Review by Frank Plowright

There was a time when races were the biggest game in town, featuring souped-up cars driven by bulky robots, but that time passed and the authorities came up with other ways to distract the population trapped within a domed city surrounded by an uninhabitable wasteland. Lupa’s father is trying to rectify that situation, but he’s also uncovered the truth, making him a target and uniting Lupa with surviving robot driver Petrol Head. When the racing fad ended the authorities considered him so insignificant and bulky he wasn’t even worth dismantling for scrap, but as seen by his delicate creation of a robot bird, he’s been thoroughly underestimated.

Rob Williams’ world building for Petrol Head is diligent and credible, with numerous thoughtful creative details adding delight. Who knows what an American audience will make of a Cockney GPS system, but it’s a great idea, and it’s not as if Brits aren’t subjected to endless mythologising of New York and California in US comics. The concept work Williams put in is elevated to an even greater level by selecting exactly the right artist in Pye Parr. The art is astonishing in capturing the sinister controlling aspects of the world and the smash and crash action of car races, yet even that pales besides the design work Parr’s put in. The icing on the cake is the vivid colouring supplying everything with a glow.

There’s no point in introducing the idea of specialist race drivers then sidelining them, so the races may have stopped, but the drivers and cars still exist and we see them in action. This is both in the present and the past. Williams makes good use of brief flashback interludes to build the present, especially that of city ruler O.

As should be the case when race cars are involved, Williams keeps Petrol Head moving fast and Parr ensures it looks amazing. Fun, fun, fun, with more promised for Second Gear.