Mech Cadet Yu volume 1

Mech Cadet Yu Vol. 1 by Greg Pak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every four years, three Robo descend to earth and bond with three Mech Cadets. What happens when one of them accidentally bonds with Stanford Yu, the janitor's son? Will Stanford Yu and his mech, Buddy, be able to measure up with the other cadets when the Sharg attack?

Like a lot of guys my age, I have fond memories of watching Voltron, Robotech, and other Americanized anime featuring giant robots when I was a kid. Hell, I've still got Voltron and a Shogun Warrior on a shelf in my basement. My first glimpses of Mech Cadet Yu rekindled the spark in me so I had to give it a shot.

Mech Cadet Yu is a fun, kinda cute book. It feels like it's destined to be a cartoon someday. Stanford Yu is a janitor at the Mech academy when he accidentally bonds with a damaged Robo and patches him up. From there, it's training, conflict with the other cadets, and an attack by the Sharg, the enemy Earth has been using the Mechs to combat for sixty years.

I really like what Greg Pak has done here. First of, I have to mention the pace. I complain about decompression in today's comics but I didn't notice it here. The issues were satisfying on their own. Also, I really like the way the relationship between Stanford and his Mech, Buddy, was portrayed. It's going to be a tear jerker if Buddy ever gets destroyed. The conflict between Stanford and Park is all too believable.

The artwork is pretty sweet. It looks manga-inspired, as befits the story, but has a life of its own. The Mech designs have a little Iron Giant, and a little Iron Man in them. The balloons showing the faces of the Mech cadets inside their Mechs while the action is going on is a nice touch, a good way to convey emotion when giant robots are fighting equally giant monsters.

Mech Cadet Yu is a really fun book. I'm in for the long haul. Four out of five stars.

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