Writer – Jack Kirby
Artist – Jack Kirby
Inker – Mike Royer
Letters – Mike Royer

It is time for the big race sponsored by Sackers and while Kamandi failed to escape, it does not mean he is going to stop trying. So while everyone is preoccupied with watching the events taking place, Kamandi tries yet again – and fails yet again – to get away. Like it or not, Kamandi’s only hope is to enter the race and see if he can get away some time during it. Jack Kirby introduces the reader to one of the first sporting events that this future holds and though it might seem familiar, he adds his own little twists to it to make it quite interesting. For one, most races are to the death and the first is the gentlemen’s competition – that which finds all of the different animals coming together to have a go at a friendly race. The second is to the bitter end though and it finds many of Sacker’s humans in a battle to come out on top and gain a strawberry shortcake all to themselves, having been put on a diet for a good amount of time in order to make them want it more. Kamandi thinks it is all horrible and barbaric and he wants out of there as fast as he can and so tries to escape with Kliklak, but the men who work for Sacker have been at this for quite some time and Kamandi, no matter how resourceful, is unable to do anything but find himself participating in that which he refused to do. Aside from the races and all that they entail, there is some good characterization featuring Spirit, sister of Flower, who wants nothing to do with Bull Bantam, the man who thinks he is top dog out of all the other humans. Bull also wants Spirit for himself as he was unable to have Flower whom he loved and who escaped and tragically died later on with our hero. As of this point in time, Kamandi has only had opponents of other species, never a real human and Bull looks to be the first. Bull feels threatened by Kamandi, that much is quite apparent and he will do whatever he can to retain his role as leader of the pack. Little does Bull know that Kamandi wants nothing to do with it, much less with anything else that Sacker has to offer. Great artwork and a strong story with the only weakness being little instances of juvenile dialogue, make this quite the exciting tale.

3.5 out of 5