Graphic Novel Review: Mech Cadet Yu

Posted on August 27, 2019 at 11:15 am by Gene Ambaum

Mech Cadet Yu Volume One written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa, colored by Triona Farrell. BOOM! Studios, 2018. 9781684151950. Contains #1-#4 of the series.

Every four years a group of giant robots arrives at the Sky Corps Academy from outer space in order to bond with new cadets. No one knows where they come from, but they defend humanity and have helped defeat alien monsters known as the Sharg.

Stanford and his mother work as janitors at the academy, though Stanford dreams of becoming a cadet and bonding with one of the robots. His mother thinks it’s a bad idea, and Cadet Park mocks him. When the giant robots arrive, though, Cadet Park doesn’t get one. Instead one seeks out and bonds with Stanford. Cue trouble with the academy, though help arrives quickly and Stanford is brought on as a Cadet. When the Sharg start attacking, it’s clear why Stanford was the right choice.

This is a very entertaining start to a series I plan to keep reading. It took me back to watching Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot when I was a kid, though of course this looks much better.