We are talking with Robby Musso and Lee Kohse, two of the members of the creative team behind Allegory’s new Speed Racer book!
Eric: Thanks for talking with The Pullbox.
Musso: No problem! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk about the project!
Eric: Speed Racer has had multiple versions between comics, books, TV series and even a major film – How is Allegory’s version of Speed different from earlier incarnations?
Musso: Allegory’s version of Speed Racer is remaining extremely faithful to the original animated series, whereas previous comic adapatations were usually a retelling or alternate continuity. Allegory’s Speed Racer ties directly into the original series.
Kohse: Our version is tied directly into Tatsuo Yoshida’s Mach, Go, Go, Go manga and the Speed Racer anime that was based on it. In fact if you read “The Most Dangerous Race” manga and watch episodes 9-11 of Speed Racer (also called “The Most Dangerous Race”), you will see some of those events taking place in our version
Eric: That rocks! So you feel this is an homage to the original?
Musso: Not only is it an homage, but it directly builds on the original works by Tatuso Yoshida.
Kohse: Absolutely an homage. Our vision was to take the classic Speed Racer and build on it. Characters, like Speed’s mom, are barely developed even though they’re in almost every episode, while others had great backstory but are only seen in one or two episodes. Audiences nowadays are more sophisticated and want more continuity and compelling stories than what was standard in the 60′s. Speed Racer had a great foundation, we’re just building on top of it. Taking what Tatsuo Yoshida did and adding new layers of complexity.
Eric: Dealing with such a beloved property as Speed Racer, how are life-long fans reacting to Allegory’s vision of the character?
Musso: As we are among those life-long fans of Speed Racer, we are aiming to make this a series for “us”. Personally, I think fans are going to love what we present.
Kohse: Feedback has been amazing. Even the really hardcore fans are thrilled that we’re not trying to reinvent or re-imagine Speed. We’re taking the stories they grew up on and giving them more of it. Filling in holes in the stories and events from the series. We even tie in some of the Japanese continuity into our version. Why is there a big “M” on everything? In the original Japanese version, Racer Motors was called Mifune Motors and it was their logo. We pay tribute to that and other details as well as explain why Racer Motors uses an “M” for their logo.
Eric: How did the fans react in San Diego?
Musso: Ecstatic! The response that we received was overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to everyone who came by the booth!
Kohse: To say it was positive would be a monumental understatement. We had people that stood in line for two hours at San Diego. The lines were so crazy I canceled my other signings and Tommy and Robby were pulling double shifts to make sure everyone got taken care of. We made a blue print of the Mach 5. It sold out. The sketch covers, sold out. Even the new shirts we designed sold out. I had a really large guy purchase a comic from us on Thursday. This was a big dude. I’m 6ft and he made me look small. On Friday he came back and actually cried. He grew up on Speed and it meant so much to him that we stayed true. He just stood there and weeping and said “Thank you. You guys get it. You understand Speed.” It was really weird but it really hit home how important Speed Racer is to some people.
Eric: The first four issue series is called “Circle of Vengeance” Is this an “all-ages” book? Or more of a PG-13 take on the classic?
Musso: It is “all-ages”, which is how we feel the timeless story of Speed Racer should be. We want to share Speed’s adventures with everyone!
Eric: As a creative team, is the series a synthesis – or did the art follow the writing?
Musso: It is most definitely a team effort to keep the spirit and feel for what made Speed Racer so captivating from the beginning. So creatively we are all guided by the original source material.
Kohse: Total synthesis. Tommy and I talk about stories, continuity, characterization, designs etc. Tommy and I do designs then he writes the scripts and Robby does pencils. Robby and I go over the sketches with Tommy. Robby gives feedback on the script and Tommy gives feedback on the art. Both of them give feedback on my cover art and any designs I do. Everyone is contributing to every aspect of the book. The scripts are great too. Tommy is a very accomplished artist as it is so he fills the scripts with sketches, designs, thumbnails, and lots of screen grabs from the show. We even have a couple of really hardcore Speed Racer fans we use as sounding boards when we need to alter continuity for some reason.
Eric: Are there plans for future Speed Racer series?
Musso: Well, I sure hope so! *wink*
Kohse: We plan to make it a monthly book. We’ve already started development of new stories after Circle of Vengeance. However, its really up to the market. We have a tough road ahead of us because some retailers have expressed worries that we are going up against DC comics total relaunch. They only have so much in their budget to spend on new titles and 52 #1′s from DC hit them hard. Retailers prefer ordering books they know they can sell so readers absolutely need to go to their retailer and request the new Speed Racer comics. The Diamond Order Code is JUL110782.
Eric: Okay shameless plug time – any up and coming Allegory projects you would like to talk about?
Musso: SPEEEEEED!!!!!! 
Kohse: We’re working on relaunching the Kindergoth comic book and updating the Kindergoth Webcomic more often. There are several other exciting projects coming out of Allegory but I cant talk about them yet.
Eric: Any individual projects coming up?
Musso: Stay tuned!
Kohse: I’m doing a lot of Star Wars art but I cant tell you why.
Eric: Thank you so much for talking to us!
Musso: You’re welcome, and thank you!
Kohse: No Problem. Thanks for having us
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