The O and his robot police are after Petrol Head and Lupa! Can they escape the Smogzone? Find out in Petrol Head #3 by Image Comics!

PETROL HEAD #3

Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Pye Parr
Colorist: Pye Parr
Letterer: Pye Parr
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 10th, 2024 

Previously in Petrol Head: Petrol Head was a hotrod racing robot in a climate crisis-ravaged future metropolis. When the O declared racing bad for the environment, the racers were banished to the Smogzone. Now Petrol Head was illegally working on his own car when Lupa and her scientist father, Linton, showed up hunted by police! Against his judgment, Petrol Head puts them in his car before racing off! During the escape, the police shot Linton, leaving him gravely injured!

Petrol Head #3 starts with a flashback of Petrol Head winning third place in a race. We are introduced to the Chief, Hybrid, and Supercarstar. Hybrid and Supercarstar are rivals, but the latter is a much better racer. In the present, the police catch up with the hotrod and destroy it, but luckily, no one is in the car, as it is a decoy. Lupa takes the mysterious backpack and agrees to go into hiding with Petrol Head while Linton recovers from his wounds. With nowhere else to go, Petrol Head seeks out Hybrid, but the O has other plans. The O sends a reprogrammed Supercarstar after our dynamic duo!

I’m fascinated by the character design choices within Petrol Head #3. The title character, a bulky robot that smokes a cigar, is dynamic on the page. Hybrid and Supercarstar look fantastic, and the details of the Smogzone are engaging to look at. But that is all that this particular issue did for me. The writing made this feel like a middle issue, and the characterization we developed was for multiple side characters introduced in this issue. I don’t have an emotional attachment to them yet, and because of that, I don’t feel the significance of watching them race in the present. I would have rather seen more development of Petrol and Lupa’s relationship, as that is the primary catalyst for the plot. But perhaps that will be saved for another issue, or these side characters will pay off in future comics. This leads us to the common issue of waiting for the trade paperback or reading monthly. Regardless, the aesthetic and style of the Petrol Head title are great, even if this didn’t hit the beats I wanted.

Despite my reservations, I thought Petrol Head #3 was a good comic. I’m still invested in the plot and curious to see where the creative team takes this title. With that in mind, I’ll give Petrol Head #3 4 out of 5 stars, and I look forward to seeing how Petrol Head handles Hybrid and Supercarstar!

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Petrol Head #3

80%

80%

I'm Still on Board

Petrol Head #3 introduced too many side characters when I wanted to see more characterization of the protagonist. Regardless, the concept and art are still worth your money.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  9
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0