Go Lone Racer, Go!

Lone Racer written & drawn by Nicolas Mahler

The latest in my Top Shelf review-a-thon, Lone Racer is the story of, what else, a race car driver, his best friend Rubber and his new love Eleanor. Simplistic, I know, but that's fitting. Mahler's style, both the art and the writing, is simplistic. Perhaps that's one of the reasons it appeals to me so much.

Of all the books I've read recently, Lone Racer is easily the most cinematic. It's basic, matter-of-fact approach to the characters and their actions brings them to life in a way that few can achieve. Sure, they look like obscure little figures, but who can't relate to their situations? Who doesn't dream of a better life? Or of the glories of years past? It's not a story that you can relate to because it speaks to some specific part of your life. It's a story that anyone can relate to because it speaks about moments everyone has experienced.

It may seem simple, but sometimes it's the simplest things that teach the best lessons.

-L