Soon to be a Netflix Series of the same name, Mech Cadets – Book One is a collection of issues 1-12 of Mech Cadet Yu from Boom! Studios. This was my first opportunity to read this series, and the volume is a great opportunity to get introduced to the characters and the series prior to the premiere on Netflix on August 10th.

 

 

Written by: Greg Pak

Illustrated by: Takeshi Miyazawa

Colored by: Triona Farrell (Chapters 1-8), Jessica Kholinne and Raúl Angulo (Chapters 9-12)

Lettered by: Simon Bowland

Cover and Chapter Art: Takeshi Miyazawa (with colors by Raúl Angulo).

 

Mech Cadets – Book One tells the story of Stanford Yu, who yearns to be a Mech Cadet while working with his mom in sanitation at the Sky Corps Academy. Only Mech Cadets are chosen by the heroic Robo Mechs every four years to team up and stand ready for the return of the villainous Sharg. Stanford’s world changes forever when he stumbles upon one of the descending Robos, and it chooses him! Will Stanford rise to the occasion? Will his rivalry General’s daughter be his undoing?

 

While Mech Cadets isn’t necessarily breaking any new ground (plucky underdog protagonist gifted an incredible opportunity must rise to the occasion, rival whose driven by a need to succeed due to incredible pressure from a parent), what it does do is take these things we have seen before, and blow them out of the park. Pak gives us well-rounded characters that are fun to read. None of the characters that are introduced are throw-away, or one-dimensional. More importantly, as the chapters progress, the stakes are raised in a way that seem kind of extreme, but are both exciting and logical. It’s important to note that while Mech Cadets can feel very familiar, Pak never takes the easy way out of making our protagonist, or his Robo,  secretly over-powered. Yu’s skill, and Buddy’s (his Robo) abilities, develop naturally and aren’t given a sudden spike. It was honestly very refreshing to read a story where whether or not the day is saved really depends on the action and skills of Yu and his fellow cadets, and not on that unlimited and undefinable “power of friendship”. 

 

Miyazawa’s art is charming and perfectly suited to the story. The Robos aren’t overdone or over-detailed. The color palettes for each are simple, but well-suited. It’s the simplicity of their design that lends to their charm. Not every robot has to be as complicated-looking as a Bay-verse Transformer, after all. His human characters are diverse and expressive. Seeing how the designs changed from the earlier version of the series (Los Robos, which portions of can be seen at the end of this book) shows that Miyazawa has put a lot of thought into just the right look for all of the characters, Robo and human alike.

 

While Mech Cadets will return in August of  this year on television, it will also return with a sequel comic book series also called “Mech Cadets” at the same time. There are some interesting tidbits dropped throughout this volume that I look forward to seeing followed through in this sequel series, as the 12 issues isn’t enough time to properly explore these ideas. 

Mech Cadets – Book One is an incredible collection, telling a story that thrills and pulls at the heartstrings. Pak and Miyazawa absolutely nailed it, and if the Netflix series is able to translate the heart and soul that permeates this book to the screen, it will easily be in the Top 10.

ComicsOnline gives Mech Cadets – Book One – 5 out of 5 partner Robos!

 

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