Voltron #3
Written by Brandon Thomas
Illustrated by Ariel Padilla
Colors by Marcelo Pinto
Letters by Marshall Dillion
Covers by Sean Chen, Alex Ross
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: February 29, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Here’s what Dynamite Entertainment would have you believe Voltron #3 is about: “The Man From Arus has come to Earth with an urgent message—Drule is coming and our planet lacks any credible defense. To turn the tide, an embattled scientist must accept the impossible and place the fate of humanity in the hands of something that doesn’t exist. And little does he know that his fateful actions have brought the Voltron Force to their current situation almost a hundred years later…staring down a battalion of shock troops and Robeasts that have come to make sure Voltron doesn’t get rescued and the day doesn’t get saved. Generation Voltron continues…”

OK, this book has flown under my radar for long enough. I’m, and this will come as NO surprise, a pretty big Voltron fan. Issue #1 I thought was pretty good, issue #2 was even better and I liked where it was going, but with issue #3, writer Brandon Thomas BLOWS MY MIND!!!! It’s rare in some cases to get something that you didn’t know you needed. Like in the last Rambo film. I got an ending to the story of John Rambo that I didn’t really know that I needed. But the payoff of Rambo walking back to his father’s farm was amazing. Here, the same basic rule is applies and executed. We get an origin for pretty much the WHOLE Voltron saga that we never really knew we wanted or needed and it’s utterly amazing.

Without going into spoiler country, Thomas finds a way to tie everything about the legend of Voltron together AND tie it to modern day, not just making it a space opera. And in doing so, it actually makes the reader feel more tied to the story and myth of Voltron. Amazing storytelling here, folks.

Artist Ariel Padilla is someone I’m not familiar with, but I’m going to be paying closer attention to, that’s for sure. He’s got a great style that totally fits this book. He knows how to draw both out of this world sci-fi tech and normal guy in suit action scenes. His art is just stunning to look at and this book would be a lot less thrilling without his art. His use of shading is particularly impressive. I hope he’s on this book for a long time.

Phenomenal!!! That’s one word that I could use to describe this book. There’s also a lot of other adjectives, but let me just say-BUY THIS BOOK!!!! If you’re a sci-fi fan, it’s a great read, if you’ve never read a Voltron comic or seen a Voltron cartoon, it’s a good place to start and if you ARE a Voltron fan, you will enjoy it immensely!!! Highest possible recommendation!!