If you’re going to do a proper review, you’ve got to release some of your internal bias. But in the case of Biker Mice From Mars, that’s going to be easier said than done. Because if it wasn’t clear in my interview with writer Melissa Flores, I’m a Biker Mice super-fan — the Stadium Hideout was my favorite toy, and I only recently got rid of a VHS tape with a couple episodes. Biker Mice, for me, was something no one else knew or seemingly cared about, and I could work out all my latent hero fantasies and my social isolation through the adventures of Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie.
So, was Flores (alongside artist Francis Portela, colorist Leonardo Paciarotti, and letterer Taylor Esposito) able to meet my rather lofty expectations, or were the Biker Mice better left back not on Mars but the toy shelves and airwaves of yesteryear?
After issue #1, it’s clear that it ain’t what it used to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad at all.
To some extent, Biker Mice is a lot like the other NacelleVerse titles released thus far — mainly Roboforce — with heavy emphasis on the uber cheesy vibes and kid-friendly storytelling. I get that’s not a bad thing (these books are meant to bridge generational gaps after all), but there’s no denying that these books are even more hokey and simplistic than even some of the original shows on which they’re based. (Or have I just misremembered? Hmmm.) But in the case of Biker Mice, that’s not really a detriment/issue.
Courtesy of Oni Press/Nacelle.
Flores (who has had experience with Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers) approaches this book with a joy and commitment that makes all that overt fun and accessibility seem necessary. She does that by giving us what we need in an origin story: a reason to care, as the Biker Mice are brought into the war against the Plutarkians and are forced to reconcile with how that affects their families. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but it works to plug on our heartstrings and really further the kind of “aw shucks” tone of the NacelleVerse. I found myself rolling my eyes a few times while reading this, but I think maybe that’s more on me than anything with the story itself.
This isn’t my version of Biker Mice, and it’s been translated to a new audience who doesn’t necessarily have the same connections and emotions attached to Biker Mice. Instead, they want something to engage with that’s very much in the bright and lively spirit of the NacelleVerse, and Flores knows that audience well enough to really give them what they want from word one. The dialogue felt a little overly hokey at times, but it was one of those perfectly ’90s decisions that only played up how skilled Flores is in balancing what we need from the OG Biker Mice and still updating it for a younger and/or less knowledgeable audience. If nothing else, this process opens up Biker Mice in a way that still honors the original book’s biggest elements, including the humanity, sense of loss, and particularly hefty level of “xtreme-ness,” but filters it for this audience who partially sees these things as artifacts and not part of their lives.
Courtesy of Oni Press/Nacelle.
On the upside, I think the art team give us something more direct and tied to the OG Biker Mice than what Flores needed to do with the storyline. Sure, it’s not an exact translation — that original series had a more edgy, filthy, and or chaotic style that was 1) perfect for the era and 2) really leaned into the grit (perceived or otherwise) of hog-riding rodents. But I also think that this cleaner, more precise style has a number of really great upsides and incentives, including elevating the premise a little bit (making it feel as hokey as it is but also that maybe the sheer ridiculousness of the premise is sort of the overarching point).
As an extension of that, the art team really try and make this version of Mars feel relatable. We didn’t get vast amounts of backstory in the series, but here we get to see how very Earth-like cities like Brimstone look and feel. And that, surprisingly enough, is a solid idea — it’s how we draw some important early connections to the Mice and their families and how we further see that there’s something larger and more robust behind the team and their sweet, sweet rides. And speaking of their space bikes, I certainly think some of the action here is more robust and crisp than anything we could’ve gotten in the ’90s. Sure, that was a problem for a lot from animation of the time, but there’s a power and energy to, say, a sick fight scene in a canyon that excites my inner child in a way that further addresses (and maybe suppresses?) some of the “complaints” I’ve had with this early chapter of Biker Mice.
Courtesy of Oni Press/Nacelle.
Even some of the more “boring” moments, where the Biker Mice hang with their families, still has that sheen of cinematic drama that makes them compelling (even if they may distract slightly from why some of us came here in the first place). At the end of the day, it really was the art that stoked my nostalgia in a way that primed me for what this storyline was doing and the larger goals of this book. It made that stuff not only land in a way I could accept, but it even treated my own retromania in a way that I was forced to reconcile with those feelings and this idea of moving forward for a more robust and resonant story.
The thing about bias is that it protects just as much as it binds us creatively, emotionally, etc. But I appreciate what this team has done with Biker Mice #1: worked to fully engage old fans just as much as they made us realize it ain’t our story anymore. But I’m more than happy to share this “version” given that it’s the same mix of silly, strange, and surprisingly resonant, and it’s my hope that it stokes the same love I maintained all those years ago. Consider me part of the gang for at least the next leg of our intergalactic journey.
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