Tomorrow sees the release of Motor Crush #1 from Image Comics, dreamed up by the same creative team that rejuvenated Batgirl by giving her a stylish new look and relocating her from dreary Gotham to hipster-chic Burnside. Now, Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr are taking readers to a world where motorcycle racing is the world’s most popular sport and everything pulses with neon colors.
“We’re really proud of our Batgirl run. I think we’re carrying over a similar sense of style, not just in the art but in the storytelling,” Fletcher told us in an interview with the team. “Cameron’s action-packed layouts are back and more dynamic than ever and Babs’ art feels like it comes from the same place as her work on Batgirl but cranked up to 11 -- more imaginative, more colorful, bigger, bolder, better. It’s everything we were doing before but with fewer restrictions in place.”
Art by Babs Tarr. (Image Comics)
After the trio realized how well they worked together on Batgirl, Fletcher dusted off an old idea that was originally a kids animated show and used it as the basis for what would become Motor Crush, although with its main protagonist smashing opposing racers with a bat blossoming with bent nails, it’s certainly not for children anymore.
The comic gets its title from a “machine narcotic” called Crush that can give engines a wild speed boost. Main character Domino Swift races competitively during the day, but at night she burns rubber in illegal street races trying to win tiny vials of the neon-pink drug.
“I remember Cameron saying he wanted the Crush to glow like Kryptonite and I got so excited when he said that and thought I had to make it PINK!” Tarr excitedly recalls. “I just don't think there is enough pink in comics. I'm working hard to change that one panel at a time!
“The ‘glow’ is very much inspired by 80s neon and from movies like Drive and Blade Runner and also just me being overly indulgent with my color palette and making a downtown city glow hot pink.”
The first issue alone features its fair share of high-speed motorcycle chases.
Art by Babs Tarr and Cameron Stewart. (Image Comics)
“I’d point to manga like Akira and Gunsmith Cats as examples of truly stunning and thrilling vehicle action scenes,” said Stewart, who lays out each page before handing them over to Tarr to complete. “I try to create a flow through the page where actions set up in one panel will pay off in the next. It's also about creating a sense of urgency within the story also, so there's a driving force to the action.”
The world of Motor Crush reflects our own, but with a mild sci-fi overlay and an intense obsession with motorcycle racing.
Art by Babs Tarr and Cameron Stewart. (Image Comics)
“We wanted to apply greater gravitas to the central competition of our series so it seemed to only make sense to make the entire world revolve around [motorcycle racing]. Everything else started to fall into place as a result,” Fletcher explained. “When everyone on the planet is obsessing over motorcycle racing it affects the way you dress, how you conduct your day and the way your cities and towns operate. It also affects the way crime works in the world. And the criminal element is one that’s front and center in our first arc.”
Leading a double-life puts Domino into some dangerous situations, but it's who she is on the inside that the team is most interested in exploring.
“Domino isn’t who you think she is. She’s barely who she thinks she is,” Fletcher said. “It’s part of the central conflict of the series. There are a lot of obstacles in the way of Domino achieving her goals but chief among them are her own internal conflicts.”
“This sounds so cheesy but I see a lot of myself in Domino’s personality,” Tarr added. “She's very confident and is good at what she does and knows it but at the same time it's never enough and she wants to conquer more! You'll have to read it and see if she succeeds in the end and gets what she wants.”
Art by Babs Tarr and Cameron Stewart. (Image Comics)
Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
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