Robotech was an important step in the proliferation of anime in the west. It first aired in 1985 and it was a combination of three unrelated shows: Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada. It spanned 85 episodes and was a smash hit. That all being said, while it had a huge impact on anime fans here, it hasn't aged as well as it should have. Since it was three shows spliced together it has some plot inconsistencies and the dubbing is pretty weak at times.
Titan Comics has released a reboot of sorts in comic form with a retelling of the story with some changes here and there. Brian Wood (DMZ, Briggs Land, Northlanders) has taken up the task of adapting the story and the art is provided by Marco Turini. For those who are familiar with the anime, there won't be too many surprises for them in this issue, but for newcomers this will most likely be a much better starting point for the series. Wood keeps all the important story beats and gives a few characters some much needed fleshing out. The tone is much darker as well as it eschews much of the camp and melodrama that is inherent in the '80s iteration.
Marco Turini's grittier modern art style might be a turn off for series purists but I was relieved to see that he didn't try to copy the anime art style. It's hard to pull off with any sort of authenticity. It is a bit weird at first and takes some getting used to, but his mecha designs are fantastic.The coloring is excellent as well and is extremely vibrant. This is a good intro to the Robotech universe-especially if you are not familiar with it. Now if only we could get Harmony Gold to use this licence to release some of the Macross shows here in the west we could really get things started.
--Michelle Kisner