Robotech Episodes 31 - 36

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

Episode #31 Khyron's Revenge

The animation looks pretty rough. I know these last episodes were tacked on but it does look unusually rough here at the beginning.

In the second scene the Masters decide on their ultimate fate: to spend the 15 years to travel to Earth (meanwhile developing one of the Zor clones along the way). This major story point was probably above the heads of kids back then but what did they care?!

The mechanical animation of this episode is rough but the character animation is really good.

Rick is a short dude but the Mayor of New Detroit looks like a midget compared to him!

Oh crap, there's Kyle again! What, Khyron is wearing the same clothes? Sheesh.

New Detroit gets EVERYTHING it deserves! Ha!

Rick's Left Wing pilot looks funny.

With every one's use of the term Protoculture (i.e. Protoculture chamber) it seems the populace knows about this mystic material.

Gloval goes on this imaginary tale about how Protoculture came about. It's totally wrong but whatever. Now I realize that as far as the cartoon goes, that is the story and it was only additional materials that turned that story on it's head.

I find the whole conversation by all the RDF guys pure speculation and totally unnecessarily. It seemed like a lot of time filler.

When Kyle takes off in the car with Minmei in the back seat he hands something to her and says 'here, hold this'. I wonder what that was...

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Episode #32 Broken Heart 

The battle scene a the beginning is kinda strange. They use strange terms and Lisa looks different.

What the heck is Lisa doing right there in the middle of the action?

The Zentraedi riding on the Battlepods look cool.

When the bad guys attack the concert hall why don't the Zentraedi in the audience fight back? They are warriors. It appears that if you give up the warrior lifestyle you become a weak and feeble.

Khyron talks about wanting to leave the planet while in the comic he longs to rejoin the Masters.

When Rick jumps into his jet during the Star Saver operation the cockpit is WAY over sized! It's huge!

Where did Khyron get chicken legs THAT big?! I wonder if you could put a regular sized chicken leg in a sizing chamber... That would solve the world's starving masses!

Those forks that make up Kyle's and Minmei's cage have gaps big enough to crawl through.

The lighting of the cigarette with the auto cannon is great. However that Zentraedi is waring a completely different uniform.

Azonia rides her mecha like a true lady; side saddle.

I can't believe that Khyron's little troop could hold up against that many MAC II Monsters.

Rick's Guardian takes the lid off Minmie's prison but then a few moments later we see him rip if off again.

At the end Minmei has to run a looooong way to get to Rick. She seems to be running forever.

Rick super leaps into his Guardian.

What's with Lisa's look at the very end of the episode? Strange...

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Episode #33 A Rainy Night

Sure Claudia... tea... sure it is... lol.

I freeze-framed the shot where Rick is climbing out of his Veritech. Something didn't look quite right. What looks like the 'head' lasers are way too high on his plane. They are on the side of the body. In fact his debarking ladder goes between the lasers... strange.

Vanessa's thought about Lisa being hung up on Rick is very perceptive. Rick seems genuinely surprised when Vanessa tells him Lisa is in love with him. Is he THAT dense?!

Rick's curtains are very transparent, he better not run around the house naked.

Lisa sure puts that Burgundy away. This is a very adult scene in a kids show. I wonder if any parents just happened to be watching when this scene happened (and I wonder what they thought)?

Claudia (in her remembrance of her waiting for Roy when he shows up with a carload of girls) looks at her watch in a strange way. She looks at the inside of her wrist. This is how I used to wear a watch (back before phones took over). I didn't wear them because of Claudia! My brother used to wear his that way and I did followed his lead)

When Claudia remembers giving Roy back his presents you can see the 'under construction' SDF-1 in the background!

When Roy meets Claudia outside in the rain he seems to have grown up from earlier in the day when he looked WAYYYYYY younger.
Claudia and Lisa are both earring fuzzy green house slippers.

It seems in the future phones got bigger, Claudia's is pretty big.
Rick's uniform changes color while he and Lisa walk home... its Robotechnology!

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Episode #34 Private Time

I always thought that when Lisa is chewing that little squiggle line looks funny.

I'm sure that map she looks at can clue me in to where the show's creators placed New Macross but I can't bother to find it out.

Rick is such a BUTT HEAD! Why would you do that??!!!! The book makes Rick a bit less jerk-like with his thoughts of quickly getting back to Lisa, but the Rick from the show just ditches Lisa... jerk!

Lisa has the patience of a rock! I'd have left a half hour after Rick didn't turn up.

The piano player just replays the same song after we come back from checking in on Lisa.

Oh no... Kyle! Rick just lets him be an ass to Minmei, what a wimp.

When Rick drinks he is the kind of person who is a 'sad drunk'.

Communication officer Mitchell is the Velma of Robotech.

The Zentraedi shooting at tiny humans is gruesome!

The Zentraedi shoot at Rick's Gladiator and the bolts do nothing! It's like Rick has the power to make the useless Gladiator a real fighting machine.

The character art changes in this episode from shot to shot. It looks like different companies worked on this episode.

Cooking?! Lisa made sandwiches... that is not cooking.

Rick has the AUDACITY to wrap his new 'cheater scarf' around Lisa! J E R K!!!

Kyle says Minmei is going to sing her latest hit 'We Will Win'. Uhhhhh 2 issues:
1.) The music that starts up is Stagefright.
2.) We Will Win was first performed over 2 years ago! Latest hit?! We call that 'A HAS BEEN'.

Kyle finally leaves! Woooohoooo! Its sad but at the same time... its party time!

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Episode #35 Seasons Greetings

How is it Khyron started in the snow and now he is in the Amazon?

Zentraedi working on the ship? I thought they couldn't fix anything?

Evil Santa giving out black balloons!

Whoa, it's a black pilot! The RDF finally stopped being racist (or something)...

You can tell this animation team did the first episodes. The character's have their original looks.

Rico, Konda, and Bron's booth is labeled Toys, Plastics. Which brilliant marketing minds thought that would entice kids? Perhaps the former spies did it, they might not know what might work.

What's up with Rick's apron? And look, he is wearing those popular fuzzy slippers.

In Rick's apartment you can see that little radio he used to have back on the SDF-1, remember when he was in the hospital and he was listening to Minmie on it?

Claudia runs to the bar to drink to Roy's memory... Ut oh, Lisa runs into relationship problems and hits the bottle!

Minmie in Rick's shirt, sitting in bed looks HOT!

The animation is great in this episode!

Hey, the store clerk has the same radio as Rick.

The radio report (which takes place 'late into the night') says that the first attacks took place six hours earlier. If you remember they attacked on Christmas morning... Its Robotechnology!

The moment of spirituality in this episode WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED in a cartoon now-a-days.

There's the SDF-1 (being lit up with Christmas lights), but where o where is the SDF-2?

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Robotech Episodes 25 - 30

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

Episode #25 Wedding Bells

Out of all of the events of Robotech (with all it's weirdness including the dinosaurs in that episode of the New Generation) the battle between Miriya and Max in the park then the sudden marriage proposal is the most unbelievable. Sure, it's dramatic and makes good action but it stretches things a bit.

The sword fighting with knives is a bit much too. Oh well... lol.

