BOOM! Studios’ Mech Cadet Yu was one of this year’s most pleasant surprises, and the book was so successful that the publisher upgraded the miniseries to an ongoing after just one issue. Written by Greg Pak with art by Takeshi Miyazawa and colors by Triona Farrell, the series follows a teenage boy who works as a janitor at Sky Corps Academy, a training ground for cadets who will go on to pilot giant robots in an ongoing war against giant alien crabs. Stanford isn’t a Mech Cadet, but his life changes when one of those massive mechs unexpectedly chooses him as a pilot, sending him shooting up the ranks and pissing off people who don’t think he deserves it. Class plays a major part in the tension of the story, and in the new arc starting next month, the young pilots get a taste of Stanford’s old life when they are put on janitor duties after disobeying orders and engaging with their alien opponents last issue.
This exclusive preview of Mech Cadet Yu #5, on sale January 10, introduces the Mech Cadets to their janitorial roles while setting up another major new plot point: the recently defeated aliens were pregnant, and their eggs have been scattered across Earth’s surface. These pages are light on action, instead spotlighting Miyazawa’s talent for character expressions. He’s brought Pak’s script to life with energy and crystal clear emotion, and when there are big moments of spectacle, he amplifies the exhilaration and captures the full scope of these gigantic brawls. Farrell’s coloring has a brightness that reinforces the kid-friendly nature of this story, and her soft rendering brings out the strength of Miyazawa’s inking, which has never been more detailed. This is a creative team firing on all cylinders, and BOOM! made a very smart decision giving these creators the opportunity to continue growing together on an ongoing basis.