SPEED RACER ADVENTURES VOL. 1

Speed Racer and his crew are on the trail of a suspicious new race entry and face a candy conundrum in Franco's middle-grade graphic novel.

Speed Racer has just won another exciting race, but instead of the press flocking to interview him, they’re chasing down Nole Sauvor, one of the richest men in the world, who’s just appeared on the track to announce his newest product: the Cyber Speedster. The mysterious Racer X has been picked to drive the Cyber Speedster in a special, private race. When Nole offers to let Speed in on the contest, he’s not about to turn him down—it’s a chance to show off his Mach 5 car, to race against Racer X, and to get more brand deals that could help his family keep their motor shop open. But Racer X warns Speed away from the event (“I can’t go into why”), and even Speed’s friend Trixie tells him she’s getting bad vibes from the situation (and from Nole’s behavior). If that wasn’t enough to contend with, Speed’s younger brother, Spritle, is up to hijinks of his own, breaking into Nole’s office in search of the candy that’s made the entrepreneur his fortune. It’s not just candy he finds; Nole has many more secrets locked up in his vault—including a monster. Something suspicious is going on with the Cyber Speedster, the race, and the monster behind the scenes; can Speed secure a victory, solve the mystery, and keep his family’s shop open? In this middle-grade graphic novel, the much-beloved character Speed Racer gets a fresh series start. New readers will find a solid introduction to the character and his team, and longtime fans will not be overloaded with information they already know. The illustrations are rendered in the classic colors—plenty of red, white, and blue—and all the characters are distinct and easy to tell apart. Spritle’s subplot adds an extra layer of Scooby-Doo–level humor to the excitement of Speed’s races.

A fun and galvanizing series-starter starring a classic character for fans new and old.