Mech Cadet Yu #8 Review
Written by: Greg Pak
Illustrated by: Takeshi Miyazawa
Colors by: Triona Farrell
Letters by: Simon Bowland
Designed by: Michelle Ankley
Published by: Boom! Studios
A review by Cory Webber
Mech Cadet Yu #8, follows Skip Tanaka and three of the four new cadets as they continue to oppose Central Command. This issue takes us off planet for the first time where we see the massive incoming Sharg invasion. How will our heroes handle this imminent threat? The answer to that is quite satisfying.
Greg Pak continues to craft a well-paced, heartfelt story in Mech Cadet Yu #8. On one hand, this issue offers up some of the best action and heroism we’ve seen in this series. On the other hand, it showcases the greatest threat we’ve seen. I mean, hundreds of Sharg are riding a quarter-mile wide, rocket-propelled asteroid towards Earth, which is rather daunting. Hundreds of them! And who built their engines? After all, the Sharg are basically just large bugs. It seems like there might be a deeper, potentially more dangerous threat out there. But, for now, our heroes have their hands full.
Furthermore, Pak’s strength continues to be in his character work, and their ever-developing, inter-cadet relationships. Stanford Yu is inspiring and smart, yet vulnerable and prone to make mistakes on account of his over exuberance. As a result, the intensity gets kicked up a notch. Also, Chief Maxton, and Yu’s mom get in on the fun, as the small rebellion begins to grow.
While the action and pacing are top-notch, the real standout to me is Triona Farrell’s colors. First of all, there is a splash page involving the giant asteroid. Because of her use of an unexpected color, the image stuck with me long after finishing this issue. The radiance with which the color of the asteroid shines through is brilliant. Furthermore, her choice of background colors were wonderful. As a result, space has never been so mesmerizing.
Simon Bowland’s lettering continues to be a strong point for this series. His use of fonts and styles are crisp and clean, and the word bubbles are perfectly placed. This combines to make a nice, easy read.
Verdict: Buy this book already!
Mech Cadet Yu #8 offers more of the great stuff I’ve come to love about this book. It has great action, phenomenal characterizations and all-around solid storytelling.
