Speed Racer-ChroniclesSpeaking of Speed, IDW has announced a new Speed Racer comic, written by Arie Kaplan and drawn by Robby Musso.

Fans of the iconic Speed Racer know that the title character can drive-and fast (his car, after all, is named the Mach-5), but fast enough to travel through time?

Perhaps Speed can’t, but his legend is certainly one for the ages. And in January, IDW Publishing will take that concept into overdrive, debuting Speed Racer: Chronicles of the Racer, a monthly miniseries that will expand the decades-old mythos into exciting new directions as it tells the stories of Racers throughout the generations.

“There hasn’t been a Speed Racer in comics at least five years, and we’re taking it in a direction that it has never gone before,” says Chris Ryall, IDW publisher and editor-in-chief. “These stories expand the entire Speed Racer legend. We look at the Speed Racers of the past-incarnations throughout history, from the Roman times to the medieval era, and even the swashbuckling high seas.”



At the same time, fans will get their fix of the Speed Racer cast from the present, including favorites like Pops, Chim-Chim and Trixie. The series, Ryall says, will keep the best of the past by holding onto its spirit of adventure and remaining true to the feel of the old show, but with a more modern buff on its classic chassis.

“The series will be firmly rooted in the present, rather than in the 1960s,” Ryall says. “For instance, Speed’s mom will probably have a job outside of the kitchen.”

Handling creative duties will be animation and screenwriter Arie Kaplan, as well as artist Robby Musso, a fan-favorite from his work on one of IDW’s recent adapted-from-animation projects, The Transformers. Artist and IDW founder Alex Garner provides a special painted cover for the first issue, with Musso’s fellow Transformers artist E.J. Su handling a limited-edition retailer incentive cover.

Originally created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida in the 1960s, Speed Racer became one of the first successful anime franchises to cross over into the United States. Now, following IDW’s Speed Racer debut, a live-action movie of the classic cartoon will hit big screens in May 2008 from Warner Bros. Lionsgate has also announced plans for a new animated Speed Racer series, also for 2008, to air on Nickelodeon’s 24-hour cartoon channel Nicktoons.

1 COMMENT

  1. Why is this the default approach to…everything, these days?

    Speed Racers throughout history? Really? Is “Speed Racer Of The Sea” going to be paddling really very hard indeed?

    I mean, what is so wrong about being the ONLY version of a character? Why is unique so bad?

    I mean, this kind of…aristocratic approach was fine for the bloody Phantom, but everyone and their bloody superpet is part of a dynasty, now. It’s just depressing.

    That said, I wonder who owns the rights to MEDIEVAL LIBERACE?

    //Oo/\

  3. Here, here. Or Hear Hear. Whatever.

    I was always under the impression that the Speed Racer “legend” began with Pops, continued somewhat with Rex (who later became “Racer X”) and then Speed.

    I could see having some fun with this. A story where we meet POPS’ dad and grand-dad … maybe they were stock-car racing in the back roads of Tennessee in the 1930s or something.

    I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more “family history” … but the LEGEND?? Like Matt said, The Phantom has a lock on that.

  4. Well if you missed the previous comics excursion, The 1999 Speed Racer miniseries “Born To Race” by Tommy Yune is fan-freakin’-tastic. It’s been collected… and if you can find the issues, the follow-up series of Racer X written by Yune with art by Jo Chen is just as good.

  5. Sign on an “audio amplifier” (hearing aid) store window:

    Hear here!

    My worry is that, because the comic is coming out from IDW, the comic will be over priced.