SPEED RACER #0 / Scripts by DAVID PEPOSE & MARK RUSSELL / Art by DAVIDE TINTO, CHRIS BATISTA & SABRINA CINTRON / Colors by REX LOKUS & CARLOS LOPEZ / Letters by BUDDY BEAUDOIN / Published by MAD CAVE COMICS

Palm City is a paradox. It is a town whose economy is built on street racing , despite being technically illegal. The cops are on one side, trying to maintain order. The gangs are on the other, trying to turn a profit. And in the middle of it is one racer – the racer simply called Speed.

The new Speed Racer revamp from Mad Cave Studios doesn’t try to hide its influences. This is the classic manga/anime, run through the spectrum of the Fast and Furious films. Racing is still the name of the game, however, even with kid sidekick Spritle aged-up and acting as his big brother’s pitch-man and social media manager.

David Pepose keeps the story moving, while deftly avoiding the question of just how Palm City is built around racing while still employing squads of cops dedicated to stopping it. Is it to add to the thrill of the sport? Or is it just another example of government spending gone awry?

Who cares?! This is Speed Racer!

Pepose is wise enough not to sweat the details and focus on the action. Action that runs on all eight cylinders thanks to Davide Tinto and Rex Lokus. Tinto’s art style evokes classic racing manga like Initial D, but with greater depth thanks to Lokus’ colors.

The back-up comic gives Racer X a similar upgrade. In the original Racer X, was Speed’s older brother Rex, who faked his death so he could become a great racer independent of his father’s influence. Yet he couldn’t forget his family entirely, and kept showing up to save Speed at the cost of his own fame.

The new Racer X does the same thing, but is presented as more of a vigilante than a rival racer. Mark Russell’s introductory story finds him fighting a gang to get to the professional assassin hired to end Speed Racer’s career for good. As in the main story, the focus here is on the action rather than the logistics of how Palm City works. Given the writers involved, however, such analysis will likely come in later issues.

The classic manga influence is even more apparent in the backup story’s artwork. Chris Batista and Sabrina Cintron lean heavily upon speed lines and exaggerated proportions. This works well, and the colors by Carlos Lopez are well done. And yet it still seems odd to see this sort of thing in a colorized American comic.

Odd it may be, but Speed Racer #0 finishes in first place. This is a modernized revamp done right, by every reasonable standard. It is action-packed and thrilling, while still honoring the source material.

Speed Racer #0 will be available in comic shops everywhere on May 3, 2025.