The cafe place everyone is hanging out in is pretty cool, lots of windows. Rick acts like a total ass then totally turns on a dime when Miriya shows up. Women have that affect on him.

Within a day Miriya goes from queen bitch to a petite, polite bell when introduced to Rick.

My wife just made the observation that Breetai sounds like Moltar from Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

Of course Minmei has to butt into the wedding. She is such an attention hog.

Well, the final order comes down from Dolza to destroy the SDF-1. It's about time. When people rush from the wedding the door sounds like the doors from Star Trek. Also when the guy tells Max that he doesn't have to go into battle the person running in front of him repeats again and again.

Who in the hell who let Miriya into a Veritech? A: she is a non-combatant B: she is a former alien spy.

When the Zentraedi leave after the battle Gloval says a few line and his hat is HUGE! Also when they show the bridge the 'B' team is on duty but when the order to return is given it's Claudia. I guess she showed up at the end of the battle or something.

"You cooked the coffee pot!" I love that line. Also, why is Rick sleeping in his uniform?

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Episode #26 The Messenger

When Breetai's ship shows up it still has the hole from the Dadelus attack in the front. That's cool that they remembered it.

The scene with Exedore in the conference room was cut from my 6 episode FHE VHS version of the show. When I finally got the Laser Disc version of the series I got to see this. I laughed so hard! I can't believe I missed out on this scene for so many years! When Exedore gets up and sings Stagefright I just about pee my pants!

Does Lynn Kyle ever change clothes? Stinky old hippie.

The UEG are just dying to fire off their Grand Cannon. Even with peace on the horizon.

Gloval's hat isn't the only thing that seems to have grown, his collar is giant! He could go hang gliding with that thing!

Azonia tells Breetai that the 'main fleet' is going to show up. I thought Breetai had the 'main fleet'...

The UEG base at the Grand Cannon is huge. There is a highway and what looks like a virtual city down there.

Of course Minmei breaks into a song in the conference room... sheesh!

Here it is! The big one! Things are getting serious... then, oh man the episode ends.

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Episode #27 Force of Arms

You can tell this was the original end of the series. The animation is EXCELLENT.

FINALLY! Rick tells Minmei he loves her... took you long enough.

We get to see the inside of the MAC II Monster here. When it walks it ruins the deck...that sucks.

The Earth is practically wiped out. It kinda sucked that we don't see much close up action of that happening, it's such a big event you'd think more detail would be shown. They even reused SDF-1 landing footage. There are some appropriate reaction from everyone but it could have been drawn out a little longer. Its shortness kinda sucks some of the life out of the event. The audio editing (with Minmei's song) is kinda bad.

The death of the army guy and the little girl is chilling and horrifying. Time to get little Johnny another appointment with the shrink.

The use of Minmei's singing (and kiss) to disrupt the enemy forces is brilliant.

Every one's lack of emotional distress at the near destruction of Earth is a little distracting.

After the break there are some excellent shots of the RDF forces getting ready to attack.
The 'We Will Win' song fits the final battle perfectly. This was a great decision on the part of the US team.

Having to watch your parent get blasted away like Lisa does sucks!

How in the world is Lisa the only person still alive in the whole of the UEG base. That place was giant.

That was an ship from Orguss on the deck of the SDF-1... how did that get there?

It's sad to see Macross city get blasted.

When the SDF-1 enters Dolza's main base you can see Dolza standing in front of the big screen for just a moment then he vanishes.

The SDF-1 falls to Earth, bruised and battered. It's an awesome final image.

This was supposed to be the end of the series but it became so popular that more episodes were ordered. It was a very fitting ending but it would have been much better spread out over a couple of episodes, it seemed so rushed (the animation still rocked)!

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Episode #28 Reconstruction Blues

We pick up 2 years later in this episode. The residents have left the SDF-1 and are now seem to be the bulk fo whats left of civilization. Fitting considering clivilization sent them off to be a sacrifice during the final battle.

The voice actor for The New generation's Rand is the voice of Bobby and his lines are delivered like someone about to go to sleep.

For some reason Rick and Lisa STILL have not hooked up. They have this weird relationship that makes Rick look like a bastard. Lisa hangs around while the uncaring Rick goes about his business.

Rick remembers Roy's speech 'on the day he signed up' but we see the day Rick met Roy on the day the SDF-1 originally took off. All that battle caused Rick some memory issues.

Minmei sings a song you hardly ever hear during the series while she is in Granite City. Something about 'making the right moves at the right times'. It's not on the Robotech soundtrack so its really rare. Oh yeah, then there is Lynn Kyle with that same freaking purple suit!

During Minmei and Kyle's fight, Minmei finally sounds grown up. Gone is the loopy young girl and in her place is a serious and slightly depressed young adult.

At the end of the New Portland battle there is a shot of the Zentraedi invasion into the SDF-1 from wayyyy back eariler in the series. It was really out of place.

Now 'Admiral' Gloval talks to Rick about putting the Zentraedi into a quarantine area like the SDF-1. This got me thinking about the size of the SDF-1. In earlier episodes it looks to be fairly small when you compare it to a ship like Breetai's and if you remember the size of the carriers it uses as its 'arms' you can get a scale of of the ship. A full size Zentraedi would take up a lot of room in the SDF-1. In fact it doesn't seem like you could get very many full size Zentraedi inside the SDF-1 at all.

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Episode #29 The Robotech Masters

We begin this episode with a boring scene with the Robotech Masters. This is an early taste of the boredom headed our way during the 2nd Robotech war that is just a few episodes away.

Afterwards we get the narrator for a while in a rather depressing monologue.

Oh, look Kyle is wearing something different, what an early Christmas gift! After they have their spat in the car Kyle is 'kind' enough to let Minmei off at the city line... what?! What a turd!

During the RDF meeting Lang is talking but it's someone elses voice. It is obviously Lang but I guess they didn't want him to be the one that argued with so they changed his voice.

When Minmei is thinking about Rick she has a very different memory of what happened in those episodes.

Minmei gets up in the morning and walks about Macross. There is this nice direction where we see all these characters going about their morning rituals/jobs. Rick is running and the former spies are delivering their laundry. Rico now has glasses, that is a cool that the artist have changed a character's look. You usually don't see that sort of thing. Did I mention that met the voice actor that did the part for Rico AND I got him to autograph my Robotech novel Force of Arms?

Bam! Minmei runs into Rick and Lisa, what a soap opera moment!

The voice of Destroid pilot Dan is also the voice of Rand. That guy was working overtime.

Ugh, Khyron is back. Geraro's voice has changed from way back when he was overseeing the gravity mines on Mars.

At the concert that Rand voice actor is back as some usher or something.

Exedore makes a gross over exaggeration when he says that the Robotech factory can make ships that can destroy the Earth in one shot, we never see any of that later.

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Episode #30 Viva Miyira

The boosters attached to the shuttles are gigantic!

Are you telling me that the RDF developed a special pod for Max and Miriya's kid?

Before Breetai folds in space we see some computer screens and there is English on the screen and it is utter gobble-de-gook. You can read some of it but it is just junk.

Ugh... more Roboteh Masters.

I like how Miriya asks if she and Max will ever be able to touch lips again.

