Soar through the skies with supersonic speed in Johnny Romeo’s high-spirited homage to Astro Boy, New Wave Rise. In the painting, Romeo depicts Astro Boy as an unstoppable force of Poptimism surging forward with great purpose with his fist raised triumphantly in the air. Japan’s beloved Boy Atom flies with such velocity and drive that he causes ripple effects through his surroundings, turning once calm waters into the roaring tempest of Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’ (1831) as he carves through the heavens, leaving behind a victorious motion arc in his wake. By bringing together two iconic elements of Japanese culture, Romeo tips his hat to the classic Japanese anime of his childhood, evoking the boundless freedom and youthful wonderment that cartoon heroes such as Astro Boy have inspired for generations of children. Anime’s larger-than-life vibrancy is further captured in the surround sound scale of New Wave Rise, as deep oceanic colours crash into the cinematic churn of Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’, echoing the rumble of an underwater seismic quake. Beaming with unwavering confidence, Romeo’s Astro Boy reminds us that to fully embrace our inner child, we need to not only ‘Play Up’ but ‘Stay Up’ and rise above life’s tempestuous waters. The hopeful word assemblage alludes to Astro Boy ‘staying up’ in the air and wishing us good luck in our endeavours, while cleverly echoing a common sentiment in graffiti culture, where you hope that your piece ‘stays up’ and does not get buffed over. New Wave Rise buzzes with a colossal Poptimism that encourages us to believe in the impossible and pursue a new dawn of growth and possibilities. Much like the exhilarating sweep of the ‘Great Wave’, the title signifies how new waves cleanse the old and bring about new energy and ideas. At the same time, New Wave Rise refers to the iconic UK band The Style Council, who were a part of the New Wave of Pop that evolved from the punk rock in the late 1970s.