By Peter N.

Are you a fan of Pacific Rim? How about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? Or even Neon Genesis Evangelion? 

Then this is the graphic novel series for you! Every year in the near future of Mech Cadet Yu, sentient robots descend to Earth and bond with a select cadet of the Sky Corps Academy to aid in the ongoing battle between Earth and the monsters that plague the planet.

Stanford, a janitor at Sky Corps along with his mother, never thought he’d become a Sky Corps cadet. Seemingly out of the blue, during the yearly appearance of said robots, he comes into contact with a robot that mysteriously shows every sign of choosing him, even though Stanford is nowhere near cadet rank. Because of this bonding, he now has the opportunity to do what he never could: to help defend Earth and make his mother proud. Due to his less-than-stellar upbringing and status, he’ll not only have to find the confidence to become more than who he thought he’d be, but also earn the trust of his fellow cadets. 

As I mentioned, if you’re a fan of anything related to giant robots battling giant monsters, with a protagonist who thinks they’re not worthy or capable of their designated mission, then this is the series for you. And as I always say, if I like something so much that I want the accompanying action figures, then it’s a winner. As a bonus, Mech Cadet (based on the series) is a forthcoming animated series from Netflix due to release on August 10.

Volumes 1 and 2 are available for checkout at your local HCLS branch and volume 3 is available for download from Hoopla Digital.

Peter is an Adult Instructor and Research Specialist at the Miller Branch and always wanted to be a Power Ranger.