Then we see Miriya flying with Dana just sitting on her lap... how dangerous!

I don't want to rag on the series but at this point you can tell it's just a some tacked-on stories to keep it going. There is no real emotional connection to what is happening because there is no real threat. The RDF seems to be going out of it's way to find trouble. The writers did what they could, eh?

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Robotech Episodes 19 - 24

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

In 2012 I am up to episode 19 of the Robotech saga. This includes all the comics, books, and episodes chronologically up to this point in the series. I am shooting for the whole series including all comics and such through the end of the year (not sure if I'm gonna make it...). I better get hustling!

This batch of six episodes is being watched a little bit differently than the previous ones. I have been watching and reading in batches of six but this time I will watch an episode, read the revelant part in the Robotech novels and read the comic book of that episode. I will still be publishing the blogs in batches of six but I will be working on all of them at the same time.

Episode #19 Bursting Point

The SDF-1 flying low over the city is awesome!

Claudia has become the martyr in this show. She has basically lost everything and has to put up with everyone's sympathy with such a brave face. It's no wonder she takes to the bottle.

When Lisa comes up to Rick their hands are resting on thin air. The animation cells didn't line up.

Kyhron is such a loose canon. Why would a warrior race obsessed with such perfection let someone like him live.

Ben's un-finished steak... what a metaphor!

This is obviously the 'A' team of animators, it looks great.

As good as Gloval is he made two GIANT mistakes, the initial fold of the SDF-1 over Macross Island and the activation of the barrier shield over Ontario. Both times he is warned not to do it and both times he takes no council.

Lisa drops the 'everyone's lives are in your hands' guilt on Rick before the barrier explodes.

When Ben dies Rick does this Catholic thing but crossing himself. I have noticed that in some 80's Anime there a few references to religion, something you don't see in US cartoons.
Rick hanging up on Minmei is sort of his movement into adulthood.

This episode is probably my favorite episode because of the whole barrier overload. This episode has some comedy, action, and lots of drama. When Rick reports Ben's death to Lisa it's heart breaking.

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Episode #20 Paradise Lost

Breetai has a smirk a mile wide while Azonia's failures are played out on the screen.

I think it's interesting that Breetai's flagship still hasn't been fixed since Max busted through the screen and bubble on the bridge.

On the SDF-1 the supply vehicles move down the Macross city streets past... Macross Nald's. Har har har.

Ben's spirit sure is short!

Lisa just walks into Gloval's office THEN asks if it's OK to come in... saucy woman.

Why did the spies battlepod jettison it's legs? It can fly just fine with them...

The Zentraedi quickly adopted the Micronian usage to the word 'Robotech'.

Exedore can balance a piano on one thumb! The pile of human artifacts shrinks and grows as the debriefing.

One of the running crowd during Gloval's broadcast disappears magically. Whoops.

Minmei's song starts before she is done talking. Lipsyncher!

Why is Kyle comforting Captain Gloval? He hates the military.

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Episode #21 A New Dawn

At the party Jan Morris makes a return. This whole first couple of scenes have a lot inter personal stuff going on. It's very interesting. Jan even mentions reading someone's palm.

Myria just waltzs into the movie in front of people who obviously have waited all day.

The pilot next to Max at the movie is Will Wheaton.

How in the world would the song 'Stagefight' be the theme to a kung-fu movie.

Rico looks a lot like Michael Jackson while he boasts to the other Zentraedi about Minmei!

I absolutely love it when Breetai sees and misunderstands the kung-fu movie.

It's also great when Rick accidentally grabs Lisa's butt.

The part of the episode where Rick and Lisa are trapped is great. This episode has no real action but is just as good as the most action packed episodes.

The appearance of the cola machine is classic.

It's strange that we never actually see any battle going on while Sammie is in command. It's like they needed to save some money.

The end of this episode is nice. Rick and Lisa hand in hand... finally.

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Episode #22 Battlehymn

The Minmei 'infection' is a great aspect to both Macross and Robotech. It is kinda strange how the Zentraedi have not encountered culture before.

The animation cells in this episode are very dirty at time. I guess the more people work on a cell or if more than one person works on it they get dirty.

Rico looks like this guy...

When Rick is thinking about stuff they show a Minmei 'Lovely Concert' poster on the wall. I think it's funny... a drawing looking at a drawing.

How many songs does Minmei have? The people of Macross never get tired of her songs.

The floating screens in the Zentraedi flag ship are neat. I am guessing that we will have that technology at some point in the future.

How are Rico Konda and Bron suddenly in Khyron's part of the fleet? I thought they were on Breetai's flagship. I could be wrong. Wait... they are on Breetai's ship. He is taking a HUGE risk letting the SDF-1 hit his ship with the Deadelus.

We finally see some more combat after a few episodes of rest.
When Minmei starts singing during the battle her mouth is moving before she actaully starts singing.

Why do Raidar X destroids start running into the Zentraedi ship?

When Minmei is tending to Kyle her eyes are black... soulless.. I knew it.

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Episode #23 Reckless

We pickup where last episode left off. Macross looks like utter crap!

"A Minmei, never heard of it. What are its ballistic capabilities?"

That one Zentraedi pilot looks like a little kid.

Ut oh, Rick sees Kyle and Minmei kissing. In our day and age of P.C. what Kyle did would have been considered rape.

Khyron is still blasting his troops all the way back to his ship.

Once again, the series has taken a very adult tone with the defection of the spies.

The animation in this episode varies from decent to down right sloppy. It reminds me of several episodes of the New Generation (but we will get to that much later).

Max looks VERY pasty at the defector meeting. Perhaps he is feeling ill at the prospect of living with aliens.

Uncle Max must be a midget... he sure is short.

Uncle Max says that they (he and Leena) both can't go and leave the restaurant but that is exactly what they were doing before Rick and Lisa showed up.

Rick cleans the damaged restaurant in his gloves. Really, who cleans in their driving gloves?

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Epsiode #24 Showdown

Who was that guy walking with Max? Max still looks pale so I guess that's just his skin color.

Rick is wearing a very early 80's Japanese fashion complete with cravat... slick!

Lisa flakes out telling Rick she is love with him.

Some of the armor animation in Lisa's shuttle goofs up.

Is Khyron just waiting in his battlepod 24/7 for a battle, sheesh.

The transformation of Max's Veritech into Battloid is awesome! Also, the Super Verictech looks cool just sitting there.
After Rick leaves Lisa's shuttle we begin the first of Myria's arcade capers (probably my favorite part of the first 36 episodes).

Oh, Max's pallor looks better when he talks Rick into going to the arcade but when they arrive he looks sickly.

Look! It's little Jason again! Man that kid never grows. I wish arcades here in the US paid out tokens! One of those games looks to me it might be Lupin.

Whent Max and Myria's game being quite the collection of strangeness surrounds the action.

I love this arcade scene!

Back on earth Admiral Hayes tells Lisa that the UEG is going to fire the Grand Cannon at the enemy before they enter peace negations. This smells of War War II and the dropping the bomb on Hiroshima.

The Zentraedi defectors come UNGLUED when Rico tells them that marriage means that the two people go away and spend all their time pressing their lips together. Lol!

