By Cat Wyatt

After the crazy ending of issue #10, Motor Crush #11 starts out almost feeling calmer by comparison. The issue starts with Bea and Lo hanging out in one of the racing track bars (needless to say it probably is really weird for Lo, her not being out there helping out and all), while Yo-Yo is getting ready for her big race (apparently her stuff made it through just fine).

Naturally, nothing is as simple as it seems, in the world of Motor Crush. Looking at the rest of the competition (mainly a guy that’s way too full of himself), I had zero doubt that Yo-Yo would win the race. You know, assuming everybody else played fair. Unfortunately, it seems like the surviving members of the Royals gang (including their Queen) have other plans for this race, mainly screwing it up and sending out a nice big and loud message to the event organizers.

For somebody like Domino, this wouldn’t be a problem at all; that girl can take on any trouble the Royals could throw at her. Especially if there were only five of them. Yo-Yo though? She plays fair, and would never be willing to get her hands dirty. I’m not even sure she’d know how to defend herself against their attacks…

While all of that mess is starting, we’re flipped back to what’s happening with Domino. Last we saw them there was a major explosion about to occur, and it’s actually even worse than I thought. Domino and her dad got out okay (relatively speaking, that is. Her dad seems pretty banged up), but the emotional toll for this one is going to be high. It appears that Juli actually killed herself in order to buy Domino and her dad time to get out (Juli’s blood was so infused with the Crush that it literally sped Domino up upon contact with her skin – which should probably tell you all you need to know about how Juli died).

I can’t imagine how heavy the most recent events will weigh on Domino and her dad. Juli was almost like a mother to Domino, and she was definitely something special for Domino’s dad too (and I think the feeling was mutual, given how much she sacrificed for them, again and again). I guess in a way maybe it’s a good thing they’re too busy to dwell on it right now.

With her dad safely being sent off to get medical care, it’s time for Domino and Calax to go settle a score or two with the Royals. Remember, last time Calax had a run in with them they stole all of Crush (freshly stolen with Domino’s help) and then chained him up for fun. I don’t think Calax is the type to forgive that…so he’s going to help Domino save Yo-Yo. Or more accurately, he’ll happily beat up a Royal or two while Domino saves Yo-Yo.

My concerns about Yo-Yo’s ability to defend herself (or rather, her lack of ability) were well founded. It’s quickly apparent that if Yo-Yo can’t stay ahead of these guys then she’s likely done for (even if they’re not aiming to kill her, at those speeds it wouldn’t take much to accidently do so, especially to one that doesn’t know how to take a hit or fall correctly).

Thankfully Domino and her wooden plank full of nails (man, that would hurt so much – especially since these idiots aren’t wearing helmets or protective gear) are here to save the day! Oh, and Calax is here too, but he just wants to stomp on a few faces. Still, it’s enough to turn the tide of the fight, and allow Yo-Yo the time to get away (and ideally win the race).

The downside the Domino’s heroics? Well…what she did was pretty public, so when she lost her helmet it was impossible to hide who she was. The fact that Domino Swift is not dead has been officially been made public knowledge. Now it’s just time to see what happens with that revelation (nothing good, I’m sure).

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about the little twist with Lo. I mean, I’m absolutely thrilled that she came running to be with Domino. They’re cute together and everything. But I’m sad for Bea; it must have taken a lot for her to give up Lo like that (then again, it’d probably be even worse to be with somebody when you know you’re not really who they want…).

I’m hoping the next issue will start giving us a lot more information. Because this one left me with even more question that I already had; which is saying something. It does seem like they’re setting up for a massive information dump, but who knows what twists will get thrown in the way before it’s all revealed.

This was an interesting issue, on the whole. At a glance it may be easily overlooked, appearing to be wrapping up loose ends more than anything (saving her dad, helping Yo-Yo win a race, Calax getting revenge, and Lo/Domino finally getting back together), but there’s a lot of details dumped at the end that shouldn’t be disregarded.

As per usual, I love the artwork in this series. I don’t know whose idea it was, to have Crush be a hot pink color, but it works shockingly well. I know one wouldn’t normally picture a drug or motor enhancer being a bright color like this, but it allows the artist to show the ranging effects of the drug. The character designs have been spot on as well, Domino doesn’t have any natural brightness to her, allowing her constant contact with Crush to be the bright details instead. Yo-Yo and Lo are both brightly designed, and are clearly the light in Domino’s life. It’s a cute way of representing real emotions for her.

Score: 4/5

Motor Crush #11
Image Comics