Posted in: Comics | Tagged: boom studios, greg pak, mech cadet yu, Takeshi Miyazawa

Mech Cadet Yu #3 Review: Exciting, Charming, And All-Around Fun

Published Sat, 21 Oct 2017 15:00:50 -0500

The Sharg appear to have returned, and Earth is on high alert. Mech Cadets are being sent out to stop them, but only the more experienced and trained cadets. This leaves Yu, Park, Sanchez, and Olivetti to stay back, train, and aid in the war effort.

Tensions between Yu and Park remain high, but Sanchez and Olivetti are finally warming up to the young cadet Yu.

However, training may yet be interrupted, as the Sharg threat looms close.

Mech Cadet Yu #3 cover by Takeshi Miyazawa and Triona Farrell

Mech Cadet Yu has proven itself a charming and greatly enjoyable read from its first two issues. Taking a little from Pacific Rim, Attack on Titan, Starship Troopers (the film, sans the cynicism), and numerous manga tropes, Yu has shown itself to be yet another home run by legendary writer Greg Pak.

This trend continues in #3, as everything about the young protagonist Yu is endearing. He's headstrong, determined, and full of heart. He is akin to classic Shonen-type anime heroes such as Naruto, Luffy, and Goku.

This issue works to humanize Park and her mech by showing the effect Park's general father and his treatment are having on the young woman and her partner. She doesn't have a change of heart, mind you, but she is more than just the elitist bully in this issue.

The one flaw having a work that draws this heavily upon other, well-known works is that the plot beats are fairly predictable. That's not to say that Mech Cadet Yu doesn't have its own identity. It does, but you can still intuit where it's future lies if you've read/watched any of the titles I listed above.

Mech Cadet Yu #3 art by Takeshi Miyazawa and Triona Farrell

Takeshi Miyazawa's artwork remains gorgeous with its mixture of western comic book and manga styles. The mechs looks great, the characters are expressive, and the world feels alive. Triona Farrell's color work is bright and eye-catching as well. The comic has a powerful artistic team behind it all-around.

Mech Cadet Yu #3 is an easily recommendable comic. This series is still young and easy to jump onto. You should. It's a fun read for all ages, and it's the kind of comic I'm all about. Give it a read.

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