Mike Eakins
From Blue Shift Games comes an all-new comic that builds worlds like no other, Speed Switch! Co-written by Marvel and LEGO game producer, Sen, and Fab Prize award-winning writer Ramzee (Edge of the Spiderverse, FAB, Book 1: Pandora), with art by Shanefaced (Road Knight), this exciting skate-centric Dogtown-style comic follows a diverse ensemble of characters of Sunset City, hungry to survive.
Dodging speeding freighters, crazed space cabbies and sixty million cranky pedestrians is all in a day’s work for Nex, the fastest courier in Sunset City or so he proclaims. But when he discovers that his long lost sister, Ezri, is the newest contestant on Speed Switch: a no-hold barred, high octane, extreme race to the death that claimed his parents, he has to find his way into the race. But that’s just half his problems because it turns out that there’s more to this sport and his parents deaths than meets the eye as we follow Nex and Ezri on a twisty thrill ride of mystery and exciting sci-fi action.
“I loved skateboarding as a teen, playing games like SSX and Tony Hawk,” said Sen. “After 14 years of formulating the story, I reached out to my good friend Shanefaced to help actualize the comic art, while Ramzee helped refine the dialogue for the characters. Although there’s action and violence I want readers to see the different messages we’re sending out there that reflect the issues we see in society today: racism, poverty, government, conspiracy and technology falling into the wrong hands. I hope it’s a collaboration folks enjoy!”
“When Sen brought me this project, I was blown away by the characters, world and lore that he created,” said Ramzee. “It struck me as a cyberpunk Speed Racer in how skillfully braided its dystopian world of The Have and The Have Nots with all the high stakes and high-octane thrills and spills of futuristic racing. Under Sen’s stewardship, we adapted the story that moves across the pathos of an orphan trying to survive in a grim & gritty world, showcasing the colorful and bombastic art with all the fun splash pages by Shanefaced—a talent to look out for—with thrilling page-turns I could muster. The world of Speed Switch is vast and ripe with possibilities.”
“Sen told me about this project back in 2016 and I thought it was a great idea!” said Shanefaced. “A lot of thought has gone into the world building and designs, the different factions of how they look and live. With Ramzee’s amazing storytelling it brought it all together in this comic. I hope readers enjoy the dynamic angles and bright bold colors along with the sentimental moments our protagonist goes through on his journey!”
For fans of The Warriors and Jet Set Radio, Speed Switch takes off Oct. 28th, and is now available for preorder in limited quantity! Sen will be in attendance at MCM Comic Con in London, UK, (Oct. 28 – 30), Artist Alley table #G-08. Fans can also follow the journey on Twitter!