“Speed Republic” #1 is the first issue a new series from Mad Cave comics that promises high octane thrills in a dystopian get-up, all wrapped in its main character’s attempt to find himself. In a story about a thousand mile long death race, the adage that it’s the journey, not the destination that counts, takes on new meaning. Does “Speed Republic” #1 live up to its promises? The boring but true answer is, sometimes. “Speed Republic” #1 feels like Mad Max meets running man meets Grand Theft Auto meets The Amazing Race. Yes, that’s a lot of things, but that’s because, well, “Speed Republic” #1 is a lot of things that don’t always come together but is never really that bad either.
Cover by Emanuele ParascandoloWritten by Ryan K Lindsay
Illustrated by Emanuele Parascandolo
Colored by Michele Monte
Lettered by Joamette GilIn the future, Europe has united under one man, The Autocrat. He rules the apocalyptic landscape from corporate monopolies with a vision of unity that is gospel to some, but hollow to others. To distract the 99% from their poor and empty lives, they are given the opportunity to compete in the Grand Race. A marathon street race through Europe where only one driver can make it to the end and win a life of luxury.
Our hero, Sebastian Valencia, enters with the hope that winning this race can make up for his wasted past, but along the way he starts to question what kind of future he is actually buying into.
For fans of Cannonball Run and Mad Max.
Let’s take a peek under the hood. “Speed Republic” #1 takes places somewhere in Europe, somewhere in the dystopian future. The world holds on by a brink, water and food supplies are contaminated, illness allegedly abounds, the environment is in disrepair, and an authoritarian ruler known as “the autocrat” runs the show. Each year, a number of drivers (dozens? hundreds? It’s unclear) take part in a 1321 mile long race across Europe, replete with obstacles, checkpoints, tasks, and an anything goes attitude towards rules that makes a bloodbath all but inevitable. We’ll get into the characters soon, but on its face, there are a few things in “Speed Republic” #1, from a world building perspective, that don’t fully add up. As we know, taste is subjective — so it’s not like any of these things are deal breakers, but the incongruity does take away from the story. Remember, whenever the reader spends time confused or questioning the rules of the world, the less time they spend immersed in it.
To start, we’re told some pretty brutal facts about the world, and get the sense that people waste away pretty quickly. Yet, when we see the world and the open road, things actually look fairly, dare we saw, normal. Lush fields, picturesque towns, unruined cities — from a visual perspective, things don’t add up. It’s fine if this incongruence is intentional, but as readers we get no sense that this is the case. On the contrary, the autocrat’s rule is stated very much as a fact of the matter. The fact that the world looks relatively unscathed save for the aesthetically placed animal bones is confusing, especially when we see a overturned water tower with radioactive-green water spilling out of it. If the water is so putrid, why is everything…growing normally? People are apparently going hungry, but a fruit salesman in Paris seems to be harking his wares just fine. We’re also told that this death race is an amazing spectacle, but we’re served no scenes or even indication that the thing is filmed or otherwise seen by the wider world. Maybe this will get cleared up in further issues, but it’s just another moment of incongruence that breaks immersion. One final nitpicky thing: this race takes place in Europe, yet its demarcated in miles, not kilometers. Again, if this gets cleared up later, I’m all for it.
While the above discrepancies take away from “Speed Republic” #1’s overall strength, the story still has its strong moments. Most of this happens in dialogue between the main character, Sebastian Valencia, and various interlocutors he meets on the road and in flashbacks. Sebastian is a haunted man, running from a variety of things: responsibility, family, meaning; the list goes on. He’s smart, quippy, and easy to empathize with. Even if the world of “Speed Republic” #1 doesn’t make the most sense yet, we’re happy to be along for the ride with Sebastian. In particular, the flashback sequence with his family is especially well done, as are his flirtatious conversations with Natasha, a fellow racer he meets at a neutral zone waystation.
Continued belowParascandolo’s illustrations are generally unassailable. Characters are clearly rendered, and Sebastian’s facial expressions accurately give off the aloof yet brooding attitude that define him. The action scenes are also exciting, and given how one-note car chases and car action can be when put on the page, it’s nice to see something more dynamic in Parascandolo’s work. There’s an especially well drawn action sequence at the end of “Speed Republic #1” that involves masked hooligans and a trap feels utterly cinematic in nature. This is when “Speed Republic” #1 is the strongest: during moments when the façade of the story falls away and we see our main character fighting for his life, trying his damn hardest not to be a consequence of the road. Note that above my qualms were with the depictions of the world in “Speed Republic” #1, not the art itself. Finally, if there’s one thing that’s truly top tier in “Speedway” #1, it’s the colors. Monte saturates the world well in heavy blues, reds, and greens. Through color, we perhaps get the clearest sense of the sickliness that permeates the world of “Speedway Republic” #1. The sepia toned colors of the flashback sequence, while simple, also work well.
So what do we make of all this? “Speedway Republic” #1 has an interesting if not novel premise. The characters work well, the plot is relatively clear, but the world itself hasn’t hooked us yet. We’re hoping that as “Speedway Republic” continues its run, we get a better sense of how its world works, what its rules are, and get fully immersed in the process. We want to like “Speedway Republic,” and hopefully a quick tune up in upcoming issues gets us there.
Final Verdict: 7.4. An interesting concept with strong characters and high stakes action that slightly suffers from the ersatz nature of its worldbuilding.
