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Mech Cadet Yu #5-8
Mech Cadet Yu Vol. 2
A young boy gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he bonds with a giant sentient robot and joins the ranks of the illustrious Sky Corps Academy to protect the world from alien threats.
The second Sharg war has begun. As the alien invasion grows to a worldwide threat, the Mech Cadets answer the call alongside their robos to defend the planet. First year students, however, are grounded and forbidden from fighting on the front lines. But while training in secret, Stanford, Park, Olivetti, and Sanchez will discover that their enemy takes more shapes than they could have ever known.
Bestselling author Greg Pak ( The Hulk, Superman ) and fan-favorite artist Takeshi Miyazawa ( Runaways, Ms. Marvel ) continue Stanford Yu’s journey alongside his friends and robo mech as he begins to question what makes a hero in a time of war.
The second Sharg war has begun. As the alien invasion grows to a worldwide threat, the Mech Cadets answer the call alongside their robos to defend the planet. First year students, however, are grounded and forbidden from fighting on the front lines. But while training in secret, Stanford, Park, Olivetti, and Sanchez will discover that their enemy takes more shapes than they could have ever known.
Bestselling author Greg Pak ( The Hulk, Superman ) and fan-favorite artist Takeshi Miyazawa ( Runaways, Ms. Marvel ) continue Stanford Yu’s journey alongside his friends and robo mech as he begins to question what makes a hero in a time of war.
112 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2018
11 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Greg Pak
1,634 books577 followersGreg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 24, 2018
The Sharg are headed for Earth but the cadets may have a more pressing enemy at home. Can Yu and the rest function as a team and defeat the enemy?
The second volume of Mech Cadet Yu gets right down to business. The cadets are on janitorial duty after the Sharg attack, cleaning up the wreckage and destroying eggs when it becomes apparent that certain forces at home may not have their best interests at heart.
The clean, anime-inspired art is pretty slick, possibly even better than the first volume. I like how Stanford Yu and the rest of have evolved since their first appearance. I felt like there were more character moments in the second volume since most of the groundwork had already been laid regarding the worldbuilding. Park is proving to be the most interesting of the cadets. And we get more mechs! Once again, Greg Pak's writing has evoked memories of rushing home to watch Voltron after school. Too bad the mechs can't form one super robot.
No complaints on this one. The seeds have been sown and I expect this "Iron Giant by way of Neon Genesis Evangelion tale" is headed for an epic finale. Now the wait begins. Four out of five stars.
The second volume of Mech Cadet Yu gets right down to business. The cadets are on janitorial duty after the Sharg attack, cleaning up the wreckage and destroying eggs when it becomes apparent that certain forces at home may not have their best interests at heart.
The clean, anime-inspired art is pretty slick, possibly even better than the first volume. I like how Stanford Yu and the rest of have evolved since their first appearance. I felt like there were more character moments in the second volume since most of the groundwork had already been laid regarding the worldbuilding. Park is proving to be the most interesting of the cadets. And we get more mechs! Once again, Greg Pak's writing has evoked memories of rushing home to watch Voltron after school. Too bad the mechs can't form one super robot.
No complaints on this one. The seeds have been sown and I expect this "Iron Giant by way of Neon Genesis Evangelion tale" is headed for an epic finale. Now the wait begins. Four out of five stars.
July 31, 2019
Stanford and his team have been grounded after not following orders. But things quickly get desperate for humanity in their war against the Sharg and a last ditch effort is made to save humanity. One thing I'll say for Greg Pak, he likes to move the story along. This could have easily been decompressed for another 12 issues and he's close to wrapping things up now. Anyway, giant robots vs. kaiju. What more do you really need?
December 14, 2020
Builds on Mech Cadet Yu, Vol. 1 perfectly. More character exploration, higher stakes, more world building. More interesting questions... Really it's too colourful and well-written to go wrong. All that's left now is to read Mech Cadet Yu Vol. 3 to find the answer to the biggest question posed here...
April 9, 2024
it's just so cute
December 3, 2019
In this second volume of the YA sci fi series, Stanford Yu and his fellow mech cadets are grounded (literally and figuratively) after the Sharg attack. But Yu, his friends and rival Park soon learn that their leadership has other plans to win the war.
