Giant Monsters vs. Giant Mechs? What more could you want?

Guess what, everyone? SUMMER IS HERE, Y’ALL! WOOOO! P-A-R-T-WHY? BECAUSE IT’S SUMMER TIME! Seriously? Who doesn’t love summer? Its the most fun time of the year! Now, for most, summer fun is represented by beach parties, time away from school, girls wearing less clothing, guys wearing less clothing (if you’re into that), vacations, swimming pools, frozen treats, and the list goes on. For me? summer fun is all about going to the movies! Also, girls wearing less clothes is kind of nice, and I love frozen treats.

Anyway, I love the summer movie season! All the best movies come out during the summer. Well…not all, but most of the best movies come out during summer. This year, we’ve had a few flicks come out already, but the summer season has only just begun! So far, I’d probably say Man of Steel is my favorite summer flick released. I know EVERYONE would disagree with that, but I loved that movie. GO MAN OF STEEL! However, while that is the case now, I have a feeling another movie might take MoS’s place on the top of my list. That movie….is Pacific Rim!

Pacific Rim, the latest film from Guillermo Del Toro, is a movie about giant monsters and giant robots duking it out! That simple summary ALONE should get you pumped to see it! I’m truly excited to see this movie. Hell, anything by Guillermo Del Toro gets me excited! I’m so excited, that my anticipation for the movie has left me very impatient. I want this movie out now! I can’t wait any longer! Thankfully, for people like me, Legendary Pictures comics division has released a prequel graphic novel to tide us over until July 12th. That prequel comic is called Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero.

So, this prequel comic tells the story of this reporter, named Naomi Sokolov, whom interviews key characters from the film. Each character proceeds to give their take on specific events that lead to the story in the film. Events like K-Day, the day when humanity first encountered the giant beasts known as the Kaiju, or events like when the humans invented the Giant Jaeger Mechs to fight and destroy the Kaiju threat. The main purpose of this comic seems to be, not just to give some back story, but to build up the world of Pacific Rim.

So, when it comes to comics based on movies, they aren’t always as great as movies based on a comics. There are some exceptions to this notion. One of those being the Django Unchained comic based on Tarantino’s last flick. Another good example, and I’m happy to say this, is Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero. First off, I love the artwork in this book. I really really do. It’s not the most dynamic or stylized art ever, It’s no Rafael Albuquerque or Jock, but It’s very good. One thing I was REALLY worried about was the fact that this comic has five different artists, but the way they used each artist worked really well.

Basically, they had one artist do the present day stuff, and the others tackled the flashbacks. Also, it was nice that the artwork didn’t clash. I’ve read comics in the past that used artists in a similar fashion, but they didn’t pick artists who could compliment each other. Pacific Rim: TFYZ was smart enough to pick artists whom could blend and work together to produce a great looking book. I will say, there was this one moment, mid-flashback sequence, when the art seemed to randomly shift from one artist to another. It was slightly jarring, but it didn’t ruin anything for me.

The writing was what really made this comic worth while. Travis Beacham, the writer of the movie’s story and co-writer of the screenplay, did a tremendous job on this book. I love the character work the most. Each story being told in the flashbacks was so moving and exciting because of the characters. It really showed that this story wasn’t just about giant mechs and monsters, but it’s also about relationships and coming together. You really felt for the characters when they lost someone or sacrificed something. All for the sake of saving the human race from the Kaiju.

Speaking of the Kaiju, while I don’t think they show them all, I love the Kaiju they showed off in this comic. The designs Del Toro and company came up with are BAD ASS! I’m serious, these monsters are going to be so cool in the movie! My favorite might be the Karloff. You’ll see why they named it that, if they show it in the movie. WHICH THEY SHOULD, DAMMIT! All in all, I’m glad I picked up this comic. It’s a nice way to feed your anticipation for the feature film, while also giving you some cool insight into the world of the feature film. If you’re someone like me, and you can’t wait a second longer for Pacific Rim, take my advice. BUY! THIS! GRAPHIC! NOVEL!

Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero gets a 4.5/5!

Side note: Click on the cool Alex Ross picture above. You won’t regret it!