Review by Frank Plowright
The futuristic island city of Crankcliff is not only separated from the mainland by water, but also by attitude. Rather than be overwhelmed by technology there’s a conscious choice to do things more simply, but the one exception is kids building their own racing boats. There’s a lot of water surrounding Crankcliff, and they make the best use of it.
Al, though, is different. He’s perfectly happy using his talent for technological engineering to design boats, but isn’t greatly interested in racing them. In fact he’d rather stay out of the water altogether. Stories are told of a creature called the Waobuzz, and while the older kids believe it’s just a legend intended to keep the kids away from the open sea, Al still believes it’s real. His mate Meddleman is sceptical, and more interested in trying out for the local professional Water Racing team.
It’s endearing to read that Mike Schwartz plotted Water Racers with his children. Children’s imagination is a vast untapped resource for writers as their minds head off in directions no adult would ordinarily consider, and those ideas can be brilliant. Additionally, some of the craft seen on the sample art were based on Lego designs Schwartz’s sons supplied. Schwartz surely supplied the focus, though, and definitely supplied the lush art. There’s an intuitive sense of colour, the storytelling is absolutely clear, and the character designs have that necessary all-ages appeal. While the focus is on Al and his friends, there’s always plenty to look at in the surroundings, and Schwartz ensures the action scenes are thrilling and gloriously choreographed. For the special moments there are spreads, and there’s even a set of action card stats.
Water Racers is Al’s coming of age story. He’s able to combine his technological engineering with a greater confidence and the finale is the Mangrove Jump 300 tournament pitting racer against racer with plenty of surprises along the way. Original, resolutely good-natured and with widespread appeal, you’re advised to pick up the self-published Water Racers while copies remain at www.mikeschwartzart.com/store.