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Book 4: Robotech: Battlehymn

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

Welcome to the next post in my 2012 Robotech experience. Today I will be covering the fourth book in the Del Ray Robotech series: Battlehymn.

The book covers six episodes but I am watching the show one episode at a time then reading only the part of the book that covers that episode. Finally I will be reading the comic that corresponds to that episode.

The opening chapter is an invention of the author and it deals with what it might have been like to be on Earth when the SDF-1 showed back up after it's long voyage. It was neat to consider the surprise and panic it would have caused.

How even more fantastic would it have been for the people of the city who the SDF-1 first flew over (in the show). That would be awesome!

Yes, the two authors must be doing alternate books. This is the author that paraphrases what's going on as opposed to the other guy who is sticking very close to the show.


One thing I liked is that more emphasis was placed on the SDF-1's departure from Earth. It was a big moment in the story and in the lives of everyone on the ship and it was nice to see it given more here.

Dolza recalls Azonia and puts Breetai back in charge of the mission. If you payed attention you would have noticed that Azonia did absolutely nothing during her command. It was Khyron that kept going in and getting his ass handed to him.

I'd like to know where the spies got the ship to escape back to the fleet... in the previous book they mention that the pod dissolves so no trace is left but no one seems to know where the escape pod came from. My guess is that in the series it is the same pod they arrived in.

When Gloval announces that the SDF-1 has been ordered back into space Minmei breaks out in song... right there in the middle of the newscast. What an entertainer!

The writer makes a goof here when he is writing about Rico and the other spies talking. He says that Rico has only 'one good eye'. It's almost like he got Breetai mixed up with Rico.

When Rick and Lisa are trapped in the SDF-1 during the battle/drill/what the heck ever it was the book doesn't handle it as well as the show. The language is a little more natural but the feelings conveyed are not a 'blooming love' as they appear to be in the show.

I'm still stunned that Breetai would use his own ship and risk its destruction when he tries to get his troops inside the SDF-1 via the Dadelus attack. Seems awful risky...

I don't have a lot more to say about Minmei in this book. She takes a back seat to the action of the spies, Rick and Lisa, as well as the Zentraedi bungling.

It's funny the way the writer deals with previously unaddressed things in this book. Myria sees the defected aliens working right after their arrival on the ship and assumes (wrongly) that they were planted there for sabotage. Khyron is stunned to find out that Myria is there and assumes (wrongly) that she is there to find and kill the defectors. All the while Breetai takes credit for Myria being there, never telling Khyron it wasn't his idea.

Robotech (Comico Comics) #13-18

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)
Welcome to the next batch of comics in my 2012 Robotech Experience. First I read these 6 episodes then watched them and now I am going to read the comics of them. For those of you who don't know I am reading and watching my way through Robotech chronologically this year.

Robotech #13 (1986 Comico)
The cover of this issue is cool but you can tell it's the old Macross Tatsuoko Studio drawing of the SDF-1, redrawn.
Rico, Konda, and Bron talk about changing clothes as opposed to uniforms like they do in the book and show. It was funnier (and more telling of the Zentraedi) of how uniforms were the norm in their world.

The shot of Macross city on page 8 is awesome. I like the 2nd tier thing. There is a place called Arcadia! Yay! (ps, look up the name on Google, hint: Duran Duran).

On page 11 there is an advertisement for the 1/144 scale Robotech models... for only 2.25 each! Now-a-days you can find them on EBay for about $25 each.

The guys riding in the car with Roy Fokker when they are heading off to battle are freaking out at Roy's driving (or lack of) and it's hilarious. Here in the comic it isn't as funny as the show but it is still a funny moment.

On page 17 (the Hype Page) there is only one letter and it's about a guy who knew Greg Jarvis (one of the people who died during the Shuttle Challenger accident). Someone at Comico wrote a bit in their February issue. I am not sure which comic title that was (I don't remember seeing it in the main Macross Saga title). I will have to keep an eye out. BTW I was in middle school at the time and I remember the day it happened.

There is that same shot of the SDF-1 on page 20.

On page 24 the splashdown of the SDF-1 is cool. I like it!

Ahhh! Max's face is blue on page 25 (and Rick is being played by Bruce Campbell)!

Ok, before you go on head over and read the Destroid, Excalibur I & II  comic reviews then come back here and pickup with Comico #14...

Back? Good, read on...

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Robotech #14 (1986 Comico)

Page 2 has a cool shot of Prometheus.

Page 12 has a full color advertisement for the Matchbox toys (along with their 'imported' designs). I couldn't find any errors with the listings or the pictures this time.

There is that 'standard' SDF-1 drawing again. This time, it looks like it was played with a bit (the placement of the arms, and it appears reversed). You can still tell it by the angle of the shot.

Dolza looks like he has hair on page 25.

There is not much to nit pick at this issue. It's great. The story is all old junk but the art is really really good!

Ok, before you go on head over and read the Vermilion comic review #1-4 then come back here and pickup with Comico #15...

Back? Good, read on...

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Robotech #15 (1986 Comico)

On the cover Kyle seems to be staring at Minmei's forehead.

Rick and Minmei get a quick (VERY QUICK) send off by Max and Ben when they leave to go to Yokohama. What was the point of that? It's so quick. Did they really send that much effort to fly by, say 'have a nice date' and fly off? I never understood why it was in the show to begin with.

This comment is more for the show but when the elevator car is traveling through the Grand Canon the sound effects are pretty lame. Lots of computerized sounding 'zipping' back and forth. Those shots would have been better served with some heavy industrial cable car sounds or something.

On page 17 Minmei looks very silly and cartoon-like when her mother is hugging her.

On page 18, what's with the council member with the funky glasses. I don't remember this in the show.

Rick's expression at the bottom of page 20 is great!

The back cover has an ad for the Matchbox toys and some rebates you can get. The shot of the SDF-1 playset has everyone in it. Rick working alongside Lunk with Dana and Minmei nearby.

Robotech #16 (1986 Comico)

The comic tells us that The White Dragon is the only Chinese restaurant in Macross city... really? A town of 70,000 people and only one? Here in my town we have like 4 of them!

On page 5 the Shrimp on top of the bowl of rice looks to be different in the comic. It looks like little corn cobs. I guess they thought since they just proclaimed The White Dragon as the only Chinese restaurant it would confuse people to see something that looked like a Chinese dish at another location. It's obviously Japanese but just dumb kids read comics and watch cartoons, right?

On page 9 the guy standing watching the TV in front looks a lot more 'detailed' that everyone else. I am guessing it is someone one of the artist knows.

Does little Jason have long girl hair? Looks like the artist might have neglected to notice that was Jason, Minmei's cousin, not a little girl.

I never understood why that person in in the bar (page 10) complains that they lost their 'land' as a result of the events of the alien invasion. I always thought it was weird.

On page 18 there is a shot of Vermillion squad leaving the flight deck. I noticed that those are 'original' artwork designs (probably light-boxed) like those shots of the SDF-1 from a few issues back. I have noticed this sort of art work here and there throughout the comic series. Not complaining... just pointing out.

On page 25 Lisa's uniform has changed color. I guess she is feeling blue about nearly killing Rick.

