Racer X #4
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Nuno Plati
Colorist: Giada Marchisio
Cover: Francesco Tomaselli
By the time Racer X #4 rolled around, I realized something important: this series is not interested in being flashy "comfort food." It is not trying to coast on name recognition or nostalgia, and it definitely is not interested in reassuring the reader that everything will work out if the engine is tuned just right.
This issue makes that clear in a way that feels deliberate, a little cruel, and honestly refreshing. Racer X #4 is heavy, tense, and emotionally sharp; it solidifies the series as something darker and more morally complicated than I initially expected. It is also altogether different from what the Speed Racer title is, despite the same events unfolding. I have enjoyed the series from the start, but this is my favorite issue so far.
The Road So Far
Speed Racer neck-and-neck with the Black Jaguar.
The first three issues of Racer X established a world where racing is not just competition but leverage. Power brokers, corporations, and criminal organizations all treat the circuit as a battlefield, and Racer X exists uncomfortably in the middle of it. He is not a clean hero, and he is not pretending to be one. His motivations are tangled up in revenge, guilt, and a sense of familial obligation that feels heavier than heroism.
Earlier issues focused on setting that tone. We saw how Racer X operates in the shadows, how information is just as valuable as speed, and how the races themselves are often secondary to what is happening around them. The series also made it clear that alliances are temporary and transactional; even moments of cooperation feel like they are built on borrowed time.
What I appreciated most about those early chapters was their restraint. They did not rush to explain everything; instead, they let the unease linger. Racer X’s relationships—especially his distance from Speed and the rest of the Racer orbit—felt intentional rather than underwritten. By the time Issue #4 begins, there is already a sense that something is going to break.
Issue #4 in Focus
Speed Racer and the Mach 5 defend Racer X and the Shooting Star.
Issue #4 opens with momentum and never really lets up—but not in the way a traditional racing comic might. Yes, there is speed, danger, and spectacle, but the tension here comes from intent rather than velocity. Racer X is not just racing to win; he is racing to survive a system that has already decided what role he is meant to play.
The race itself is brutal. There is no romance to it and no sense of fair play. The C.A.T. Team’s tactics are openly malicious, and the issue refuses to soften that reality. Sabotage is expected, and violence is implied. Every turn feels like a calculation regarding what Racer X is willing to lose in order to keep going. When Speed enters the equation, it does not feel like heroic reinforcement—it feels like an added complication.
That is one of the smartest choices this issue makes. Speed Racer’s presence adds emotional weight rather than reassurance. You can feel Racer X pulling inward, keeping information close, and refusing to fully trust even someone who should represent safety. Their family history hangs over every interaction, and the silence between them says more than any exposition could.
The cliffhanger-esque ending is effective because it is not about spectacle; it is about consequence. The issue ends with the sense that whatever happens next, Racer X will not be able to walk away unchanged. There is no clean exit here.
Emotional Undercurrents
Racer X leaves flowers for Pops Racer.
What surprised me most about this issue is how emotional it is without ever tipping into melodrama. Racer X is clearly exhausted—not just physically, but morally. There is a weariness to his internal choices that makes him feel less like a masked avenger and more like someone running out of justifications.
There is an undercurrent of isolation that runs through the issue. Even when Racer X is surrounded by people, he feels alone. The series continues to emphasize that secrecy is both his weapon and his prison; the more he knows, the less he can share, and the heavier that burden becomes.
Speed’s involvement sharpens this theme. Their dynamic is not nostalgic or comforting; it is strained, cautious, and unresolved. That tension gives the issue "emotional teeth" and reinforces the idea that this series is less about racing glory and more about what prolonged conflict does to people.
Art and Atmosphere
Speed Racer and Racer X take out Kim Jugger and the Black Jaguar.
Visually, Racer X #4 is stunning in a grounded, purposeful way. Nuno Plati’s art does not romanticize the races. His panels are tight, sometimes claustrophobic, emphasizing how little room for error exists. Motion is conveyed through framing and perspective rather than excess speed lines or exaggerated effects, which makes the danger feel more real.
The darker tone of the series is fully supported by the artwork here. Shadows are heavy. Faces are often partially obscured. The world feels grimy and transactional, like everything has a cost that will eventually come due. This visual approach perfectly matches the emotional weight of the story and reinforces that Racer X is operating in a morally compromised space.
The color choices of Giada Marchisio deserve special mention. Her palette leans toward colder hues, punctuated by harsh highlights during moments of danger. She keeps the book from feeling flashy and instead makes it feel tense and controlled.
Rating and Final Thoughts
Racer X #4 is the issue that convinced me this series is playing a long game, and it is willing to make the reader uncomfortable along the way. It deepens the central character without over-explaining him, escalates the stakes without resorting to cheap twists, and continues to carve out a darker identity that separates it from traditional Speed Racer storytelling.
This is not a book about winning races; it is a book about what it costs to keep running.
Rating: 8.5/10
If the series continues to lean into this emotional and moral complexity, Racer X may end up being one of the most interesting reinterpretations in the Speed Racer universe. Issue #4 does not just move the plot forward—it tightens the screws, and it does so with confidence.
And honestly, I cannot wait to see how badly this is going to hurt before it gets better.