Go, Speed Racer, Go! Go!

This is an official IDW press release:

San Diego, CA (March 25, 2008) - Fans of Speed Racer are about to get a legend for the ages. In April, IDW Publishing will debut the Speed Racer: Chronicles of the Racer trade paperback, which expands the decades-old mythos of the iconic Speed Racer into an exciting new direction as it tells the stories of Racers throughout the generations.

"There hasn't been a Speed Racer in comics in at least five years, and we're taking it in a direction that it has never gone before," says Chris Ryall, IDW publisher and editor-in-chief. "These stories expand the entire Speed Racer legend. We look at the Speed Racers of the past - incarnations throughout history, from the Roman times to the medieval era, and even the swashbuckling high seas."

At the same time, fans will get their fix of the Speed Racer cast from the present, including favorites like Pops, Chim-Chim and Trixie. The series, Ryall says, will keep the best of the past by holding onto its spirit of adventure and remaining true to the feel of the old show, but with a more modern buff on its classic chassis.

"The series will be firmly rooted in the present, rather than in the 1960s," says Ryall. "For instance, Speed's mom will probably have a job outside of the kitchen."

Handling creative duties is screenwriter Arie Kaplan and artist Robby Musso, a fan-favorite from his work on one of IDW's recent adapted-from-animation projects, The Transformers. Artist and IDW founder Alex Garner provides a special painted cover for the collection.

Growing Speed Racer Franchise
Originally created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida in the 1960s, Speed Racer became one of the first successful anime franchises to cross over into the United States. The live-action movie of the classic cartoon will hit big screens in May 2008 and Lions Gate is re-introducing the character in an all-new animated series airing on Nickelodeon's 24-hour cartoon channel, Nicktoons.

IDW Publishing will also release multiple trade paperback collections of the Speed Racer comics from the 1980s and 1990s, available in bookstores when the movie hits. "With this set of comics, fans will get to see a wide variety of Speed Racer styles and art from decades past," says Ryall.

Speed Racer: Chronicles of the Racer trade paperback will be in stores April 2008.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008