Robotech #17 (1987 Comico)

Whoa, what's going on on the front cover?!

This comic seems to be taking liberties with the nature of the story. That's fine since it's just a dream... 'yes Rick, only a dream.'

Pages 12 and 13 are advertisement for some cool stuff like buttons, shirts, photos, and such from Creation (those are the people that do the conventions). I wish they still made that stuff!

On page 19 when Rick's plane is caught up in the overhead wires deep within the SDF-1 it makes a sound... Doing- oing- oing! I love it!

That's about all. Not much to comment on here because it's a dream where anything can be 'right'. The art here is done by a different artist and has a decidedly 'artsy' almost art deco look.

Robotech #18 (1987 Comico)

Rick is chatting with the nurse when this issues opens. He didn't chat in the show, he seemed far more morose.

I like the art here. It looks stylish.

On page 5 the writers turned the dialogue around to fit better with a static image as opposed to animation.

Rick seems more annoyed with his subordinate pilots most of the time. I realize you can't get too chummy with your underlings but man, he downright ignores them most of the time.

On page 22 that's a great shot of the SDF-1. I can't get enough of that ship!

I thought they might show the inside of Roy's damaged cockpit since they could, but they didn't

The last page seems really rushed. Not art-wise but in story length. Lisa never actually says Roy is dead either.

Ok, that's all for this batch of comics. This next go around will be a little different as I will be:

1. Watching the episode.
2. Reading the book (for that episode)
3. Reading the comic (of that episode)

 I will still release the blogs in groups of six but this way I will focus on each episode a little more.

Robotech Episodes 7-12

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

I've had fun so far, picking apart each episode in my year long look at Robotech and now let's continue with the next six episodes of the series. I will also be reading the next six comics and reading the next book (which covers about six episodes).

Episode #7 Bye By Mars

It's strange that Sera base would be totally deserted. Such a large base should have harbored some survivor. Oh well.

If you remember earlier in the year in some of the Academy comics Khyron and Breetai had some adventures together. In the show it seems that they don't really know each other. However, it could be construed that they did know each other.

After the Khyron scene there is a battle scene. This is one of those scenes I never really cared for. I'd just watch more Macross city fun and drama as opposed to ships duking it out. At one point Gloval orders the main gun to be moved and we see it rotate. How in the world that is possible is beyond me.

Rick hears some RDF propaganda and it upsets him. This is a VERY adult theme. I'm sure kids would just let this go in one ear and out another but I think it's very cool.

Once again I'll ask it, why in the heck was Carl Rieber in the military? Such a puss... and apparently a cradle robber.

The Zentraedi spy buried in the ground was WAYYYY ahead of his time. He was the first Emo!

The shot of the destroids coming down the ramp show the MACII at the right size this time. It's huge!

The scene where Lisa rides into Sera Base makes the place looks like Tomorrow Land Disneyworld.

Vanessa's video screen is ginormous!

Gloval calls the Veritech squadrons 'Valkyrie' squadrons.

Rick rescuing Lisa from Sera Base is the first step to their eventual hookup.

P.S. The bloopers from Protocultrue Addicts are a lot bigger this time since they were kind of hard to read last time. Enjoy!
PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS BITS:
Bloopers:





Episode #8 Sweet Sixteen

Ut oh, we are the 'B' team again.

I used to record little audio bits of the show onto audio tapes back in the 90's. I found interesting stuff and recorded it back to back and got to know those bits word for word. The ceremony scene that happens here at the beginning of the episode is one of those recorded sessions. I know this stuff by heart.

Khyron looks very 'Star Blazers' in his first scene of this episode.

Rick is almost 2 heads shorter than the others in the room!

The laptop or whatever it is that Roy opens to show Rick his new subordinates sure is crude. No normal image but a strange flashing black and white photo... it will probably give you a seizure!

The medal that Rick just put on his chest disappears before he leaves Roy's.

Wow! Max's uniforms changes color right in front of your eyes when they are standing on the street watching the destroyed destroid being hauled off.

Ben's enthusiasm is infections.

Why are the destroids all just walking targets?

I know I've already covered this but the 'B' team animation is really rough. The space scenes with the black backgrounds look really dirty, there is a lot of dust particles on the cells.

If Rick had some balls he would could have killed Khyron when his ship was immobilized by thr recall beam.

"Cola makes the good times roll. Have a peanut." WTF?

Minmei goes all gooey because the medal (which she doesn't even know what it is) just because it's shiny. SHEESH!

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Episode #9 Miss Macross

This is one of my favorite episodes of the series. All the elements are just so right here. It's fantastic!

The opening shot shows some of the Ghost fighters you saw in the very first episode. According to the RPG those are unmanned ships.

The very next shot is a view of Macross city's 'layers'. There is no apparent railing or anything... cars and people could just go right over the edge!

When Rick and Minmei are sitting, talking Rick sees a blue sky outside. Minmei tells him that the Robotech engineers did it. I wonder if that was the original dialogue. I am thinking that it was an English addition to the story and that in the original Japanese show Rick was just musing about being able to see a real sky, sort of a day dream. Can anyone tell me? I know that the books really grabbed ahold of that concept and dubbed it the EVE system.

The Zentraedi spies enter the picture and they whole storyline alters. They are the catalyst for the end of the war.

One of the Miss Macross contestants looks to be dressed up as Sybil Faltey.

The long shot of the fanliner looks really crude.

The whole Jan Morris subplot is great and I wish they showed a little more. The book elaborates on her more so I can get my fix.

Rick's uniform looses its blue for a moment when he is being paged at the Miss Macross contest.

The Super Battloid is awesome. It was always my favorite ship in the RPG. So many missiles!

The shot of the missiles coming towards Rick have the SDF-1 in the background. What the heck is going on there?! Looks like they got sloppy and used old animation.

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Episode #10 Blind Game

Rico, Konda, and Bron's positions keep changing during their altercation in front of Breetai.

The lower faceplatesRobotech force's helmets keep changing is size. Sometimes they are small, sometimes they are so big they are covering the pilot's mouths conveniently.

The bridge bunnies move so fast when the phone robot rolls up infront of Rick... it's hilarious. And as a note, Rick's choice in wardrobe is pretty horrendous.

Right after the 'commercial break' there is a shot of the whole SDF-1. It looks great! There's a lot of detail there. Infact all the shots of the ships looks really good in this episode.

I know it's just a show and all that jazz but why o why would Gloval make Lisa go on recon? Oh well, I guess you had to get her captured somehow.

Max says he has some pods coming up at 4 o'clock. He is looking somewhere at 10 o'clock... just sayin'.

When Breetai takes off running down the hall is great. You really want to root for him, he takes such decisive action! This whole battle scene make Breetai a much more interesting character.

Breetai's uniform changes color just like Rick's!

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Episode #11 First Contact

It's WWF Robotech style.

Max's veritech changes color right before he is sucked out of the ship.

Rick is such a chauvinistic pig! 'Some assignments are just too difficult for women." lol. Well, he was really young.

Ben makes a very dirty remark when Lisa is showing off her 'mico video recorder'. 'Micro' my foot. Not by today's standards.

Max hides in the toilet! I just now figured that out!

