Mech Cadet Yu #6 Review

Mech Cadet Yu #6

Writer: Greg Pak
Illustrator: Takeshi Miyazawa
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Publisher: BOOM! Studios

Review by Cory Webber

Mech Cadet Yu #6 picks up right where the last issue left us: with the mech cadets having discovered a hatched Sharg egg. And things escalate from there, and then escalate again, before escalating even higher. This issue has it all, and it leaves you speechless at the end.

Mech Cadet Yu is the Iron Giant meets Pacific Rim. Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa have created the best underdog character since J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. I challenge you to prove me wrong. Please! Because, if I’m missing out on something this great, I just have to know about it! This book has shot to the top of my must-read list. Stanford Yu is smart, humble, unassuming, compassionate and brave…and he is a child who was a janitor before bonding with his mech robot.

For the uninitiated, Mech Cadet Yu is about giant mech robots that first came from space sixty years ago, bonding with Skip Tamaka, who has since become a legend. Now, every four years, more robo mechs come down from space to bond with a human cadet. They do so to aid in earth’s battle against the evil Sharg aliens. Stanford Yu, who does janitorial work with his mom at the Sky Corps Academy for cadets, stumbles across a robo mech during the most recent mech-cadet bonding. Thus, he enters the Academy for cadets, and our story goes develops from there.

Pak has created unique characters with defined voices. The four cadets, with all their differences, have slowly learned to work together. There is still plenty of mystery surrounding certain characters and elements: Tamaka, General Felix at Central Command, the man-made mechs, etc… You can tell that Pak has a lot of story to tell, and he is revealing it in a perfectly plodded pace. The majority of this issue centers around the cadets working together to fight the Shargs that have invaded the Academy. Even though the story doesn’t move too far along in Mech Cadet Yu #6, we do see a great amount of growth amongst the cadets as they learn to work together. Yu has an exceptionally brave moment that left me in awe.

Now, let’s talk about the art by Miyazawa. I am unfamiliar with his work outside of Mech Cadet Yu, but I want to do a Google search after writing this review to see what else he has done. His art is perfectly suited for this all-ages book. Now, before I go on, I need to address the a-word…all-ages. Do not let this designation deter from you picking this book up. While we’re talking about it, why do people assume all-ages means just for kids. It says it right there…it’s for all ages.

Okay. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the art. The character designs, especially the robo mechs, are inspired. But what I enjoyed the most this issue were the Shargs. The art maintains a fairly cartoony style throughout, so it was nice to see such rugged, scary alien monsters terrorizing the cadets. The pacing and execution in this issue create a tense, desperate situation and the art and script really combine to set the tone, and to keep you in suspense until the shocking ending. The color work by Farrell is superb. You would think that red, green and purple alien “crab-like” monsters would downplay their scariness, but he makes it work to great effect. There are times where a color is chosen to heighten the emotional aspect, and it works every time…especially on that final page.

Verdict: Buy it. 

Seriously, if you don’t, you are missing out one of the best books out there. Each issue has been phenomenal and, if Mech Cadet Yu #6 is any indication, it shows no signs of stopping.