For decades, Wacky Races has entertained audiences with its madcap vehicular chaos, over-the-top characters, and a sense of adventure that transcends generations. Now, thanks to writer Ivan Cohen and artist Mariano Benitez-Chapo, the beloved franchise is back in Giant-Size Wacky Races #1, a high-octane one-shot hitting shelves on April 9.
Featuring three thrilling chapters, the book brings together fan-favorite racers like Penelope Pitstop, Peter Perfect, and Dick Dastardly, alongside some exciting new competitors.
I sat down with Cohen to discuss his approach to revving up Wacky Races for a modern audience while staying true to the original’s zany spirit.
A Classic Revamped
Updating a property like Wacky Races presents a unique challenge: how do you modernize it while keeping its nostalgic appeal? For Cohen, the answer lay in creating a world that’s fun, fast-paced, and just a little bit more grounded than its animated predecessor.
“Finding a way to modernize Wacky Races for a contemporary comics audience took some thinking, for sure,” Cohen explained. “I wanted to bring the wild and even outright bizarre elements of the original into something that would feel believable in the 21st century. Giant-Size Wacky Races #1 doesn’t exactly take place in our ‘real’ world, but it does take place in a hopefully familiar one. And while this isn’t Wacky Races: Year One, we do try to give a sense of who these racers are when they aren’t behind the wheel.”
Pro Wrestling, Action Films, and a Hint of Furiosa
While Cohen has worked on numerous iconic properties, from Batman to Scooby-Doo, Wacky Races allowed him to blend his love for multiple genres, particularly the over-the-top drama of professional wrestling.
“It seemed to me that the idea of over-the-top/silly characters in strange outfits and stranger vehicles worked really well in a pro-wrestling structure, with ‘faces’ and ‘heels,’” Cohen said. “Adding cars into the mix, the NASCAR and Formula 1 circuits—especially with the role sponsorships play there—spoke to me as a cool element to layer over the classic characters. And then, of course, action films like Furiosa inform the tone only so far as having a hard-driving lead female character, with Penelope Pitstop filling that role in a way that I think readers will love.”
Courtesy Dynamite
Penelope Pitstop Takes Center Stage
In Giant-Size Wacky Races, Penelope Pitstop takes the wheel as the lead character, with Peter Perfect and Dick Dastardly playing key roles in the new high-stakes world of racing.
“Peter Perfect is a legendary driver who’s now something like this sport’s Vince McMahon,” Cohen revealed. “He runs the races, but you’ll also see at least a little of him in his prime. And Peter’s plans for the Races lead him to take a personal interest in Penelope Pitstop, who’s our main character.”
As for Dastardly and his ever-loyal canine companion, Muttley? “Dastardly and Muttley—who start here as competing racers and are paired up in the course of the story—are Penelope’s fiercest competitors, for sure. And they definitely don’t hold back on the racetrack.”
A Fresh Roster of Racers
Beyond the familiar faces, Cohen and the creative team are introducing new racers, each with unique vehicles and backstories.
“There are definitely some new racers in the mix: among them, we probably spend the most time with a guy named Alan Wrench, whose car, the Skürn, is sponsored by a company that’s not at all like IKEA,” Cohen teased. “There are also a bunch of other new racers and cars that reflect businesses that I think would be ideal sponsors for events like this: big pharma, consumer phones and computers, a science-fiction movie… it was a really fun way to populate the world while saving some classic favorites for future stories.”
Courtesy Dynamite
The Art of Racing
With Cohen’s ambitious vision in place, it’s up to artist Mariano Benitez-Chapo and colorist Nick Caponi to bring the high-speed action to life. The results, Cohen says, are nothing short of spectacular.
“Mariano’s enthusiasm for the original races is infectious,” Cohen said. “He brought knowledge of the cartoon series and classic real-life racers to the project in a way that delivers the iconic characters’ familiar looks alongside new characters with a more contemporary feel while still being cohesive. He and Nick—and terrific letterer Jeff Eckleberry—deliver a modern comics experience with cartoon elements, but it never feels like a Roger Rabbit rip-off.”
A Different Take on Wacky Races
In 2015, DC Comics reimagined Wacky Races in a more dystopian, Mad Max-inspired setting with Wacky Raceland. Cohen’s version takes a different approach, one he believes will resonate more with fans of the original.
“The Mad Max universe is terrific, but I think Wacky Raceland was maybe just a couple of steps too far from what Wacky Races fans were looking for,” Cohen said. “We’ve taken some liberties with the framework and some of the characters, but Giant-Size still delivers a classic Wacky Races-type story. It’s a character-driven adventure, not post-apocalyptic sci-fi.”
The Future of Wacky Races
Though Giant-Size Wacky Races #1 is a one-shot, Cohen hopes it won’t be the last we see of these characters.
“We really tried to build a very full world in Giant-Size, and the extra page count—at no extra cover price, racing fans—let us simultaneously create a world that is full of characters and possibilities while also telling a complete story in case we don’t get to come back for a while,” Cohen said. “It’s a satisfying meal, but I’m optimistic that readers will want to come back to the restaurant again.”
Dreaming of Future Hanna-Barbera Projects
Given the chance to give another Hanna-Barbera property a similar action-packed treatment, Cohen has a few ideas.
“Birdman. 1000%,” he said without hesitation. “There’s espionage stuff and body horror and science fiction all wrapped up in there, plus an eyepatch-wearing spy guy who absolutely isn’t Nick Fury. It would be so fun.”
And in a different vein? “I’d love to do The Jetsons. I spend a lot of time pushing buttons looking at a big screen, so George Jetson feels very familiar in a way he definitely didn’t when I was a kid.”
The Ultimate Wacky Racer
As a parting thought, I asked Cohen what his Wacky Races car would be and how he’d play the game.
“I’d drive a bug-themed vehicle called the FLY-BY-NIGHT, whose antennae would shoot electricity and whose wings would let it fly whenever necessary,” Cohen said. “And I wouldn’t cheat, but I’m not above forming strategic alliances—and breaking them in a hurry—to fly into first place.”
Giant-Size Wacky Races #1 speeds into comic shops on April 9. Buckle up for a wild ride!
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