Mech Cadet was an easy read but still very much predictable, especially for older readers who may be familiar giant robot-themed, young "hero's journey" stories. There's nothing wrong with a book meant for younger audiences, but there was more room here for older readers who will come for that giant-robot nostalgia. The aliens as colonizers in particular was low hanging fruit, and they remain distant, wordless monsters whose evil barbaric tendencies definitely give MCY a Saturday morning cartoon feeling. A far more interesting question to me is where the mech robots come from and why they help humans - but no answers were given. While the creators might be staying mum in order to stay away from Transformers comparisons, it also makes the story a bit more shallow, especially when we are asked to be convinced that mechs and cadets have an unbreakable, emotional bond.
This transfers to the character development, squarely on Yu on a predictable hero's journey, and a bit on Park, with an equally predictable redemptive arc. Outside of our two protagonists,
there are some nice character moments, particularly for women of color, such as the chief mechanic, fellow cadet Sanchez, and Yu's mother Dolly, and I deemed necessary in my last review that the latter get some more time. Even so, the characters still seem shallow and the moments don't give us an opportunity to go deeper. The diversity is great but by the time I closed the book I forgot much of the secondary characters and most of the plot at that.
MCY was good enough for me to eventually read the third and final volume, but it feels like something is missing and that's probably because it wasn't written for me. The artwork is consistent and has great kinetic energy especially when the mechs are doing their flying fighting thing. It's not anything too complicated and still has that Saturday morning cartoon feeling, especially when I watched anime (I mean that in a good way).
Mech Cadet Yu is perfect for a snowed in Sunday morning or a lighter read, and maybe a good holiday gift for an older kid or preteen who's into robots.
Mech Cadet was an easy read but still very much predictable, especially for older readers who may be familiar giant robot-themed, young "hero's journey" stories. There's nothing wrong with a book meant for younger audiences, but there was more room here for older readers who will come for that giant-robot nostalgia. The aliens as colonizers in particular was low hanging fruit, and they remain distant, wordless monsters whose evil barbaric tendencies definitely give MCY a Saturday morning cartoon feeling. A far more interesting question to me is where the mech robots come from and why they help humans - but no answers were given. While the creators might be staying mum in order to stay away from Transformers comparisons, it also makes the story a bit more shallow, especially when we are asked to be convinced that mechs and cadets have an unbreakable, emotional bond.
This transfers to the character development, squarely on Yu on a predictable hero's journey, and a bit on Park, with an equally predictable redemptive arc. Outside of our two protagonists,
there are some nice character moments, particularly for women of color, such as the chief mechanic, fellow cadet Sanchez, and Yu's mother Dolly, and I deemed necessary in my last review that the latter get some more time. Even so, the characters still seem shallow and the moments don't give us an opportunity to go deeper. The diversity is great but by the time I closed the book I forgot much of the secondary characters and most of the plot at that.
MCY was good enough for me to eventually read the third and final volume, but it feels like something is missing and that's probably because it wasn't written for me. The artwork is consistent and has great kinetic energy especially when the mechs are doing their flying fighting thing. It's not anything too complicated and still has that Saturday morning cartoon feeling, especially when I watched anime (I mean that in a good way).
Mech Cadet Yu is perfect for a snowed in Sunday morning or a lighter read, and maybe a good holiday gift for an older kid or preteen who's into robots.
January 10, 2019
Just like with the first volume, Mech Cadet Yu volume two is fun, fast-paced, and forgettable. The alien menace is nearing Earth and the evil generals have a plan that requires the sacrifice of all those stoic mechs. Naturally, Stanford and his cohorts must go rogue to defeat the aliens on their own! Mech Cadet Yu goes down easy and the cliffhanger ending means I'll be coming back for the third volume.
October 24, 2018
This series continues to bring it! The first issue is a little bit slow, but once some of the hidden story threads come to light the action really picks up. There is definitely more than what meets the eye going on here *insert Transformers joke*.
Anyway still highly recommend it for anyone who loves Gundam, Transformers, Power Rangers, or Mechs in general. Good stuff.
Anyway still highly recommend it for anyone who loves Gundam, Transformers, Power Rangers, or Mechs in general. Good stuff.
