Voltron is back. So is the entire team of heroic pilots you remember from the show. The action gets intense but wait until you see what happens towards the end.
The Good
When launching a new series based on an existing franchise, careful thought needs to be given to where to begin. Voltron has a big following but not everyone is familiar with the show. There could be readers checking this issue out without having watched a single episode. The decisions was made to throw us head first into the action. All you really need to know is there is a giant threat and it takes a giant metallic force to put a stop to it.
To make sure everyone is up to speed, when the pilots are first shown, their name and which lion they pilot is shown in a little dialogue box. The action heats up and there is a mix of seriousness with bits of a light-hearted feel when the characters are talking.
Then things get a little...crazy. The main story takes place during 2124. We then jump to a different time period and the implications are kind of nuts. I can't say I know exactly where this is going to take us but you can be assured that it captured my attention.
The Bad
In my younger days, I watched a bit of Voltron. Maybe it's just that I don't remember this part but when Voltron is fighting the enemy forces, the pilots are all out...not piloting Voltron. They're helping prevent civilian casualties and it felt like a strange way to introduce the idea of Voltron being made up of five different lion ships. We're told which 'lion' they pilot but never actually see the lions separated.
The art was fitting for the series but there were some moments when there was a little inconsistency. One scene in particular involved a character having a conversation with another. We had a series of panels focusing on the first character and his facial expressions made him seem a bit angry when it didn't feel it was called for.
The Verdict
Voltron is back. Readers new to the franchise might not completely understand what's going on as the issue begins with full-on action. The characters are all introduced as they appear on each page but the fact that they are not in their individual lion/ships while Voltron is assembled was a little odd. There is a pretty strange twist thrown in (that I don't think ever came up in the show) and it has the potential to take the series to a new and strange place. My curiosity has been aroused and I will definitely be back for the next issue to see what's going to happen next.