Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa
Colorist: Ian Herring
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Cover Artists: Takeshi Miyazawa & Ian Herring; Inhyuk Lee; Qistina Khalidah; Rámon K. Pérez
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Price: $4.99
Release Date: September 13, 2023
General Park hurries across the tarmac toward his spaceship. General Felix's outrage rings in his ears. Once again, his daughter has disobeyed a direct order. Is he traveling to assist or arrest her? Let’s fly into Mech Cadets #2 and see what happens!
Story
Despite Felix’s orders to observe and report on the missing team, newly instated Captain Maya Sanchez couldn’t stop fellow cadet Olivia Park and her Supra-Robo Hero Force Two from rescuing Francis’ cousin Franklin. Or did Franklin free them from the Sharg? Neither, as it happens.
When another wave of the giant crustaceans that captured Franklin’s team arrives, the cadets and their robots fight them off in Mech Cadets #2. But in the process, Maya Sanchez saves Franklin's alien friend. General Felix believes they can't trust Franklin, as the alien helped him escape the Sharg prison barge. If General Felix is correct, she’s compromised too!
Is anyone surprised when Maya agrees with Olivia’s plan to rescue Franklin’s team from the Sharg Prison Barge? I think not!
Characters discuss what they discover, how that changes their perceptions, and what they'll do next. Conversations reveal the pilots' unity despite their differences, while General Felix remains disapproving and snaps at those assisting her. Greg Pak’s dialogue informs the action without lessening interest or tension in Mech Cadets #2.
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| Mech Cadet Yu Vol. 1 available at Amazon |
Art
Takeshi Miyazawa gives the pilots close-fitting spacesuits and helmets that reveal their expressions. General Felix watches each pilot on individual monitors in the crowded control room. She also follows the action thanks to a midair projection of the tiny robots converse on a hologram gameboard-style surface. Amid the pilots' conference on an asteroid, the chest of Olivia's robot opens cube-by-cube to reveal a previously unknown feature. The way Miyazawa skips scene transitions may confuse readers. But they’ll love the battles and character interactions.
Each robot sports a unique design and color. Helmets illumine each pilot’s face the same color as their robot. A yellow glow suffuses the robots’ feet as they fly through mauve-colored space, leaving white direction lines in their paths. Amid the drama and fighting, Ian Herring’s limited palette of pastels makes Mech Cadets #2 fun and inviting.
Simon Bowland's black uppercase text with sufficient spacing between rows won’t strain your eyes. Bold words suggest inflection. Colored dialogue balloons tell you which giant pilot is speaking, while Franklin's alien utters symbols, and robot growls and grunts inhabit rectangular balloons. Sound effects help us feel rapid movement and hear laser fire. Offscreen dialogue eases readers from one scene to the next.
Final Thoughts
Packed with revelations about the alien race that built the giant robots, the surprising powers of Olivia Park’s Earth-built robot, and reflections on world history, Mech Cadets #2 mixes the search for the truth with fear of the unknown to deliver an action-packed robots-versus-aliens space opera.
Rating 9.5/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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