“Yesterday’s” Comic> Robotech: Mechangel #0

“The only thing bigger than my missiles are my wings.”

Robotech: Mechangel #0

Academy Comics, Ltd (September, 1995)

WRITER: Bill Spangler

CO-PLOT/ARTIST/LETTERER: William Jang

Anatole Leonard, now Supreme Commander of the Army Of The Southern Cross, meets with a Zentraedi whose band has been giving them grief in hopes of forming a truce. However, they are attacked by Mechangel, a Zentraedi warrior named Lyss who served with the rebel band leader during the Malcontent Uprisings but now is a hitwoman out to claim the bounty on his head. It turns out the meeting was a trap by Leonard, who is the one who hired Mechangel.

What they got right: I like the design of Mechangel’s armor. It fits in with the time period and the Southern Cross/Robotech Masters design. It’s an interesting introduction and there are more issues following this. We also get a good look at Lyss’s personality, loyal unless money comes into it (unless she pulled a fast one we’ll see in later issues), but someone who has earned her way to her current status with hard work and a warrior’s honor.

What they got wrong: While the Zentraedi language is used better here than in Hohsq’s Story they still have to use the novel names for the Zentraedi. Again, this wasn’t a name the Earthlings came up with so why decide it’s not their “real” name? One panel also forgets to include the part of her scar we should be able to see on the right side of her face.

Recommendation: As an introduction to the miniseries (three more issues coming) it’s off to a good start. What the series does with the concept we’ll have to see but it’s not a bad issue to look into.