Hot Wheels #2

Hot Wheels #2 (On Sale: March 17, 1970) has a cover by Neal Adams.

This issue begins with "Dragstrip Disaster!!!" by Joe Gill, Alex Toth and Dick Giordano. an exceedingly well done piece of work from all involved. It is the dragstrip finals and Jack Wheeler is on the line for the Top Eliminator, but watching is Dexter Carter and his Demons and they let on that they have spiked Jack's fuel with nitro. As Jack barrels down the track his throttle is stuck wide open and he jumps into the lead when suddenly his engine erupts in flames. Jack jumps from the smoking railer as it explodes! Guessing that Dexter spiked his fuel, Jack has to hold Tank back from taking it out of Dexter's hide and Dexter challenges Jack to a no-rules race in one month at the same track.

During the next month Jack and the gang build a sweet railster, but Dexter and his goons, seeing the threat it poses, steal it and leave in it's place, an old clunker railer. With the threat of police intervention Dexter lets them check out his mansion, but Jack rod is not to be found. On the way back to their shop Jack thinks he has a way of beating Dexter at his own game.

The next day is the big race and Jack talks Dexter into betting their railers on the outcome of the race. During the prelims, Mickey Barnes and Ardeth both smoke their competition (Ardeth's being the nasty-looking woody from the cover). Before the big race a gloating Dexter reminds Jack that there are no rules in this race, only a winner.

The race begins and Dexter's railer jumps into the lead of Jack beater till Jack pushes a newly installed dashboard button and ignites the J.A.T.O. (Jet-Assisted-Take-Off) rocket packs he installed on the car the night before. With the rocket boost Jack easily beats Dexter, A dejected Dexter offers Jack his railer but Jack declines saying all he wants back is his railer that Dexter stole.

In the middle of this story was a two-page "Racing Album" on the 1953 Grand Prix of France by Jack Keller who did his only work for DC in this book.

Next is "The Mint 400, A Membership Drive!!" by I am guessing Joe Gill and drawn by Ric Estrada and Dick Giordano. Gill isn't credited, but he seems to be the only writer of record for the first three issues. The Mint 400 is a 400-mile race that takes place every year in the desert outside of Las Vegas. During a trail run, Mikey Barnes and Tank Mallory barely escape an avalanche of boulders during part of their run and when they find find Dexter and his goons in the pits they throw down. Mickey busts his knuckles on the jaw of one of the demons and the rest dog-pile on Tank. In to the fray jumps Kip Clarke, an African student who happens to be an expert on karate, and just about everything else it appears.

Kip takes the place of the injured Mickey in the race and they note that Dexter's Demons took off a bit before them so are out ahead of them on the course. Up ahead Dexter and his thugs put up some fake signs to send Kip and tank off course. It works and Kip and Tank are soon careening down a steep cliff, rumbling boulders at their back. But, Kip's skilled driving handles the problem completely and they finish the race anyway as the 4WD winner. Afterward Kip is introduced to Jack and he finds out that Kip will be staying in California, Jack offers Kip membership in the Hot Wheels, which he gladly accepts.

This is followed by a text piece (something Dick Giordano included often in the DC books) and another "Racing Album" by Jack Keller, this one on the Novi race car.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Hot Wheels #1

Hot Wheels #1 (On Sale: January 22, 1970) is based on the Saturday-morning TV show based on the die-cast toy cars from Mattel and features a cover by Alex Toth and Dick Giordano. I loved that Giordano put the kids' faces in a line-up down the left side of the cover like the Justice League of America was doing a this time.

"Wipe-Out at Le Mans" is by Joe Gill, Alex Toth and Dick Giordano. With so much work at Hana-Barbera in recent years, Toth was the perfect guy to draw Hot Wheels and man did he shine on this series, a forgotten gem from DC. We begin in 1959 at Le Mans where driver Mike Wheeler is spinning out of control and about to center-punch another disabled car. He instead throws his car into the wall in an horrific explosion . Mike's young son Jackie rushes to his burning car and is pulled way. Mike is extracted from the wreckage and taken to the hospital where after agonizing hours of surgery they find that he will live, but his leg is so badly damaged that he will never race again. Weeks later a hobbled Mike Wheeler tells his son that he always planned on opening a garage when he retired, it's just happening sooner than he expected. Wow. six beautiful pages from Toth and Giordano of textbook-perfect efficient and evocative story-telling.

So on to California and Wheeler Motors and Jack growing into a teenager at Metro High and hanging out with Janet Martin and being harassed by rich punk Dexter Carter, the plague of Metro City. Dexter and his gang make it so bad on the street of Metro City that a special town hall meeting is called to revoking all drivers licenses held by those under the age of 21 (which would have been highly illegal in California I would think). Anyway Mike talks Jack into going to the meeting and defending the teenagers, which he does by pointing out that most teenagers are responsible drivers. like he and his friends, who have formed a club called Hot Wheels to sponsor closed-course races so kids can have there fun, but responsibly.

The club goes on a PR offensive but Dexter and his goons are not to pleased. While out testing a new car at the track, Hot Wheeler Mickey Barnes is run off the track and crashes due to Dexter and his friends. Dexter challenges Jack to a grudge race and Jack accepts, only Mike will only let him use parts from junkers for a grudge race. They build a car as best they can. On race day they find that Dexter has bought two new v-12 Ferrari's to race against Jack and that he and one of his goons will both be racing against Jack.

Once the race begins Dexter and his goon tray to double-team jack, boxing him in and roughing up his car, but Jack avoids the worst of it. However dexter inadvertently gets caught in the oil slick laid down by his goon and is about to center-punch a pole when Jack floors it and knocks Dexter out of harms way, but knocks himself right into the pole destroying his car. Dexter wins the race but Mike liked what he saw his son do, both in building a competitive car and in saving Dexter's neck and promises that next time he will have his father's full support in building a car.

Next issue promises to be a rematch. Not a bad start for the book. For copyright reasons, this fine series has never been reprinted.

Edited by Dick Giordano.