Comic Books

‘Petrol Head’ #5 races onward toward bigger, more poignant destinations

The end of the first arc is a proper thrill ride for Petrol Head and company.

March 12, 2024

In my review of issue #4 of Petrol Head, I noted how seemingly breezy it all felt. I mean, there were heaps of emotionally poignant moments (Dave!!) and some truly effective plot stuff as Petrol Head and Lupe made their way closer to the city. But it all happened in a way that felt more like it was about the larger, more rewarding journey than any real “destination.”

And as we round the corner from issue #5 — the end of the first arc — that theme not only remains consistent but it extends and develops in some really powerful ways.

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I guess the way I’m describing everything makes it all feel rather laissez faire, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather, creators Rob Williams and Pye Parr have crafted this book in such a way that we get all the proper moments without it feeling like this overly curated experience where we’re all but directed or pushed toward the big reveals and moments of utmost emotional resonance. Issue #5 is a perfect example of that process, as Petrol Head and Lupa face down some real odds and some similarly big stakes.

I don’t want to spoil too much of this specific chapter, but it’s a masterclass in what this book does best. For one, we get a quick backstory on Petrol Head that reveals some important insights about his place in the robot racing “community,” and that informs why he’s risking his steel hide in the first place. But even that’s done in an understated way to give us this moment to engage and reflect on without bogging things down.

We also get similar moments of revelation for Lupa, as she risks her own hide for a fallen friend, and even ol’ Satnav Sid gets a chance to play the hero in a neat little moment (where he’s far less the book’s running joke). What all of these instances share in common is that it’s about giving us all of that humanity and drama in a way that honors the underdog spirit of this book, feels tailored to each character’s personality and background, and not only never wastes our time and momentum but operates in a way that feels especially quick and exciting.

And that last bit especially feels especially vital — this is a dang racing book, after all, and to facilitate that “sensation” across the board means that these moments land as expertly as possible while allowing us to feel them for the standouts that they are and not just another roadside attraction to gawk at momentarily. It’s counter to the way a lot of comics try to build toward moments with a certain level of choreography and grandstanding. In Petrol Head, however, there’s a kinetic energy infused that lets us gather at these moments in an appropriate way, and to move on as we want to keep ourselves fully engaged along the way. It’s less a guided experience and more the compelling story that dips and weaves in the best sort of ways.

Variant cover by P.J. Holden. Courtesy of Image Comics.

Are there some downsides to this pacing and approach? Sure. I think some of the moments with the bad guys/The O in this issue maybe felt a little less robust in scope. But then a lot of that may be the kinds of comics we’re all used to reading, and how things slow down for all the “big” moments. In Petrol Head, even the villains’ grand machinations and general posturing are meant to be as streamlined as possible; like the big moments of sentimentality, that keeps them from feeling overly involved or needlessly weight, and that balances action, character work, and other storytelling bits like some Corvette engine of perpetual motion. Sure, it does lend an air of jokiness across the whole book, but then this is a silly, irreverent book, and we ride along at a speed where we’re all in on the gag.

If we’re talking about this book’s energy and prowess, it’s worth touching on the performance of Parr specifically across this issue. In previous chapters, the visuals have been a massive part of the book’s success given just how much life and joy are squeezed into every line and pixel. But issue #5 wasn’t just another green flag-snagging effort from Parr, but something that speaks to what this book is doing really well.

Namely, we get all of that big, over-the-top action, but Parr always finds ways to continually make it novel and inventive. So whether it’s a great angle of a car jumping over the baddies, or interactions between the vehicles and people/robots, I think the art excites just as much as it tries to blur and blend the many ideas and interests of this book. (Which is to say, demonstrating not only heart and drama galore but how these concepts are universal and how that speaks to this book’s exploration of humanity, community, and the search for true meaning.)

And speaking of drama, given the sorts of reveals and overall tension across this issue, the art continued to find new ways to display that with the utmost intensity. So that meant plenty of close-ups of faces brimming with emotion — a real feat given just how many robots were involved — but also contrasting and extending those moments into the larger scenery of this book. That process made everything resonate even more deeply and also found a way to ingrain that larger balance of speed and impact in another way, making this story even more effective than ever and fully aligned across every level. The art always gets big praise for being endlessly shiny, but issue #5 proves that there’s so many layers that work perfectly with the narrative.

We end issue #5 of Petrol Head with some clear direction as Lupa and Petrol Head prepare for the second stage of this race. And while I’m sure that jaunt will have even more action and stakes galore, it was this first book that won me over with its grace, creativity, robust joy, and a deeply inventive way to tell deeply personal stories. Set aside some time (it’s not really that much, after all) to take a ride with this one, and I’m sure it’ll show you exactly what you need out there on the open road.