I’d cheer but this dragon is my namesake.
Robotech: The New Generation #13
Comico The Comic Company (January, 1987)
“Sandstorm”
ADAPTATION: Markalan Joplin
PENCILER: Harrison Fong
INKER: Bill Anderson
COLORIST: Kurt Mausert
LETTERER: Bob Pinaha
EDITOR: Diana Schutz
Trapped in a cave with an ailing Marlene, the group argue–especially Rand and Scott. Rand goes to find water for Marlene only to get caught in a sandstorm. Inhaling Flower Of Life spores, Rand has a dream where he has to rescue Marlene from a dragon named “Shadow-Wing” (no relation). During the dream a vision of Annie reveals more of the Invid’s reason to invade Earth, to study our evolution pattern in order to survive. This just leads to more bickering with Scott, but at least Marlene’s fever has broken.
What they got right: While the list of negatives is larger than the list of positives I do like the idea of the episode. Having Rand end up with a prophetic dream set in a fantasy world is fun to watch and I wish I could see the actual episode in both Robotech and Mospeada incarnations. It might alter the next list. The actual episode used a combination of original footage and clips from previous episodes, while the comic doesn’t follow suit with old art.
What they got wrong: Outside of a bit more detail than the time Annie was possessed in the Genesis Pit (one of the recycled clips if memory serves) Rand doesn’t learn much. It doesn’t lead to a revelation or reconciliation with Scott, and all Rand really ends up doing is clarifying the previous rant by actual Annie. There’s no evidence of the team coming together. And the episode does reuse old clips, which I think was on the Mospeada side, with original clips setting up the fantasy sequence of the dream and the pursuit of the dragon (and no, that’s not where my screenname comes from). I don’t think we needed the out of nowhere naked Marlene from her introduction. That feels like fanservice using recycled clips that the US TV version had to censor and yet is somehow still in the episode. (The comic covers the naughty bits as well.) Finally, if this prophecy comes from the Flower Of Life spores, does this mean he was linked to Marlene somehow as the comic tries to paint it? And is Rand part Zentraedi or part Tirolian? When Dana had her own prophetic dream after touching the Protoculture Matrix that had grown into the flower her prophetic dream, short as it was, was blamed on her being half-Zentraedi, the clone race created by the Robotech Masters and the Matrix having been part of the race’s creation and the micronization process. So how was Rand having his own prophetic dream?
What I think overall: On the surface it’s a good story on it’s own, but it frankly could have done more to explore either the characters or the Invid.
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