Speed Racer universe, has made the leap from lovable pain in the butt to lovable pain in the butt with a “viewtube” account. I adore this addition to the characters kit of quirks as it anchors Spritle firmly in the content creator “smash the like button” space and gives an instant exposition excuse to bring the reader up to… speed. I don’t regret that pun.

I swear to you dear reader when Spritle said “He’s a demon on wheels” I lost my ever loving mind. There is so much nostalgia tied up in Speed Racer for me. I was to young to enjoy it as it was coming out, being a person who got to experience it via VHS tapes shared by the elder nerds and random reruns when it was in syndication at hours only myself and the demons who go bump in the night were up. I can recall many a midnight to 3am hour spent watching Twinkle Banks, or Trixy, or Spritle, or Chim-Chim, or hell even Speed get captured only to be rescued before the 20ish minute episode drew to a close.

I never really knew what was happening, or why, I just knew it was bright, fast, and fun and that was enough for me to be enthralled. When I got older I enjoyed many table top role playing games based around fast cars and frantic racing moments who would eventually turn into moments of wheel peeling monkey in the trunk madness driven by the need to be the fastest and have the most fun.

The second story, titled Life Is Cheap, Racing Expensive, is focused on Racer X and is written by Mark Russell, with art by Chris Batista, inks by Sabrina Cintron, Colors by Carlos Lopez, and letters by Buddy Beaudoin.

This torqued up tail follows Racer X fighting sword wielding motorcycle racers with an $18 rusty chain. I mean… come on people that alone is such a delightful setup and would have, back when I was able to get to a local comic shop, sent me to my car to drive to the shop and immediately pick up the issue if I had not done so already.

Not only do we get X fighting some assassins goons, we get to see the Mad Cave universe version of the Shoot Star! For those not locked in the ways of Speed Racer, please join me in my delight. Speed Racer’s car is the Mach Five, an absolutely timeless and iconic design recognized on sight by a whole slew of people across the globe.

Racer X’s car is known as the Shoot Star and it is, at least to me, is only ever so slightly less iconic and the Mad Cave universe version of this brilliantly designed four wheel machine of metal and might has all the hallmarks of the original with slightly updated proportions to adhere to the more realistic aesthetic of the story world.

The Speed Racer comic from start to finish has nothing but heart. It does not take itself to seriously but dances between the outlandish and the grounded in a way only a comic about cars with wacky enhancements and deadly assassins can.

There are for sure chaotic moments where cars drive upside down and deploy jumping pegs and spinning death blades and each time I turned the page I was greeted with another moment that made me grin like a goofball and say “YEAH!”

I cheered at a comic and that should be a strong indication of how much fun this book actually is. It is one of those laugh out loud, feel good comics that I for one can’t wait to get the next issue of. This book is for sure on my “read it the day it drops” list and will be as long as Mad Cave keep making them.

Until next time, Go Speed Racer! Go Speed Racer! Go Speed Racer Go!