The 2013 film Pacific Rim from film visionary Guillermo del Toro is a perfect tribute and pastiche of the greatest monster and mecha stories throughout the years. From Clash of the Titans to Godzilla to Neon Genesis Evangelion, if you are a fan of any of these film/series or the monster genre in general, this film ticked all the right boxes. Naturally, there was a lot of excitement coming off the announcement that a sequel is due for release in 2018 with John Boyega of Star Wars: The Force Awakens fame joining the cast. However, 2018 is quite a way away. Luckily, Legendary Comics is following up on their previous comic tie-in and prequel Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero with a mini-series following on from where it left off.
Original Pacific Rim screenwriter/co-creator and Tales From Year Zero writer Travis Beacham returns for this series and is joined by Eisner and Harvey Award nominee Joshua Fialkov (I, Vampire, Tumor). They immediately cover all the ground you would expect and want in Pacific Rim comic. Alternating between flashbacks of the start of the apocalypse that left the world in its sorry state and present day, the main focus of the series is on Kaori and Duc Jessop – a married couple who are rangers for the Pan Pacific Defence Forces and also pilots of Tacit Ronin (one of the first Jaegers) with both their initial meeting and present day exploits explored. Their dynamic makes for some great sequences as their strong relationship is clearly the source of their great ability at piloting the Jaeger and why they have chosen to fight the Kaiju. Whilst both characters are enduring and well developed, the main draw was always going to be the Jaeger vs Kaiju action, which the series provides in abundance. Artist Marcos Marz not only does a great job with the more grounded human scenes but truly outdoes himself with both the Jaegers and Kaiju popping off the page and some great action sequences that are easy to follow. Credit must also be given to colourist Marcelo Maiolo who creates some great contrasts (the depressing yet detailed backgrounds help the dynamic Jaegers and Kaiju stand out even more) and eerie environments (especially the Jaegar cockpits).
Pacific Rim fans will of course lap this series right up and anyone wanting to see a great take on the giant monster battle genre need look no further.
Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift is published 7 July by Legendary Comics
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