BW Media Spotlight

Yesterday I reviewed the last comic of Comico’s Robotech TV episode adaptations. So that’s it, right? No more Robotech to tell after the last war, right? Well…someone found a way. Before I get into that in the Monday installments of “Yesterday’s” Comic I need to break out a bit of history because Robotech: Aftermath is an odd little footnote in the franchise.

First let’s talk about Eternity Comics, a former imprint of Malibu Comics before Malibu was bought and shredded by Marvel for their advanced computer coloring process. Seems to be a lot of extra work, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were worried Malibu’s shared superhero universe, the Ultraverse, wasn’t a rival to stop from becoming a threat given the state of Marvel in the 1990s. Notice how they’re still fighting to keep the creators from getting their titles back to reboot on their own. You’d think Jim Shooter was behind the Ultraverse.

During Eternity’s run they had taken on the Robotech license. Comico had lost the license, having only produced the adaptations and one original graphic novel set during the SDF-1‘s first crash-landing on Earth (oddly not the last). Eternity however would produce original stories. Robotech II: The Sentinels was based on Carl Macek’s failed attempt to create a new Robotech show, which I was hoping to have done a video on by now but did review the comics both from Eternity and the company that took on the license after. Robotech: Return To Macross was set during the days before the Zentraedi came about. That same new company, Academy Comics, would continue both series and both companies had specials and miniseries coming off of it.

With past and something resembling the present having anchor titles (Return To Macross would get a spin-off title in the form of Academy Blues, focusing on Lisa and her friends and occasionally crossing over with Roy Fokker’s adventures in the other titles) the future needed to be represented as well. Enter Robotech: Aftermath, starting with Eternity and also traveling along to Academy Comics. Aftermath is a curious little monstrosity (I’m exaggerating) that we’ll be looking over in the next few weeks but this three part story from that series we’re looking at in this article also serves as the introduction of a new spin-off title for this period, Robotech: Clone. Aftermath (full title Invid War: Aftermath) meanwhile is actually two different series under one title, bouncing between “Belmont”, a city where the survivors of humanity struggle to rebuild after the Invid Occupation, and “Megaroad”, a group of travelling survivors. Our heroes are split between the two groups, with various philosophies on what to do next dividing the former allies and friends. It’s here where this three issue story takes place. Rather than review the three stories in their separate issues like I’ve been doing with trades I thought I’d use this to introduce to you all our new titles for the next whatever, Aftermath and Clone. I just told you about Aftermath but this is where Clone (later Robotech: Mordecai) begins so let’s meet this group of….people together. This intro is long enough.

Robotech: The Threadbare Heart

(contains issues #7-9, the first three issues of Academy’s run)

Academy Comics, Ltd (April, 1995)

WRITER: Rosearik Rikki

ARTIST: Tavista Wolfgarth

Remember that the Academy comics only had colors on the cover. However, no colorist is credited, though it could be Wolfgarth herself for this cover.

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