May 26, 2019
In its second volume Mech Cadet Yu continues to be a fun homage to the classic mech warrior style series of the past. The main characters are a lot of fun, and even some of the secondary characters get some major plot points in this volume. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this, and I'm eager to see what comes next.
October 29, 2019
I thought this book was very good. I also thought that Volume 1 was also really good. This book had a good story line, and it had a lot of action, and moments when you think, "What's going to happen next? Time to find out." This book was really exciting, and I hope the author comes out with another volume, or a sequel to these two books.
November 4, 2020
La storia si evolve ed assume tinte più concrete anche se il sapore adolescenziale rimane forte in bocca assieme ad alcune meccaniche che probabilmente neanche verrebbero umanamente pensate se si agisse all'interno del mondo reale.
Rimango ugualmente soddisfatta però perché la storia riesce a coinvolgere ed incuriosire, ma soprattutto fa entrare in empatia con i personaggi.
Rimango ugualmente soddisfatta però perché la storia riesce a coinvolgere ed incuriosire, ma soprattutto fa entrare in empatia con i personaggi.
January 23, 2023
Horrible. Weak writing. The last thing I expected was for Yu's mom to be a character in the war against the Zerg, but equally unexpected was Tanaka training them with Nerf guns.
The writing team of this travesty actually managed to screw up a Transformers vs Zerg battle by focusing on politics and stereotypical movie-villain behavior.
The writing team of this travesty actually managed to screw up a Transformers vs Zerg battle by focusing on politics and stereotypical movie-villain behavior.
September 4, 2019
3.5 stars
These are great beginner comics for younger kids! Again, the art is amazing, the story is simple but easy to follow, fun characters with legit conflict, and great pacing that never slows down.
These are great beginner comics for younger kids! Again, the art is amazing, the story is simple but easy to follow, fun characters with legit conflict, and great pacing that never slows down.
April 30, 2020
Same as with volume 1 - I really like this series but have a little trouble following the mech action sequences. Excited to read the third and final volume! Would be a great intro series for new comics readers or manga/anime fans wanting to get into more “traditional-style” comics.
September 27, 2018
Lots of good old fashioned Giant robots
November 10, 2018
So much action and so much mystery! What happens next?!
December 31, 2018
Fantastic!
December 31, 2018
I was delighted by the first volume, but this one did a great job raising the stakes and starting to shade in the nuances of several key characters. Can't wait to see how it all ends!
February 14, 2019
Review forthcoming.
May 17, 2019
This is a great coming-of-age story in the truest sense, kids learning to navigate the adult world. And, it smack-dab in the middle of some great mech vs aliens action. A really fun read.
October 21, 2019
Sometimes it's hard to know when you're on the right side. How much can the robots be trusted, versus the commanders?
November 13, 2019
Amazing ending to the first book. Would recommend for those who love Transformers, Voltron, and any bot lovers out there.
January 14, 2021
The Mech crew is called into action as the long worried for alien attack arrives.
June 22, 2021
Good giant mech vs giant space-bug action. Just enough wider intrigue to keep things more interesting than run-of-the-mill.
June 2, 2023
*actual rating is 4.5 stars*
November 10, 2023
3.5 stars
May 2, 2024
Issue five - 4 stars
Issue six - 2 stars
Issue seven- 3 stars
Issue eight- 4 stars
Issue six - 2 stars
Issue seven- 3 stars
Issue eight- 4 stars
October 19, 2021
Stanford, the main character from Mech Cadet YU, by Greg Pak, starts off as a janitor on his way home he sees a piece of metal on the ground. He meets and bonds with a robot. These robots come once a year to help the humans against an alien race called the Sharq. The robot was meant to be someone else’s but it stayed with Stanford.
I like how the first book ended with a plot twist. It is a graphic novel. The pictures helped me understand what was going on. This story needed more character exploration.
I like how the first book ended with a plot twist. It is a graphic novel. The pictures helped me understand what was going on. This story needed more character exploration.
June 7, 2022
While still good, some of the heart is missing from the first volume. The book moves very fast and we get less Standford and his Robo. The plot does move nicely into a new realm but too quickly. The art is still well-suited for the book. Overall, a decent read but not enough of the main character.
May 12, 2022
Rep: Chinese mc
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews