Speed Racer #7: A Couple of Emotional Races

Cranum’s vendetta with the Racer family continues in Speed Racer #7. This ongoing storyline is an effective way to further both Pops Racer’s character itself as well as the relationship between him and Speed. That relationship takes a major step forward here as Pops finally does more than simply judge Speed’s choices–he offers concrete reasoning for why Speed is wrong and how to fix the problem. In finally contributing in this way, Pops is established as a valuable character in his own right as opposed to simply a source of conflict for Speed that will have to be perpetually overcome.

Pops and Speed’s conflict in Speed Racer #7 is based around how to beat the G.R.X. engine that Cranum used to win the race in the previous issue. The Mach 5 didn’t beat it then, and there’s no way to make it powerful enough to beat it in the future. This is where Pops’ idea comes in.

Races in Speed Racer have so far been about throwing power against power. When speed isn’t enough, the best cars deploy some kind of technology against each other. Pepose changes things up in Speed Racer #7 by essentially turning the two races into basic races. Pops races Speed, and Speed races Cranum. The action proves to be just as intense thanks to the emotional strength behind each race. That emotional strength elevates these two races beyond all the ones that have come before while also punching up the ending’s power.

Tinto’s art in Speed Racer #7’s race sequences are as high energy as it has been in every race to this point. The lack of strange technology like buzzsaws and bouncing stilts doesn’t make the race cars any less interesting.

The art that steals the show here are the depictions of intense feelings on all the characters’ faces. There are very few panels where Pops and Speed aren’t pushing the envelope on emotions directed at each other. This is especially impressive because Tinto gets a lot of artistic value out of fairly economical line work when it comes to characters. Speed’s feelings are established largely through his eyes and mouth. Pops has some more lines along his cheeks and on his forehead, but even here Tinto doesn’t go overboard emphasizing the character’s age or heavier body type. In an issue that is more dependent on character exploration than most Speed Racer outings, Tinto’s work in this area is particularly effective.

Canola’s coloring is always vibrant. It is always a key contributor to the intensity of any given race. That remains the case here. There are two key races in Speed Racer #7. Canola leans toward a darker yellow, almost orange palette for the Speed/Cranum race. Given Speed’s race strategy and the heat Cranum’s engine throws off, it’s a good choice that highlights that power and intensity of the race between these two cars.

Beaudoin does a good job tying sound effects in Speed Racer #7 to what is generating the sounds in question. With the particular strategy employed in both races, this works especially well, emphasizing the cars’ quick motions.