Boom! Studios 2017
Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa
Coloured by Triona Farrell
Lettered by Simon Bowland
I don't know if you'd call this a guilty pleasure but it sure does feel like one! This is so gosh darn cute and it feels like something I would've watched growing up like Starblazers, Voltron and cartoons like those. So it instantly has a familiarity but is completely new and original. The Earth is under threat from the Sharg and the Sky Corps Academy trains kids to work with the alien Mech's that bond with them to help stop the invasion. What Greg does with that is he makes these kids and teenagers real to the reader, you can identify with them and know who in your high school days they represent.
This issue we see the kids in Stanford's group being told they are too young for combat and with Captain Tanaka going with the older students Park's father will be taking over their training while he is gone. The writing here is utterly sublime as Greg shows us that Park's father has his prejudices against Yu and his spot on this team. After all he believes that his daughter should have rightfully bonded with his Mech. The not so subtle jabs at him and his place and the way he's using this opportunity to get rid of Yu is the kind of writing where you feel powerless with what's unfolding before you.
The characterisation blows my mind by how good, solid and in-depth that it achieves. Not only that but the way this book is structured, how it flows and the way that things are revealed to us has the most natural ebb & flow I've seen in a while. I love that Sanford's mom doesn't want him fighting and yet respects his wishes to stay and then she cooks dinner for his squad, while Park watches from a distance but understands what she's seeing. The subtle and yet powerful interaction the two rivals have are what I going to bond them in the future as the series moves forward. Right now, this is some of the strongest writing I am seeing.
Takeshi and Triona working together here is like a dream comes true. Like i've already said they make it feel familiar to the classic Anime that we had when I was growing up. Yet there's a really nice attention to detail in how they differentiate and bring to life these characters including the Mech's. Through them we see emotion from the Mech's and that's something you might not expect to see. The use of page layouts through the use of angles and perspective here really make the book flow nicely. I think we need to see more backgrounds being used here as the do wonders in fleshing out the story even more. The creativity and imagination on display here is marvelous and the first sighting of the Sharg is something we'll never forget.
This book makes me feel like a kid again and I'm telling ya that's priceless. This creative team manages to tell a story that is fun, wondrous and fills the imagination so completely that getting lost in this with a bowl of Boo Berry Cereal would be like the perfect Saturday morning. There's that old school feel done in a modern way that fills with you with happiness.
This book is for everyone regardless of age or gender. It's beautifully told and has that whole lesson on growing up, accepting others and learning to work as a team, while respecting those around you. Trust me this is one you need to be reading!