Hot Wheels #6

Hot Wheels #6 (On Sale: November 17, 1970), has another cool cover by Neal Adams. Personally, I have to add Dick Giordano as inker as I don't see Neal inking this already strange cover. This is the only Hot Wheels cover without the cast faces going down the left side.

I remember the joy I felt when I opened this book and saw Neal Adams drew the cover-story. That joy was tempered somewhat two months later when issue #7 did not appear and the word got out that Hot Wheels had been canceled. For a book pretty much owned by Alex Toth, it was a little sad that he was nowhere to be seen in its final issue. 

Our cover-story is "The Humbug Run" by Len Wein, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano. After Jack and Kip crash out of the Polar Bear Gymkhana in snowy Maiden Valley, the gang decide to take in some skiing. While on the slopes they save a young boy, Timothy, from a collapsing ledge of snow. Timothy is one of a number of orphans brought up each year to join in the celebrations, but seems none too thankful for the rescue.

Later that day, as the gang prepare to tow their junked car home, Timothy shows up asking for their help and saying he is being chased by men with guns. The gang sluffs him off till the shooting starts. Jack, Kip and Tank hop into their car with Timothy and the shooters, dressed as elves, pursue them, gund blazing. Through Jack's superior driving they are able to get away from the gunsels, who end up crashed into an icy lake.

Back at the lodge, Timothy explains that he is Prince Timothy, heir to the throne of Kalvania and that after he ditched his chaperone to take a peak at the real America, he was shot at. In fear he h\blended into a group of orphans and ended up at the lodge, certain that he had evaded the gunmen. Just then, the gun-toting elves and their leader, Duke Ebenezar, dressed as Santa Claus, arrive, guns out. The Duke explains  that Timothy's father is on his death-bed and that if something unfortunate were to happen to Timothy, that the Duke will take the throne.

When a jack-in-the-box distracts the men, the boys attack with fists, taking out the gunsels. Afterward they learn that the Duke's plan was all for naught as Timothy's father recovered from his illness.

Next is a one-pager on the "Mighty Midget" K3 Magnette race car by Jack Keller.

We end with "Super Chick" drawn by Ric Estrada and Dick Giordano. When Mickey and Kip enter a sidecar race in California, Janet and Ardeth tag along to chear them on. Only Dexter and his goons try to take Kip out and, when he is nowhere to be found, Ardeth volunteers to take his place in the race. Just as the race starts, Kip arrives to inform Janet that he took out Dexters's goons with karate. As the race progresses, Dexter and his goon resort to a number of dirty tricks to beet the Hot Wheels crew, but in the end it is Ardeth who wins the race for team Wheeler.

Edited by Dick Giordano. Like most Giordano books, Hot Wheels was a joy to read and at times artistically brilliant. It is a real shame that due to licensing, this book will never be reprinted,