In a climate crisis-ravaged future, an old hotrod-racing robot finds himself without a job. Find out the adventures of Petrol Head in Petrol Head #1 by Image Comics!
PETROL HEAD #1
Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Pye Parr
Colorist: Pye Parr
Letterer: Pye Parr
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 8th, 2023
Previously in Petrol Head: Check out this new series featuring the tropes of a destroyed world where humans must live in a dome to get fresh air.
Petrol Head #1 starts with a premise of the world. Once upon a time, robots were created to drive hotrods as entertainment. These races were highly scripted, and the robots who often won were fan favorites. The robots were also programmed to experience the trauma of crashes and the excitement of victory. Petrol Head is one of these racers, but he was always prevented from winning since he wasn’t popular. Eventually, due to the emissions from the vehicles, hotrods were made illegal.
In the present day, a scientist and her daughter are running from the government. The scientist seems to have a way to improve the air quality and heads into the smog zone hunted by robot policemen. They run into Petrol Head, who is illegally building a hotrod. When the police notice the violence that the policemen are showing to the 12-year-old daughter, Petrol Head helps them escape by driving the hotrod to safety.
I have always been fascinated with non-human main characters. Petrol Head is a robot, and I have no business relating to a robot as a character. But this idea of a grumpy, obsolete piece of machinery had so much humanization that I was immediately drawn to Petrol Head #1. As a writer, I often struggled with non-human characters and making them relatable. When I picked up this book and read the solicitation, I thought I would be most attached to the child. But I appreciated the setup of the world and this characterization. They say a good story has equal parts plot, character, and setting that are held together through engaging conflict. Within this first book, I got all those things with solid pacing and intuitive storytelling.
On top of the excellent writing, the art was great on the page. I got the chaos of the world through the backgrounds. The robots look good on the comic page, and then the orange and brown filter shows how bad the air quality is. Great work here, as well.
I am intrigued. This book has excellent writing and great art and appeals to my brain as a casual reader, an academic, and a comic book reviewer. I want to know more and hope that future issues can keep up this pace. While there isn’t such a perfect book, this checks off all the boxes of what I want from a story. 5 out of 5 stars for Petrol Head #1.
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Petrol Head
Petrol Head #1 checks off all the boxes of what I want from a first issue with great skill and finesse.
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com