Start your engines! By golly gee willikers we’ve got a race for the ages! Can Speed save his father? Will he dig deeper into the death of his brother? Well gee whiz folks, buckle up and tighten those belts because we’re about to slam an accelerator and go high turbo action!
Speed Racer #2 takes place some time after the shocking events at the end of the first issue. Pops is hospitalized and it’s up to Speed Racer to find a way to save his life. Of course it is going to involve racing, but just how will he do it? Through the issue, familiar faces reappear as Trixie is more than meets the eye, Inspector Rokugo begs for caution as more racers and characters are brought to life, no doubt to be recurring characters as the series progresses. Familiar names are cited, giving old school fans a new fresh take on heroes and villains.
Even the vile Dante Ferno gets a makeover into a sinister corporate mogul. It works well to chilling design.
This issue felt, in a positive way, like a manga being brought to life. The announce team for the race are over-the-top goofballs while somehow conveying the deathly serious nature of racing. I believe it shows the range of how creative they can be, with a serious tone of a story while giving reader’s the feel of manga coming to life in anime form.
I love what the creative crew on Speed Racer have done. The first panel is so well crafted. As Pops Racer lies unconscious, the announcer on the TV shouts “The Champion is down!” Wow. This is the sort of design which makes a comic stand out. This is a prime and perfect example of the incredible thought and depth Pepose, Tinto, Lokus, and special shoutout to letterer Buddy Beaudoin on bringing the emotions right out of the starting line.
Race (ha ha) over to your local comic shop this coming Wednesday to grab the next episode of this high-octane series!