When Max changes his battloid into a disguise the walking noise changes from a loud clanking to a soft shoe sound.

When Minmei is singing for the first time we see Roy and Claudia together for the first time ever.

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Episode #12 The Big Escape

Lisa says "OK, I heard that" when Max tells them they need to put the guard into the cell. Her inflection was all wrong. The line didn't seems to be for that particular moment. I guess that's the danger of doing voice acting work.

When Max blasts through Breetai's view screen to escape I always thought that was so awesome. It was very 'movie-esque'.

When the veritech blows up and kills the Zentraedi he screams and it sounds so bad. I'm sure little Johnny had nightmares that night.

Rick makes another chauvinistic comment here about women not making any sense.

After their fall in the Zentraedi ship Lisa's har is down out of those awful rolls. This is when I fell in love with Lisa... that lovely hair, fair skin, and shapely thighs... sigh......

How absolutely fortunate that the escapees just happen to get on Azonia's ship which just happens to be going to the sol system where the SDF-1 is.

Wait wait wait! There is a lot of confusing stuff going on here. It looked like Rick, Lisa, Ben, and Max got aboard a purple ship (female ship). Why are battlepods onboard the female Zentraedi ship? Battlepods are male ships, right?

Then we see the spies on board an obvious male ship (no biggie here I just didn't think male and female Zentraedi would fight together). The ship is purple too so I guess the escapees didn't get on the 'wrong' ship. I just never knew purple ships had males on them.

Finally the FEMALE Zentraedi tells Myria that her ship is ready. She is speaking in a man's voice. I am sure this was just an accident on behalf of the American voice over team.

I always liked the way the female power armor zipped and zoomed around.

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Robotech Episodes 1-6

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

Here we go! We have finally go to the actual episodes in my 2012 chronological Robotech Experience! Click here if you know nothing of this. The story of Zor's betrayal and the early escapades of Roy Fokker and the rest of the Macross Island crew has passed and we have approached 2009 and the launch day of the SDF-1.

As I have said in the past I didn't enjoy the Remastered Robotech that was released a few years back. I found the audio very distracting. I am watching the first DVD set that was released back in early 2000/2001.

These 'reviews' are not reviews in the traditional sense but more reaction / commentary on stuff I think is interesting enough to comment on.

After each episode I will also include some tidbits from Protoculture Addicts (in the form of images right out of that great old fanzine!

One final note before we begin. You will notice the animation quality varies throughout the series. There was the 'A' team of animators and... the other guys. I don't know exactly what the arrangement was but you will notice that the pivotal episodes were done in a much higher quality than most of the rest of the series (the Macross part). Extensive use of shadowing will give away which 'team' you are watching. The first few episodes were the primary team (as well as the original ending episode when Earth gets attacked by the Zentraedi and they also did the last episode of the Macross saga). Keep an eye out and you will see it.

Episode #1 Boobytrap

The SDF-1 looks rather different than most Tirolian ships. While it is descending to Earth it looks much like it does after it is rebuilt (very angular). After the crash there is a slow pass across the hull and it has a definite green tint and looks Zentraedi.

I aways found it funny the way the narrator first calls Robotech 'Rubutech'

Mayor Lunan stands with the crowds when Gloval and Russo pass. The RDF sure treated him like crap! He should be right there in the middle of the ceremonies.

Right before Roy takes the stage there is a close, low shot of the stage and underneath the SDF-1. You remember that it sits on some massive support structures. If you pause the show you can see under there. It's a shot you never see much of or think about. There is quite a bit going on down there. As someone who played the Roleplaying game I was always looking for cool locations like that to set part of my adventures in.

As Roy is saying that Robotechnology makes such precision possible there is a scan of the crowd and someone who looks ALOT like the Zentraedi spy Rico is in the background.

I always thought the part where Rick buzzes Roy on the stage was awesome. Afterwards when Rick and talking to Roy you get to just how short Rick is.

This is one of the first edits from the original Macross. Roy is clearing leering at Minmei's legs as she walks away from the cola machine with Jason. In the US version that shot of her legs walking away is cut. That's why Rick says Roy is still a ladies man.

When the Zentraedi Flagship comes through the jump it looks like they used a shot made for the SDF-1's entry, it looks pointy at the front, not rounded.

Who in their right mind would take a civilian for a test flight? Roy would have been court marshaled!

When Claudia tries to shut off the main controls it looks like a stove nob.

You will notice that the unsure, bumbling Roy Fokker from the comics is gone and in his place is the far more adult, confident combat professional.

The bit where Roy is talking to Rick and casually flips the missile cover and looses 2 missile to destroy a Butrouo fighter is so cool.

When Rick's ship transforms and crashes into all those buildings there is a shot of the foot rockets firing to stop the forward motion. Right when the shot begins you can see someone standing on the left of the screen. He gets blasted off the screen when the foots comes tearing through the building. You will have to use your pause/slomo button to see it. Poor guy.

PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS BITS:
# of 'Uh?!' said by the characters during this episodes: 10
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Episode #2 Countdown

Lisa just tells Gloval he will just have to do without Roy's team... the cheek!

We get some more of the super annoying Jason. Shut that kid up!

When the helicopters get blowup you can see one of the pilots puts his arms out as he is annihilated. I aways thought was was so 'adult' for a cartoon to show a death like that.

Couldn't that truck drive use another street and go around Rick's battloid?

On Kim's screens there are various images including the Earth, some readouts, and an image of a field with a tree.

The shots of the street level urban combat between battloids and battlepods is cool. The shots of the battlepods walking is particularly cool. It has an 'alien invasion' feel to it.

I won't mention the physics of the Rick opening his cock pit in mid flight to save Minmei because Ill leave it for my review of the book.

Of course if you know about Macross and such you will know there is some more editing here when the Zentraedi comes for Rick's guardian and Roy blows a hole in his back. In the original version it's a slightly longer shot and you see the hole get blown in his chest.

PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS BITS:
# of 'Uh?!' said by the characters during this episodes: 7
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Episode #3 Spacefold

The announcer covers a lot of ground in the opening of this episode.

During more of the ground battle scenes several battlepods blow up from laser bolts... that hit the ground all around them. Those are some powerful blasts!

I noticed that it appears this is the 'B-Team' of animators. You will notice how different and a little more crude the animation looks. The mecha looks more rounded and less angular. The character's looks seem to change. They have a particularly hard time

You will notice some voice actors doing different voices. One Veritech pilot has the voice of Ben Dixon.

I have always wondered why Veritech pilots don't seems to wear sealtbelts...

The drive through the SDF-1 to the Mockingbird shows you just how big the inside of the SDF-1 is. It's not so unreasonable to think they moved the city in there.

In this episode the Zentraedi basically destroy the Armor Space Platforms. Have you ever noticed that in the series the SDF-1 gets the Dadelus and Promethus as 'arms' but in the movies and later series they have one of the Armor Platforms instead of the Promethus?

When the Zentraedi is firing between the SDF-1 and Armor Space Platforms there are several red and gray ships that look alot like aircraft carriers in the background.

All I have to say is... "Yes Sir, Cap-taaaan"

I hope Rick knew that the SDF-1 was back in the atmosphere before he pulled that lever to open the bay doors (when he left the SDF-1 in his plane).

When the fold starts happening there is a shot of the ocean and one of the aircraft carries and one of those red and gray ships... IN THE SKY. What the heck is it? I thought only the SDF-1 had anti gravity.

There are a couple of battlepods still in Macross city when the fold starts... I thought they all left earlier?

Now if this were real how do you think Henry Gloval felt when he saw Macross Island out in deep space? He basically doomed a lot of people to their deaths. Claudia warned him about jumping so close to the ground.

PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS BITS:
# of 'Uh?!' said by the characters during this episodes: 18
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Episode #4 Countdown

Lisa thinks it's strange that she can't contact anyone on the Prometheus or Dadelus... hummm ocean going vessels in deep space...

We seem to have switched back to the "A" team of animators.

When Rick and Minmei bust open the water pipe it's a good thing it wasn't a sewer line! Also this is where the infamous topless Minmei scene is located (in the Japanese movie version anyway).

Rick seems to have grown up very quickly. He seemed so young in the first 3 episodes but suddenly he seems much older. I guess war does that to you :)

Lisa opens some 'SDF-1' brand sugar.

"Tuna fish!"

Teens now a days would have jumped in the sack in the first 24 hours, there would have been no talk of marriage, lol.

When the crowd starts looking down in the hole when Rick and Minmei are found Rico's voice can be heard. I swear he was on Macross Island from day one! (not really people).

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# of 'Uh?!' said by the characters during this episodes: 14
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Episode #5 Transformation

Why is Minmei always humming the wedding march?

There is a crane carrying a MAC II Monster through the city but it is wayyyy too small in size. It would have been like four times bigger.

The Mayor's wife fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!

I'm gonna have to stop referring to voice actors voicing other characters, it just happens too often!

For some reason the animators made Lang's eyes dark for no apparent reason. Carl Macek gave those eyes a back story (Lang 'interfaced' with the Protoculture rich SDF-1 and was zapped by it). I think Lang is a pretty awesome character.

The videos the Zentraedi watch when they identify Earthlings as Micronians... the scenes are fairly graphic for a cartoon, people getting blasted, people getting thrown off skyscrapers... little Johnny is gonna have nightmares.

When Rick is talking to Minmei in her room a building moves by the window. It's being hauled by crane down the street complete with a bed inside. Robotechnology sure is spectacular.

There appears to have been a fairly long time period between the SDF-1s fold and the time the Zentraedi catch up with them. I'm sure that would be a good gap for some comic stories and RPG adventures. Alot of stuff must have happened (non-war stuff) during this time.

The shots of the SDF-1 during it's transformations are top notch. They knew they needed to make it look good for it's first time.

Macross city looks like total crap afterward.

PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS BITS:
# of 'Uh?!' said by the characters during this episodes: 19
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Episode #6 Blitzkrieg

The clothing store scene was cut out of the FHE 'condensed' version of the show so I didn't see it for years. The bridge bunnies digging through the pantie bin is hilarious.

The first meeting of Rick and Lisa is really great. Top notch stuff!

The night meeting between Rick and Minmei is great too. This scene defines the characters and situation so very well.

Unfortunately the battle in the rings of Saturn isn't all that great compared to the two previous scenes (the Lisa/Rick and Rick/Minmei scene). The only real redeeming part of the battle is the mobile shield barrier stuff. The three women rolling the balls around trying to keep up with the incoming fire is so funny.

I'm not bashing this particular space battle or anything it's just that I never was a big fan of the battles. They just seemed to slow down the storyline for me.

Breetai seems to have no issue with sending his commanders to their deaths just to test the SDF-1's ability.

The announcer does a lot of exposition at the end of this episode. He says that Rick feels that things were changing inside of him... yeah, it's called puberty! lol.

PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS BITS:
# of 'Uh?!' said by the characters during this episodes: 10
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Macross Isand Junkie

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

As you all know I am fan of Robotech. I have enjoyed it for many a year and it has (for me) become far beyond a cartoon with dubious animation at times. I remember it around the first time back in the 80's but I wasn't that into it at the time. I am guessing I was more into G.I. Joe and He-Man than Robotech. It really wasn't until I was a freshman in High school that I got into Robotech. I think what initially happened was that my best friend in High school (Eric) got ahold of the RPG book and I think we launched from there.

Over the next several years it was a search for anything I could lay my hands on. Robotech's hey-day had passed and there was little new product coming out. I scoped out my local comic book shops (Heroes Workshop off West Berry and Lone Star Comics near Hulen) but didn't find too much in thoes early days. I remember that Heroes Workshop had a big cardboard SDF-1 and I was always amazed by it. I did find some issues of the Canadian Robotech Fanzine Protoculture Addicts and ate them up.

I got all the RPG books I could afford and the novelizations as well. When money permitted I would go wild at one of Lone Star's sales and stock up on back issues of the comics. Most were good but there were some strange ones too. Me and Eric and some of his friends would play the RPG. This was great fun but for some reason I was almost always the GM. Once I found 2 Peter Pan - Robotech Cassette with book sets at Pic-N-Save (which is now Big Lots). I loved those pieces of shit! They were so patched together and the narrator would constantly get the names wrong and when he read it was like he was reading the story for the first time (he would get inflections all wrong). None of it matter because it was Robotech and I enjoyed them thoroughly.



Through those first few years I got ahold of the F.H.E. version of Robotech. It had six VHS tapes with six episodes mercilessly editing together. They would only show one opening and closing credits and slap six episodes all together (cutting out quite a bit as I later found out). F.H.E. also released a couple of other versions of the series (with fewer episodes on each tape) but it appears my set was the last VHS set they produced. I would take a tape deck and record audio snippets off the show and make a 'mix tape' of audio sound bites. Years later I got the F.H.E. laser disc versions of the series and it was a totally different experience. The episodes were complete and there were scenes that I had never seen before. I gripe about those crappy VHS versions but they did offer some fun years later with the missing scenes I got to see off the laser discs.


Let's take a break with this cute chick giving us one of Minmei's songs...




Through all this I got on this kick to get Robotech Perfect Collection CD (or record it didn't matter to me). I contacted the company only to find out that it was out of print. These were the days before eBay so I was SOL. One day I was browsing something (online or in a magazine, I can't remember) and I ran across something that showed that a new soundtrack called Robotech: Perfect Soundtrack was about to be released... in less and a week! I was so excited. I got my order in ASAP but the production was delayed until early 97 and once I did get it I see why it was delayed. It had 2 discs and they were marked wrong. Disc 1 was Disc 2, etc... It still didn't detract from my utter delight. I got to enjoy songs I had never heard before including the ones I simply didn't remember from the Robotech The Movie soundtrack. As it turns out it wasn't 'perfect' there was another set that came less than 10 years later with even more.



