Cosmo Racer
Cosmo Racer by Mike Becker
22 years ago - Grr crashes into the Sea of Japan. He is brought to the private island of Dr .Osamu Kitamura where he recovers, discovering he does not have his full memory. He is a herald of his Star Father, sent to Earth to learn everything he can about humanity.
19 years ago - Grr first goes to mainland Japan and starts helping protect its people from monster attacks, using the name Cosmo Racer. Dr. Osamu Kitamuta’s robot designs based on the technology of Grr are stolen by his former colleague, Dr. Ushitaro.
17 years ago - Grr fights the robot creations of Dr. Ushitaro when they attempt to stage a coup.
14 years ago - Grr, Hiro Kunikawa & Mai Kusanagi join Dai Yokohama in the final battle of the New Monster Wars, saving Japan. They help to rebuild Neo-Tokyo, and joins the other heroes of the war to build the Halo, their headquarters on My Fuji, founding Big Science Action.
12 years ago - Grr infiltrates the island of Dr. Osamu Kitamura when it is taken over by Dr. Ushitaro and his robot creations.
9 years ago - Grr saves Dr. Osamu Kitamura from Dr Ushitaro’s orbital station when he is kidnapped by his robot creations.
6 years ago - Grr's creator, Lord Zarok, contacts him, revealing that his mission on earth was to prepare it for conquest. As Zarok’s invasion fleet arrives in outer orbit of the solar system, Grr defies his Star Father and fights the invasion along with Big Science Action and the Justice League
The most obvious influence on Cosmo Racer is actually right here in American Comics, as he's clearly meant to reference both the Flash and Silver Surfer, but when you read his description as 'the gritty little GRR guy', the main anime influence immediately becomes obvious. He's based on Astro Boy, the Pinocchio-like creation of Osamu Tezuka, the man often referred to as "The Father of Manga", or Japan's Walt Disney. We also couldn't help associating Cosmo Racer with another Japanese character from a slightly different place... I'm sure you'll figure it out.
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Cosmo Racer's Comic HistoryLike the rest of the classic members of Big Science Action, Cosmo Racer appears in a single flashback panel of Final Crisis, and then again in the Final Crisis Sketchbook, where we actually learn about the character. He's immediately described as a cross between Silver Surfer and Pinocchio, who arrived on earth with partial amnesia, unaware that his 'Star Father', the creator he believes is benevolent, is actually an intergalactic tyrant who sent him to prime the earth for invasion. It's explained that he has no more of the crystals that he needs for interstellar travel, but can still race up to the speed of sound. They also include the very fun detail that he appears to be made of some alien plastic-metal or flexible ceramic that becomes only warm to the touch when he travels at high speeds.
When the miniseries Final Crisis Aftermath: The Dance shows us the modern-day Big Science Action, Cosmo Racer is one of the original characters still on the team. He arrives in truly spectacular fashion, establishing that he is a clear mainstay of the team. |
Our Cosmo Racer StoryWe made a point to maintain everything from the Sketchbook description of the character, which centers around his amnesia and the fact that he's an unwitting herald of an invading space tyrant... That really only becomes a useful piece of plot if it actually comes to light, so we made sure to include the reveal of his purpose, and in fact used it as the story when Big Science Action actually works alongside the Justice League. We also stumbled onto actually NAMING him after the phrase 'the gritty little GRR guy', and love the result.
We also needed to fill in the details of his life on Earth, and his solo adventures. We did loosely reference Astro Boy here, but we leaned WAY harder into the story of another can-do robot hero. |
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