Exclusive: 'Batgirl' team revs up sci-fi 'Motor Crush'
Throwing some motorcycle assassins into their superhero book led Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr to giving one awesome biker lady her own space to rule.
The creative team of DC Comics’ fan-favorite Batgirl title travels from the hipster side of Gotham City to a futuristic, anime-inspired sci-fi world with the new Image Comics series Motor Crush, debuting in December.
The landscape is set “just slightly to the left of our world. There's no spaceships or hover bikes or lasers, everything is pretty grounded save for a few fantastic details,” says Fletcher, who dusted off an old pitch about motorbike girls from 15 years ago for Motor Crush.
Colorful bikers are involved in a global racing league, but one of the toughest is Domino Swift. She lives a double life, according to Stewart: By day, she’s a promising young pro but at night, when the cameras and publicity go away, she competes in brutal wheeled gladiatorial battles in the darker corners of the city.
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Domino lives for the competition, Fletcher says, “but perhaps there’s a greater purpose behind her passion, something more that’s driving her to be the best, to win every race.”
Another aspect that drives the plot: a rare engine-boosted “machine narcotic” that racers are dying, often literally, to capture. “It’s safe to say there’s nothing in our universe quite like it,” says Fletcher.
The idea for Motor Crush in part came from one of the team’s favorite issues of Batgirl that featured twin motorcycle riders called the Jawbreakers, but also due to Tarr’s own personal artwork, which often features cool female bikers.
“It was just kind of magical how well my drawing style and vibe fit,” Tarr says. And although there’s a futuristic vibe, “I didn’t want to draw sci-fi cliches we’ve already seen 100 times. There is a ton of awesome stuff in real life to pull from that could be focused on and exaggerated in a way that makes it feel familiar yet fantastic.”
As part of their research, the trio’s been watching the documentary Closer To The Edge, about the world’s most dangerous motorcycle race on the Isle of Man.
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“The racers knew that they could die at any moment, some of them had been in horrific crashes, but they were all compelled to keep coming back, pushing themselves to drive harder, faster, no matter their odds of surviving,” Stewart says. “I identify with the drive to be the best at what you do despite enormous sacrifice.”
The original concept Fletcher hatched for Motor Crush was intended to be an animated series for kids, though this comic might be a little edgy for the little ones.
“It’s wild and imaginative while retaining a more grounded and real sense of place,” Fletcher says. “You’ll see crazy bikes, little robots and wild science alongside vintage cars, rotary phones and fashion you can find in stores today.”
Adds Stewart: “We’ve rebuilt the premise from the ground up and it's darker, but still fun and exciting.”