SPEED RACER: BORN TO RACE
Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer... in trade paperback!

Writer and Artist: Tommy Yune
Colorist: Matt Milla and Wildstorm FX
Letterer: Ali Fuchs
Trade Paperback
Published by DC/Wildstorm Comics, 2000
$9.95
Reviewed by Christopher Butcher

Being only 22, I do not number among those who can accurately recall the "Golden Age" of Japanese Cartoons from 70's Saturday mornings. I missed GIGANTOR, STARBLAZERS, ASTRO BOY, G-FORCE: BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, and yes, SPEED RACER. I caught a few episodes here and there in repeats later on in life, but I don't have any memories of rushing home after school to catch these shows on TV. But that lack of fuzzy sentimentality did not prevent me from thoroughly enjoying Wildstorm's SPEED RACER: BORN TO RACE, both the original mini-series and the recently released, expanded trade paperback.

Speed Racer (yeah, that's actually his name) is an average kid. Sure, his name is "Speed", but what are you going to do? His older brother races special race-cars that his father and uncle design and build. But the racetrack is a dangerous place, and before you know it his older brother gets blown up by a mysterious terrorist (or does he?), ex-Nazi scientists are supplying his dad with cutting edge engines, and international intrigue pretty much starts hanging out in his backyard. Okay, maybe he isn't all that average.

The miniseries covers Speed's life from early childhood all the way up to the beginning of the animated series. Although it essentially covers entirely new ground, it does hint a lot at the larger Speed Racer mythos that longtime fans will appreciate. But new readers won't feel at all lost in this story; at it's heart it's still an excellent coming of age tale with plenty of action and character interplay. In short, it is a very exciting story that enables new readers to jump right in, and is entirely fulfilling for hardcore SPEED RACER fans.

The writing is solid throughout. Tommy Yune sets up the dramatic tension between Speed's Father ("Pops Racer") and his older idolized brother Rex, both in flashbacks and in expositive captions. This thread of conflict between the Racer Family men is woven throughout the various generations and issues with a deft skill usually unseen in a new writer. Although the story is somewhat straightforward, it's never cliched or obvious, and many twists and turns occur with the various criminal masterminds, traitors, and international agents, making for an engrossing read. This is Tommy Yune's first mainstream work, previously self-publishing the cult-classic BUSTER THE AMAZING BEAR, and if this is what we can look forward to from his future projects, I'll be first in line to pick them up.

"The book just shimmers and shines fantastically."

The best part of the book, however, is the fantastic artwork contained within. The book just shimmers and shines fantastically. The art and colouring imitate a quasi-Japanese animated style, but with a real kick not usually found in books that attempt a heavy Japanese influence. The book just looks fantastic, and although the lighting effects get a little out of hand at points (particularly on the last page of the second issue), they generally only enhance the solid (yet kinetic) artwork.

I simply can't rave enough about how well-composed the art and storytelling were for this book, finding a wonderful balance between strong traditional page layout and the "Image Style" of pinups and poses. The best piece in the book is the fantastically dramatic double-page spread in the last issue. I won't spoil it, but suffice to say it's got all the romance of TITANIC, the wonder of FINAL FANTASY VII, and the action of a $200 million dollar summer blockbuster rolled into one amazing spread.

In retrospect, my only real complaint is seeing the difference in printing quality between the mini-series and the trade. The original issues were printed on Wildstorm's high-quality, glossy stock of paper. For some reason though, the trade paperback was printed on a much more porous paper, and uncoated. For this reason all of the colouring is a lot darker and the contrast is a little strange in the trade. That doesn't mean it's still not brilliant work, but if a little more thought had gone into how the pages would reproduce on the new paper (or DC had just ponied up for glossy stock) it could have been even more enjoyable.

The additions to the trade paperback more than make up for any shortcomings in the printing though. Yes, as is the trend with trade paperbacks these days, new pages have been added from the miniseries. Luckily, they don't really change any of the story. It does expand a crash scene at the end of the story and gives us another great action scene, but nothing that should make you buy the trade if you already own the miniseries.

"All of the background that long term SPEED RACER fans ... will go ga-ga over is included."

What will make you buy the trade, however, are the annotations that series creator Tommy Yune provides. All of the background that long term SPEED RACER fans or any crazy detail freak will go ga-ga over is included. Sadly, they forgot to add page numbers to the trade paperback, so the annotations become more of a counting game than a spot-the-details one. The other additions like new chapter-headings featuring Inspector Detector, an introduction by the original series writer and director, a bunch of info on the differences between the Japanese and English shows, and even the complete lyrics to the TV show's theme song ("Go Speed Racer, GOHHH!") more than make up for any shortcomings of the trade paperback.

In short, this miniseries is a treat for SPEED RACER fans new and old. If you're looking for a rip-roaring action adventure comic with great art and a fun story, this is definitely one for you. If you're a fan of Japanese animation or comics, then this is definitely one for you. And if you are now or ever have been a fan of SPEED RACER, you should not even consider being without this book for one second longer. Rush out to your local comic shop and pick it up today! Adventure's waiting just ahead!

Go Speed Racer, GO!

Recommended.

Christopher Butcher is Editor-in-Chief of PopImage.

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