In a future where teen soldiers pilot giant robots for the military after a devastating alien attack, one team will begin to question their orders in the sequel to “Mech Cadet Yu.”
Cover by Junggeun YoonWritten by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa
Colored by Ian Herring
Lettered by Simon BowlandOne year after an alien attack that left countless dead and destruction across the planet, teen cadets are trained to pilot giant robots – Mechs. The current team of hero cadets is ready to be fully active in the field, but when some minor insubordination and directly disobeying an order causes a major shift in power and understanding between the cadets and their superiors.
Supra-Robo Hero Force Two is made up of Mech Cadets from Sky Corp, who helped defend their based from the alien attack by the species known only as the Sharg. Their leader, Olivia Park is courageous, intelligent, but perhaps a bit too headstrong and ready to get a bit showy with her skills. This may be due to the fact that her father is in charge of their base. A blend of feeling a little untouchable because of that, and forever seeking her father’s approval makes her rule bending and penchant for theatrics with her piloting both understandable and obviously annoying and the wrong thing to do. The first issue of “Mech Cadets” covers all of the bases found in basically every ‘pilot in giant robot’ story. Teen pilots, an alien attack, a stubborn and emotionally blind military complex, and a near future that is re-building after a mass destruction and death. Being a tie-in and sequel to a kid’s Netflix series, which is a family friendly adaptation of the original comic “Mech Cadet Yu,” by Pak and Miyazawa, is probably the reason why the story of this opening issue is both simple and referential to literally every other Mecha story out there.
Greg Pak is a great writer of sci-fi and fantasy comics, but his take on a mecha story is anything but original. I understand that this should probably be considered a ‘Child’s First Mecha’ story, and in that regard it does work, but it is so derivative that I found myself just thinking about other Mecha franchises like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Voltron, or Gundam. All of which undoubtedly played into the inspiration for the original series as well as this follow up. There is not anything aggressively bad about this comic, but its inability to do anything new, while still appealing to new mecha fans is its biggest sin.
The relationship between the Mech pilots is light and friendly. You see that they would do anything for each other, but we are not given any reason as to why that would be the case. The story of Olivia and her father is a universal one, but it works because it is a cliché. It is relatable, but so over done it is hard to find any interest in it.
The artwork throughout is competent, nicely detailed, and clear in its storytelling. Like the writing, there is nothing ground breaking or all that compelling from page to page, but it is a good looking book that captures the mecha story it is telling. Miyazawa’s style calls back to various anime and other animation and comic book styles without feeling like it is aping anything in particular. It feels most akin to things like Voltron or Pacific Rim with its varied characters and color palette. The colors by Ian Herring are really quite wonderful. There is depth and a style that also works as referential to past franchises, but still stands on its own. The energy is there and it really adds some dynamic volume to the issue as a whole, keeping it from falling completely flat.
There are a few interesting story threads dropped in towards the end of the issue, like a secret alien heart in each of the Mechs (?) and the reason why our heroes disobey a direct order touches on some deep socio-economic and political themes. That depth in writing feels like it won’t be investigated too heavily just because of the comic this is and the age group it is aimed at, but I am glad it is there to at least attempt doing something worthwhile with this plot. This is a solid comic for a young reader who has never experienced anything like this before, but as it stands “Mech Cadets” won’t provide older or experienced mecha fans with anything new or all that exciting.
Final Verdict: 5.0, A typical and highly derivative mecha adventure that works as a new story and as a follow up to “Mech Cadet Yu.”
