M1: Monster Racing League #1

Creative Team

writers: LILY WINDOM and ROBERT WINDOM

artist: JAE LEE

colorist: JUNE CHUNG

letterer: JOE SABINO

publisher: IMAGE COMICS

M1: Monster Racing League #1 revs its engine but hesitates at the starting lights. The story of Dev, a Chicagoan high schooler, and her discovery of Tokyo’s underground street-racing scene, has exceptional style, but misses a few marks in bringing the racing experience to panel.

Illustrated by Jae Lee with colors by June Chung, the issue's presentation alone will have readers’ hearts racing. Character designs are sleek, FX are striking, and paneling is creative without undermining readability. All this is elevated by Chung's vivid color palettes: Tokyo’s streets swarm with pink sakura blossoms, and its teal-toned underground flows with bright engine smoke. Environments are imbued with an immediate character through precise and appealing color choices.

However, readers may find it difficult to gauge distances or locality during this issue's major race sequence. The art relies solely on smoke and sound FX to convey motion, lacking backgrounds to establish the racing space. As it stands, this 'underground Tokyo' with its supposedly many tracks feels vacuous and nondescript.

Issue #1 devotes more attention to introducing our main duo than to the titular 'Monsters' or 'Racing League.' It centers Dev, the cool and detached foreign student, and Marise, her chatty and thrill-seeking classmate. Ironically, the present art direction seems better suited to the quiet moments these two share—whether in Marise's cat café or through the blossoming Tokyo streets—than to the screeching racetracks the comic advertises.

It remains to be seen whether future installments will address the racing sequences' sparse staging, and what sort of role monsters play in Japan's underground circuits. But, given the excellent visuals and engaging characters on display, one can't help but hope for the lagging elements to shift to a higher gear.

Final Verdict

M1 Monster Racing League #1 leaves a powerful impression with its bombastic visuals and high-speed action. It feels original and exciting, and sets a solid foundation for issues to come. A perfect read for aesthetes and hot rodders.

Criteria	Score
Writing	7
Story/Plot	7
Art/Line Work	8
Colors	10
Final Score	8/10