MECHANIX #2, from Source Point Press on August 31st, 2022, continues the time-traveling adventure as Keiko figures out Jiji was kidnapped to help pull off a heist with catastrophic consequences for the timeline.
The Details
- Written by: Ben Slabak
- Art by: Edoardo Natalini
- Colors by: Edoardo Natalini
- Letters by: Edoardo Natalini
- Cover art by: Edoardo Natalini
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: August 31, 2022
Is It Good?
MECHANIX #2 is a family-friendly adventure story that keeps on giving with a likable protagonist, a rock-solid plot, and enough hijinks to put a smile on your face. How’s that for a positive assessment?
Sometimes, you just want to read a comic that’s nothing but good, clean, wholesome fun. MECHANIX #2 picks up from the end of the last issue by putting Keiko on the research trail to figure out who kidnapped Jiji and why. To Slabak’s credit, the story wastes no time organically uncovering the mystery and setting Keiko on the path to rescue. The pacing is brisk, the dialog is natural, and the clues to Jiji’s whereabouts are believably uncovered.
What puts this issue over the line between good and above average is the way Slabak presents Keiko as smarter than your average granddaughter while still making her work for her success with plenty of trial and error. Keiko gets very close to her goal before this issue’s cliffhanger, but her journey involves guessing, mistakes, and course corrections. Keiko’s trials are believable because she has to work to overcome them, so her persistence elevates her as a hero.
Natalini’s art is a perfect fit for this material. The line work is clean, the colors are excellent, and the timey-wimey special effects are a treat.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Get to know Keiko and Jiji in our MECHANIX #1 review.
We begin with Keiko furiously trying to track down the woman who kidnapped Jiji and locate their rime ship. With the help of fancy tracking software and facial recognition algorithms, Keiko computer systems eventually figure out the woman is Natash Vorova – a wanted art thief.
With a little guesswork and lip-reading expertise from her droid assistant, Keiko figures out Jiji was taken because he’s the only one who knows how to deactivate the temporal shields around time ships that prevent passengers from changing time. What better way to steal priceless art than stealing it before it becomes priceless?
We conclude the issue with untested travel, lots of trial and error, and a visit with a not-yet-famous artist.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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MECHANIX #2 is a strong second issue in the arc that dispenses with the setup to focus on the main adventure. Keiko proves to be a worthy hero, not because she’s super smart, but because she works to overcome her challenges (and a few mistakes). If you’re looking for a family-friendly, sci-fi adventure, this title is a good choice.
Related Information
Can time travel be possible?
Time travel may be possible, but not right now. One argument to be made is that time travel will never be possible because if it were, we would already be visited by travelers from the future. However, this argument doesn’t take into account what restrictions or limitations may exist. For example, time travel technology may only allow moving forward in time, or time travel may be heavily regulated to prevent interactions with past events. Regardless, anything is possible with enough time, money, and resources.
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