RAD's BACK! Bill Allen, Todd Seligman & Steve Stern Talk HELLTRACK GN l Comic Crusaders Podcast #722

Ay yo, Crusaders, dust off the VHS, tighten the helmet, check the bike chain, and make sure your knees still bend like they did in 1986, because RAD is back in the conversation in a big way.

Today on the Comic Crusaders Podcast, Al Mega sits down with Bill Allen, Todd Seligman, and Steve Stern to talk about RAD!: HELLTRACK, the new comic book expansion of the beloved BMX cult classic RAD. And let’s be real, this one is not just another nostalgia lap around the block. This is legacy on two wheels. This is a beloved underdog story finding a new lane. This is Helltrack coming back with dirt, heart, and comic book thunder.

For fans who grew up with RAD, Cru Jones was never just a character. He was that kid with the dream, the guts, the bike, and the nerve to go after something bigger than what the world told him he was allowed to chase. Bill Allen’s performance gave fans a hero who felt scrappy, sincere, and wildly determined. Decades later, that same spirit is finding new life through HELLTRACK, where Cru Jones steps into a mentor role and helps guide a new generation toward the legendary race that helped define him.

That generational handoff is the magic here. HELLTRACK is not simply asking fans to remember the past. It is asking them to ride with it into the future. That is where Todd Seligman and Steve Stern come in, helping shape the project into a comic book experience that honors the original film while expanding the world for readers, collectors, BMX lifers, and newcomers who may be discovering RAD for the first time.

During the conversation, the trio breaks down the emotional weight of returning to this universe, the challenge of bringing BMX motion to the comic page, and the importance of keeping the underdog heart of RAD alive. Because let’s not play games, fam: translating a BMX race into sequential art is not easy. You need speed. You need danger. You need rhythm. You need that feeling of dirt flying into your teeth while your inner child yells, “Do the jump!” like they have zero concern for medical bills.

HELLTRACK also arrives with the kind of fan-first energy that makes Kickstarter the perfect home for it. This is a project built for the people who remember the movie, quoted the movie, watched the movie until the tape begged for mercy, and still get that spark when they hear the name Cru Jones. It is also built for comic fans who love legacy storytelling, sports drama, high-action visuals, and projects with a real emotional engine under the hood.

The big win is that RAD!: HELLTRACK feels like it understands why RAD mattered in the first place. It was never only about racing. It was about belief. It was about choosing your lane when everybody else wants to put a wall in front of you. It was about community, courage, and the wild power of being young enough to think the impossible is just another ramp.

Now, 40 years later, that ramp is back.

RAD!: HELLTRACK is currently live on Kickstarter, and fans can support the campaign here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/helltrack/helltrack-a-rad-graphic-novel-on-the-40th-anniversary?ref=9x9anb

So pull up, back the campaign, share it with the BMX crew, the comic crew, the 80s movie crew, and that one friend who still owns a vintage bike and says things like “they don’t make pads like they used to.” This is the kind of project that deserves noise, love, and a full-speed push across the finish line.

RAD is back. HELLTRACK is waiting. The Crusade Never Ends.

Thank You for Watching / Listening!
We appreciate your support!

Host: Al Mega

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Edited/Produced/Directed by Al Mega

Author Profile

Al Mega: I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!