PACIFIC RIM: BLACKOUT – Review

PACIFIC RIM: BLACKOUT, from Legendary Comics on February 22nd, 2022, pits the Jaegers against the Kaijus in a last-ditch battle to save Australia when the odds force humanity to initiate a plan of last resort.

The Details

• Written By: Cavan Scott
• Art By: Nelson Dániel
• Colors By: Nelson Dániel
• Letters By: Richard Starkings, Comicraft’s Tyler Smith, Jimmy Betancourt
• Cover Art By: Nelson Dániel
• Cover Price: $19.99
• Release Date: February 22, 2022

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Was It Good?

Okay, okay. This was pretty good.

If you’ve aware of the Pacific Rim (2013) film, you’ll know it was hit for a good reason. The film captures the fun and excitement of giant mechs beating up giant monsters plus a world-ending plan from another world/dimension plus (and this is most important) a human drama at its heart. Those elements combined make for an epic sci-fi adventure that earned the film its success.

PACIFIC RIM: BLACKOUT, a prequel to the Netflix anime Pacific Rim: The Black, Cavan Scott takes that same formula from the original film and gives it a fresh coat of paint. Again, you have mechs fighting monsters, a big event/plan with a ticking clock, and a human drama at the heart of it all. To be clear, it’s not a redux of the original film. Scott takes the same narrative elements and produces something wholly original but set in the same world. The story feels familiar and original.

The notable high point of the writing is Scott’s pacing. At 100-pages, this isn’t a short graphic novel but you get plenty of story with barely a pause in the action or the plot movement. The reading experience keeps a consistently high energy level but never feels rushed or takes shortcuts. PACIFIC RIM: BLACKOUT is a well-paced, well-written, energetic, and at times, emotional action-adventure.

Regarding the art, this is our first exposure to Nelson Dániel’s work. The lines are clean, the Kaiju designs are worthy of any Godzilla film, and the action scenes are excellent. We’re looking forward to seeing more from Nelson Dániel in the future.

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]

We begin with Herc and Cooper piloting Striker against another Kaiju attack on the population of Australia. Over the last weeks, Kaiju attacks have increased and the Jaeger pilots are struggling to keep up while staying alive. In this latest sortie, Herc’s heart feels the strain, and he passes out. Years of service and escalating mission frequency forces Command to formally retire Herc against his wishes.

Later, a series of Kaiju attacks take out several regional Jaegers and their pilots, forcing Command to consider taking a step of last resort – Operation: Blackout, a full shutdown, and evacuation of Australia.

As arrangements for an evacuation near completion, Cooper’s family is loaded on a helicopter transport for relocation. Suddenly, a massive Kaiju spawns in the heart of the city, knocking down several transports, including the one holding Cooper’s family.

We conclude the issue with Herc and Cooper disobeying orders (naturally), a race to find survivors, and no Jaeger getting out alive… or do they?

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