Motor Crush, Vol. 1

The creative team behind a successful Batgirl run reunite for the thrilling story of foxy motorcycle racing phenomenon Domino Swift. She competes in the prestigious World Grand Prix by day, and at night she battles rival bikers in an ongoing conflict over Crush, a valuable and rare engine-boosting stimulant. This series, a spiritual successor to Speed Racer’s rubber-burning mayhem, is packed with fun characters, visceral high-speed action, romance, and a general sense of unbridled action. The whole package is worthy of note, and Stewart and Tarr’s art really grabs the reader by the eyeballs. It’s heavily animation-influenced and practically leaps off the page. A number of comics have attempted to evoke the edge-of-your-seat allure of racing combined with a strong narrative; most have come up short, but this must-read gem makes it work. (June)