Voltron TPBs by Devil’s Due
We all remember Voltron: Defender of the Universe from our childhood. I still have my fully assembled Lion-Force Voltron. It is the metal version, that was recalled for having lead-based paint. My mommy said I could keep it, as long as I didn’t lick it. Recently I picked up and read a couple of trade paperbacks that I really enjoyed. For the last couple years, Image Comics, and Devil’s Due Publishing have put out a run of Voltron comics, which are now collected in these digest-sized collections from Devil’s Due.
Volume I is called REVELATIONS. It collects the first series of comics. This is a standard origin story. Keith, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and our pal Sven, are sent on a mission to find the robot lions that form Voltron, and turn them over to the military. This takes them to planet Arus. Years ago, Arus was decimated by King Zarkon, and his evil son, Prince Lotor. The people all live in caves, etc. Soon our team finds the amazing robot lions. Actually, they find them pretty easily. But that’s okay, since we want action, and we want it fast! The trouble is that our five heroes discover they are capable of piloting the Lions themselves, and don’t want to go back to their old lives.
One difference between this book and the cartoon is that in the cartoon the pilots of the lions are just that…pilots. In this version, the lions really become an extension of them. They have a magical link where all they have to do is think, and the lions will obey their mental commands. Kinda makes it easier to imagine someone being able to control one of those robotic beasts. I know, you are all wondering about the hottie Princess Allura, right? Well, fear not, she is here. Sven is for some unknown reason, knocked out while trying to form Voltron, and this pushes Allura to jump in and take his place as pilot of the blue lion. The explanation here is that the lion for some reason “rejected” Sven. Works for me. The cartoon had him get badly injured, and in the Japanese version, he got badly dead. By the end of book I, they have successfully repelled the forces of Zarkon. Yay!
Book II is called PARADISE LOST. Our team has been living on Arus, and they like their new lives, helping to protect and rebuild society. But guess who’s not happy? The big military bosses that want Voltron to be brought under their command. So they show up and swipe the lions, while they are parked out in the open. This will simply not do! Our team decides to go back home, and steal the lions back. Trouble is, it takes them weeks to prepare for the trip. By the time they find the lions, the military has been able to duplicate at least some of Voltron’s technology. As our team takes off in the lions, they are amazed when they see 15 small exploration vehicles come together to form a whole new super-robot: Vehicle Voltron! The two giants do battle, and blah blah blah, they discover they are friends, and Zarkon and Lotor are the real enemy to everyone, since some of the “good guy” bigwigs are actually in cahoots with them. It all works out by the end.
The artwork is one of the things that drew me to these books. That, and I am a big geek. When you remember a cartoon or various portrayals of a character from the 80’s, it is cool to see them drawn in a more modern way. The robot and lion poses are dynamic, and the rendering of the technology is sweet. The writing keeps the action moving, and we are not bogged down with too many talking heads. There is sufficient back-story going on to keep the reader interested in what comes next.
As a kid, I never liked the Vehicle Voltron. I mean would you rather pilot a giant, super cool robot lion, or some dippy looking space submarine thing that becomes Voltron’s crotch? Plus, in the lion-force, you are one of 5 elite pilots. In the vehicle-team, there are 15 of you! Every time they have to mobilize, I bet at least one of them is sitting on the toilet. “Hold up! We can’t take off yet, where’s Cliff? We need him to form the butt and pelvis!” I must say though, Vehicle Voltron is handled very well here. It is clearly the man-made version, a little less magical, which might be why it needs so many pilots, and why those small vehicles are so worthless on their own.
Alright I have run out of stuff to say. These books get my thumbs up, and I am never growing up!
If you want to learn more about both versions of Voltron, check out this great site, put together by Purrsia.
If you want to read these books, you can get them at Amazon.
December 3rd, 2005 at 12:23 pm
Nice article - I like your sense of humor, even when it’s aimed at Vehicle Voltron
Also, thanks for the link. Tis greatly appreciated.