Speed Racer #10 Review
Speed Racer #10 by David Pepose (W) and Davide Tinto (A), is an action-packed racing adventure comic book for fans who grew up on re-runs of the celebrated cartoon. This issue specifically takes Tatsuo Yoshida’s beloved creation from its (let’s be honest here) two-dimensional anime 1960s anime campiness and injects issues of career failure and the feeling you’re losing a loved one to substance abuse. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun comic book issue, serious when it needs to be and delivers on a redemption arc which takes most comic book creators 6 or 7 issues to hit the right note.
The story kicks off with Trixie, deep in thought, and worrying about Speed‘s upcoming race through an active volcano. A race which Red Dragon thinks he’ll ace with absolutely no worries whatsoever, as he tells a nearby reporter during an interview. When Speed Racer confronts him, it becomes quite clear that Speed is out of his mind and is willing to do whatever it takes to win.
MORE COMICS: Review – Red Sonja Noir: The Plunder & The Princess #1
Verbosely sweating, we get the feeling that he’s hooked on some kind of drug. A drug revealed to be V-Gas, thanks to Racer-X, during a confrontation in Speed’s workshop. It’s during this confrontation that Racer-X tells Speed about his own experience with V-Gas and how he the drug can cause increased aggression and the need to take unnecessary risks. That Speed has a problem and needs to deal with it, especially as he starts to withdraw. Ignoring the warnings, Speed strikes Racer-X in the jaw, laying him out on the floor. It’s this moment that sets up the scene of the three drivers racing through the live volcano.
David Pepose sets up the volcano race as the moment where Speed’s withdrawal hits it’s peak. Driving erratically, he begins to endanger the other drivers. But it’s thanks to a quick intervention from Trixie that Speed is brought to reality and how much of a bastard he’s been to those he loves and his fellow racers. There’s some real heart in this scene as Racer overcomes the adversity of his own problem. Leading to a quick response that saves one of the other drivers from plunging headfirst into a pool of melting lava.
MORE COMICS: Review – A Ghost Arm Made Of Angry Ghosts
The danger of the volcano allows the anime-influenced artwork of Davide Tinto to really sing. There’s a real threat to this scene. One that feels like a fresh injection of non-stop adrenaline. This tenth issue of Speed Racer is high-octane thrill-seeking fuel. While Jao Canola’s coloring is so vibrant you’d swear the lava is heating up the comic book right in your hands. Because of all the action, Buddy Beaudoin is given free reign to play with a lot of colours and different speech bubbles. Resulting in the kind of lettering that really finds its voice and doesn’t get lost in the mad rush through the volcano and ensuing chaos.
Despite Speed Racer Issue #10 being well into the series, this wouldn’t be the worst jumping-in point. This comic book issue has the right level of action and adventure mixed through with a serious tone that attempts to address substance abuse problems and the stigma that comes with them. In an intellectual property known for its fun moments, it’s great to see Pepose introducing harder themes to adults who would’ve grown up on the Speed Racer reruns. I just hope Racer’s issues are tackled further in Issue #11 as I’d hate to see substance abuse watered down into a flavour-of-the-month trope to be overcome in 30 pages or less.
Score: 9/10
About Speed Racer Issue #10
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Davide Tinto
Colorist: Jao Canola
Letterer: Buddy Beaudoin
Editors: Sarah Brunstad & Chas! Pangburn
Book Design: Diana Bermudez
Book Production: Alexandra Colorado
Cover Artists
Cover A: Alessio Zonno
Cover B – Connecting (Retro Series): Jesse Lonergan
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Release date: July 7th, 2026
Read Speed Racer #10
More in Comics
