My Rating
“Breaking Contact”
War has come to Earth! A large section of San Francisco has been razed to the ground. As the Russian and U.S. Militaries wag their fingers at each other Def-Con 2 has been issued. To the small band of mecha pilots, this is only background noise to the true threat humanity faces. A full scale Alien invasion has arrived over California.
Hyer, Hana, Terry, and the Mystery pilot from outer space have taken up a defensive position near the Golden Gate Bridge. After a long fought battle they begin to push the Alien Insectoid mecha back towards the coastline. The rag-tag group of human pilots fight bravely but are severely outnumbered as more mecha descend from the upper atmosphere. Before things turn completely hopeless however, the strange homing signal each human driven mech has been receiving grows stronger and stronger.
As if by magic, a familiar looking structure flies in from the southwest. Professor Bjornseth recognizes it as the underwater base they discovered over a year ago. The alien vessel casts a major shadow over the southwestern section of San Francisco’s business district. The Deephold has arrived to assist the mecha it once housed!
Will Jack Pierce escape the U.S. Military detention center in time to save his son from certain death? Can the Deephold ship stop the Earth’s militaries from initiating a full nuclear holocaust? Will the mystery Japanese pilot bring peace between the human mecha factions? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
Welcome to the last and final issue of Dark Horse Comics’ Mecha series. For a time when very few giant robot titles were even being produced, Dark Horse released this epic series on a shoestring budget. In the letters to the editor section of the book, Writer/Editor Randy Stradley announces the reasoning behind the early cancellation of the series. As the main force behind this title, Randy also promises a follow series involving the alien race behind the Insectoid Mecha.
Unfortunately there would be no follow-up then or in the years to follow. I placed a link to a blog interview with Randy Stradley in one of my previous Mecha reviews. Randy made it sound as if the Dark Horse editor(s) grew less interested in the property as Japanese mecha based anime grew less popular in the United States. It’s too bad, as this series could have gone at least another two volumes – in my opinion if coarse.
I believe with Dark Horse producing the comic book adaptation of the Alien movie franchise, their obviously limited staff, and a building list of indie titles, my guess is they decided to focus everything on the golden calf. Or should I say the golden xenomorph? The last four pages of Mecha issue six is dedicated to Aliens merchandise. I love Aliens, I just wish it wouldn’t have killed what Dark Horse had in production already.
It’s all water under the bridge now. Dark Horse Comics has become one of the major players in the modern comic book industry. The early days seem laughable now that comic books have become mainstream. If any Dark Horse representatives read my ramblings, please consider releasing even a small follow-up mini series on the Mecha universe you created. Don’t leave us old school fans out to dry!
As far as this issue goes, I’m giving it a five star review based on the ability to wrap up Volume One in a single issue. I should take points off for empty promises but Randy Stradley seemed to have been given false hopes from the higher-ups. The series in general I’m giving a four out of five star review. The overall art and writing was excellent. If you can find the series I would recommend picking it up. It’s a blast for what it is.
Tag(s)
Character(s)
Writer(s)
Penciller(s)
Inker(s)
Colorist(s)
Letterer(s)
Cover Artist(s)
Editor(s)
