[easyazon_link identifier=”B01LZMKHGS” locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Motor Crush #1[/easyazon_link] takes a direction that I wasn’t at all anticipating. The opening pages of the comic read as if it is some sort Speed Racer clone, only on motorcycles and with a female lead.
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The main character is an underrated but talented professional driver, her father is her coach and mechanic, and there appears to be a dopey assistant that works with the family to repair the motorcycles. Minus one kid brother, a monkey, and a long thought deceased brother who doubles as a masked racer this comic seemed to be heading into familiar territory.
That is until you see what the main character Domino Swift does in her free time. Domino engages in illegal street racing, and is perhaps the best racer on the circuit. She races to fuel her addiction to a drug called crush.
This weird drug angle is one that I wasn’t expecting flipping through the first few pages, but it is a welcomed change that adds layers to what at first seemed like a somewhat contrived story.
The story is pretty fun, and the underground bike racing makes for some cool visuals, reminding me of the Road Rage video game series.
Overall, the writing seems ok, it is the type of writing that gets the job done, but it doesn’t feel organic. The characters don’t feel like they have their own voice just yet, besides Domino.
Visually, the comic looks great. Art is done by Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr. It is an Anime sort of style that really seems to work and fit well for the series. Plus each character looks original. Characters have mohawks, weird sort of Captain Harlock hair, and one racer appears to be wearing a muppet mask while he drives.
Perhaps one of my favorite parts of this comic was that each racer when introduced in the series has a win-loss record that is displayed, plus some other general information. This was the sort of stuff I loved growing up when watching anime. Digimon, Pokemon, or just about anything that had some sort of competitive angle to the story had these sorts of meaningless stats that were fun to memorize as a kid. This was a fun little detail that I hope continues throughout the series.
Verdict
[easyazon_link identifier=”B01LZMKHGS” locale=”US” tag=”bounintocomi-20″]Motor Crush #1[/easyazon_link] was a fun read that takes a turn that you might not be expecting. At first it feels as if it is a Speed Racer clone, but then turns into something stranger and much more punk rock. The writing was ok, but the art is where this series really shines.