Second verse, same as the first.
Creative Staff:
Story: Brian Wood
Art: Marco Turini
Colors: Marco Lesko
Letters: John Workman
What They Say:
In July, the story continues as we bring Carl Macek’s original vision full circle. Taking into account every iteration of the series, this new Robotech #1 casts a fresh eye over classic characters like Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, Lynn Minmei, Roy Fokker, Claudia Grant, and Henry Gloval. Brian Wood and Marco Turini take us back to a Macross Island where *nothing* can be taken for granted.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s hard to believe now, but there was a time when anime was hard to find in the US. Some shows and movies made their way across the ocean–Kimba the White Lion, Astro Boy, Gatchaman (as both Battle of the Planets and G Force), and Vampire Hunter D to name a few. They all left their mark, but the one that captivated me the most was Robotech.
Robotech is an interesting series adapted from three different sources: Super Dimenson Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Calvary Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA. Producer Carl Macek took those series and brought them back overseas for the distributor Harmony Gold. The shows were redubbed and the storylines changed—some small, like Hikaru Ichijyo becoming the more American-sounding Rick Hunter, and others larger, such as the term “Robotechnology” and the motivation of the alien antagonists, the Zentradi. In the case of Southern Cross and Gensis Climber, the entire series were rewritten to make them fit into the “Robotech” universe.
Macross served as the starting point, and for my money is the strongest of the three. Each series became a generation, and they featured new characters and new conflicts. Southern Cross is visually very different from Macross and Genesis Climber and featured the weakest story of the three. Genesis Climber represented a return to form, but the important point is that both the shows that constituted generations two and three were radically rewritten to fit the overarching story, so the transition is quite jarring.
Despite those issues, Robotech was a life-changing show for me and many others. It was the first cartoon (as I thought of it then) that told a serious, nuanced story about war, xenophobia, life, death, love—all those important human experiences. It was also the first series I recall where a major character died. Looking back as an adult, the show suffers a bit from dubbing issues (characters speaking too quickly and whatnot), a cheesy voiceover at the beginning and end, and an overly-dramatic soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, I love the show, but a great deal of that love stems from nostalgia. In terms of actual quality, Super Dimension Fortress Macross is much better.
I loved Robotech so much that when I couldn’t find the show anymore, I gobbled up the novelizations by Jack McKinney. In case I’m being unclear, I freakin’ love the franchise, and I was very excited about this comic. What were they going to do? Were they going to pick up where the first generation left off and finally tell the story of the SDF-3 going off into deep space to find the Robotech Masters? Was it going to pick up after the third generation and show the fallout of the Invid invasion and the return of Admiral Hunter and the fleet? The possibilities were nearly endless. Surely, they wouldn’t just tell the story all over again.
I hate to break it to you, folks, but that’s just what they did. The story opens with the crash-landing of the SDF-1 on the small island Macross. Then it jumps forward ten years. A city grew up around the alien spacecraft and the technology humanity scavenged from the wreck fundamentally changed our world. Now the repaired SDF-1 prepares for its maiden voyage under human control, but the festivities are cut short by the arrival of an alien fleet.
The issue follows the first episode nearly beat-for-beat. It introduces us to the core characters, Roy Fokker, Claudia Grant, Lisa Hayes, Rick Hunter, Lynn Minmei, and Captain Gloval, as well as the antagonists (although they aren’t named yet). It’s a straight-up adaptation and I don’t know who it’s supposed to appeal to. If you’re a fan of the show, like I am, then there’s nothing truly new here. The novelty of seeing it in comic book form doesn’t do anything, and there are no changes to the story, the characters, or anything else (with one exception). The character designs look different, but that’s about it. If I wanted to revisit the first episode, I’ll just pop in the DVD. The days when I had to get my Robotech fix in prose are long gone.
The comic also doesn’t offer anything for new readers. The story jumps around at the beginning, and there’s no clear focus. Although Robotech features a strong cast, the story centers on the love triangle between Rick, Minmei, and Lisa as well as their growth as people against the backdrop of intergalactic war. That’s quite a bit to establish in a single issue, but the lack of focus means there isn’t anything for the reader to glom onto. It’s just scene after scene strung together until it stops. I found the issue boring even with my built-in affection for the characters and story, so I can’t imagine that someone coming to this fresh would feel anything but indifference.
If they wanted to retell the story, then they should have been more creative with it. Slavishly adhering to the original accomplishes nothing and makes this a very watered-down premiere issue. Wood, Turini, and Lesko should have sat down, figured out the core of the story, and crafted a narrative that was true to that core, but unafraid to deviate from it for the sake of crafting a compelling first issue. Focus on one character—preferably Lisa or Rick—and use them to establish a stronger tone and sense of identity. Like John D. MacDonald said, a story is “something interesting happening to someone we’ve grown to care about.” The “something interesting” is here (although even that is kind of weak sauce), but the only reason a reader would care about any of these characters is if they were already familiar with the franchise.
The only area where they do deviate from the source material is in the portrayal of Minmei, and thank god they did that. In the show, Minmei was Rick’s first love interest, and I have no idea why. She’s a simpering, selfish, immature person completely dependent upon the men in her life. Rick is immature, too, at the beginning, so their attraction is understandable, but he grows as a character and she remains the same. The love triangle between her, Rick, and Lisa is one of the most infuriating aspects of the show because Lisa is a better person and character in every way! Thankfully, it looks like this creative team wants to update the character. She only shows up near the end, but she’s a much stronger, more independent person than the original.
Unfortunately, that one change isn’t enough to make the issue compelling or engaging. Storywise, this comic takes the safe route. That might have been offset by the art, but frankly, the art doesn’t do much, either. It’s decent, but the character models look slightly off, and the figures and colors look flat. There’s no pop to it, no sense of identity or focus. It’s visually unengaging. Not bad, per se, but also not great, either.
In Summary:
Robotech #1 is a missed opportunity. It provides nothing for readers who loved the show, and it provides nothing for readers new to the franchise. It’s a straight-up adaptation that relies too much on a reader’s prior knowledge to fill in the blanks and feel some sort of emotional attachment. It doesn’t do the work necessary to seduce a reader and make them want more. It’s a shame, because I was very much looking forward to this. Dr. Josh gives this a….
Grade: C-
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Titan Comics
Release Date: 26 July 2017
MSRP: $3.99
