Story Title: Mechanized & Manipulated
Reviewer: Paul Sebert
Writer: Sean McKeever
Artists: Lou Kang
Colorist: HiFi
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Editor: John Barber
Publisher: Not Brand Echh
In the early 90s superhero comics were experiencing an unheard of boom of popularity and mainstream acceptance with new comic companies appearing on what seemed to be a semi-weekly basis. Then in 1993 an enterprising Egyptian business man by the name of Haim Saban combined footage from various Japanese Sentai series and shoe-string low budget American actors to create the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. It was perhaps to the comic industry what Sputnik was to Cold War America. In the face of the all mighty giant Japanese transforming robot, the grim & gritty gun-slinging arch types of American comics seemed obsolete. Titles like Youngblood, Bloodshot, Bloodstrike, Bloodfire, and Blood Syndicate could no longer capture the imagination of an American Public in love with henshin sequences and multicolored spandex. The American comics industry went into a downfall, unable to keep up with Japanese Superheroic technology leaving the door open for Manga to take root.
A few brave individuals tried to fight back but were often shot down by older comic fans, obsessed with keeping American comics within the stranglehold of hyperrealism. One brave company Dreamwave valiantly tried to revive the much loved transformers franchise, only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when Pat Lee decided to use the company’s entire budget to buy himself a gold-plated Hummer that burned hundred dollar bills as fuel.
Now with Marvel Comics back in the black, Toybiz mastermind Ike Perlmutter has unleashed a weapon to strike back at the Japanese Invasion. Meet the Megamorphs: giant stompy-fun Super Robot versions of familiar Marvel Superheroes like Spider-Man and Captain America! A truly awesome idea who’s time has come. Writing this epic tale is Eisner Award winner Sean McKeever and former Dreamwave artist & Mortal Kombat contestant Lou Kang. Perhaps the most illustrious creative team on a toy-based book since Jack Kirby put together DC’s Superpowers mini-series.
The plot of this book is a rather delicious bit of nonsense in which Tony Stark creates a batch of Stompy-Fun Transforming Mecha Armor suits for other superheroes to use as a weapon of last ditch defense. While Spider-Man is testing out his newest robot (which Tony hilarious insists are not toys) a mechanical mind-control probe lands on Bruce Banner prompting Hulk to break into Tony’s base and steal his own giant robot. See maybe giving Hulk a robot to make him more destructive might not be the best idea to come out of Stark’s head. It seems someone has brought in Hulk to break Dr. Octopus out of jail who wouldn’t you know it, has built himself a giant stompy-fun transforming robot of his own.
While the plot makes absolutely no sense the comic is quite enjoyable, perhaps due to the fact that McKeever realizes the ridiculousness of the situation and plays it mostly for laughs. He has a nice touch for Spider-Man’s snappy dialog, and Wolverine’s reaction to his mecha is hilarious. Lou Kang’s art is a very clean Udon-esc style which applies well to the super robots, but the human characters are slightly uneven. Still a surprisingly enjoyable little title.