In 1999 I built a website called Robocon.org. I already had a page about Robotech on my webpage so I moved it to the new Robocon.org and added more stuff to it. Robocon was the 10th anniversary of Robotech convention that took place in 1995. It focused on my take on Robotech as well as the voice actors that had attended the convention and so on. I had a couple of phone conversations with Tom Bateman (the organizer and protoge' of Carl Macek. He got me some info and gave me blessings to use it all on the site. He had been planning a Robocon 15 in 2000 but it fell through. In 200? He contacted me again (along with Tommy Yune I believe) about giving Robocon.org to Robotech.com (the official portal for Robotech). So they could use it for the upcoming Robocon 20. I agreed and they suped up my site and integrated it into their own. I still have my site archived here. You can compare the changes they made to it here (their official version). I found it funny that they kept the front page (the one with animation that says: 'Welcome to the Future of the Human Race' from my old site. I basically took that from my existing Front Mission fan site cause it sounded cool (I just changed 'Future of Warfare' to Future of the Human Race'). I also find it cool that the site is still up and intact after all these years.



Robotech has been good to me over the years and I feel I have been good to it. It's a nice relationship, eh?

Reading and Viewing Experience: Robotech Genesis-The Legend Of Zor

by Chris McGinty (AccordingToWhim.com)

I’ve started reading in chronological order, and I’m a little bit behind Nathan. I will presume as I write that you’ve seen the original series, and have at least read the material I’m talking about. If not, then this is your official spoiler alert. I have seen the original series, read the novels of the original series, and some of the comics of the original series. I have seen “Robotech: The Movie.” I’ve not read all of The Sentinels or anything else prior to this reading extravaganza. I’ve not seen “The Shadow Chronicles.”

Going by the chronological list, I started by reading the “Legend of Zor’s Fall.” Or whatever it was called. I almost thought that I was going to be reading the issues a little bit at a time, and then I got into the story, and read all six issues in one night. It wasn’t a bad story to be truthful.

Nathan draws some comparisons to the Star Wars prequels, which may have a lot to do with drawing on Roman history, and like the Star Wars prequels, if I have one complaint it’s that there aren’t too many surprises. In Star Wars, the problem was that we knew most of the major events already. This is partially true for the Zor story as well. The most enjoyable parts of either set of prequels for me were the things that I knew nothing about.

Issue #1 of the Zor mini-series was particularly tough for me. Some of the exposition dialogue was cringe worthy. One of the senators suggests that they mine the really big planet, and Zol responds with something like, “Now you know that the gravitational pull would kill anyone stepping on the planet.” It felt to me like the next panel should have been other senators saying, “This is why we shouldn’t let senators get their family hired to run this world.” And then the next panel should be the foolish senator sulking, saying, “They said there are no bad ideas in brainstorming.” But it’s ok, because later, when they create the Zentraedi, I’m sure he was going, “Hmm. I seem to remember suggesting mining the big planet, and everyone was like, ‘Oh no, we can’t do that!’”

I was also a little perplexed by the whole Arla thing at first. Zor takes her out to park on Blueberry Hill, and it was just odd to me. The character did serve her purpose as the story went on, though if I’d been writing the story, I would have delayed her death until the time of Zor’s death, along side Zor. The fact is that I thought the timing of Zor’s father’s death was pretty poignant. Zor has done so many things against his will, and then the one thing he asks in return, he is denied. Arla’s death as part of the rebellion didn’t carry that same weight.

Then there were the “Legends of the Fall” moments of the story where its like, “Many years passed after that day. Anthony Hopkins got older and started collecting ailments. Brad Pitt’s brothers got older and some of them perhaps died. Brad Pitt… well, he grew a beard.” Like Nathan said, it feels like there might have been some story to be told in those “years later” plot movements.

Aside from these complaints though, I enjoyed the story. It’s a hard balance to strike between just filling in the details of a back story, and writing something that will compel people to keep reading. I think this mini-series got the balance mostly right.

The Legend of Zor: Issues 1-6

Today I will cover thoughts about reading through Legend of Zor mini series. This is the first entry into the complete "Robotech Experience" (I should copyright that). Who knows, if I'm really lucky Harmony Gold will come in with the SOPA and shut my site down! Anyway... this is Eternity's comic and was released around the time of their Sentinel's series.

Legend of Zor: Issue 1 (Eternity/Malibu) 1992

Right off you can tell that Jason and John Waltrip (probably the most famous Robotech comic artist team) worked hard on this comic. Aside from the dopey look on Zor's face the first few pages sets the scene on Tirol. Some of the wide shots would make George Lucas happy. The 'Neo-Roman' look of Tirol society is painstakingly drawn and seriously looks like something out of a Star Wars comic set on Coursant.

The first few pages neatly sets up the energy shortage and the need for a new power source to fuel this techo-society. It also quickly establishes the need to create the Zentraedi race (to overcome the massive gravity of close-by planet full of valuable ore.

In the middle of the first issue there is an interesting section that shows the original pitch and art work that the Waltrip brothers sent in to Harmony Gold trying to get The Legend of Zor approved. It was a neat look into the industry.

Legend of Zor: Issue 2 (Eternity/Malibu) 1992

The story continues with Zor traveling as just another scientist in a ship that looks suspiciously like the R.E.F. design for the Ikazuchi Class Heavy Cruiser. I guess you could suggest that whatever was left inside the SDF-1 when it crashed on Earth was used (such as ship designs) by Lang and his engineers...

On page 4 the colorist mis-colored Zor's purple sideburns the same color as his skin... it's a giant skin tag!

On page 19 there is a character that is there simply to ask where Zor is. Since he is there for that reason alone, he literally doesn't have a face. I found that interesting...

This comic somewhat undermines the whole point of the mini-series. It is designed to explain the origins of all this mess and the Regis mistakes Zor for the person who originally gave the flower of life to the Invid (thus starting the evolution of their race). This makes this story not the 'true' origin of Protoculture... sheesh. So who is the person who gave the Invid the first flowers of life? Who?! Who damn it!!!?

I know this was year before Star Wars Episode 3 but the WHOLE changing of the Tirolian Republic to a Galactic Empire is a bit of a red flag. I think the Waltrip brothers need to sue George Lucas. It's obvious he read these comics and then wrote his Star Wars prequels... no really...

Is it just me or does Zor look like Minmie with purple hair?

Legend of Zor: Issue 3 (Eternity/Malibu) 1992

This issue is the return of the exploration team to Tirol and Zor's ridicule by the new ruling class. Not much to say here. Zor works with the samples he brought back from Optera and can't find how to unlock their power (at least not until the very end of the comic).

Legend of Zor: Issue 4 (Eternity/Malibu) 1992

Zor unlocks the flower of life's energy and the Tirolian society has transformed. Quickly the ruthless Elders devise a plan to develop a slave race of clones as well as a race of gigantic soldiers with their new found power. The Elders (now called the Masters) unleash their Zentraedi from their mining work on Phantoma to quash a rebellion rising aganist the government. We see a fully-eyed Breetai and Exedore on the last page.

Zor says something strange on that last page too. He says 'the Zentraedi have returned', which doesn't make sense because they haven't played any part in the story so far. Perhaps he means they have returned to the place where they were created.

Legend of Zor: Issue 5 (Eternity/Malibu) 1992

Right away on page 2 there is an homage to The Empire Strikes Back when Zor kneels before the Masters and utter's Darth Vader's line: 'What is thy bidding my masters'.

When Zor returns to Optera we find the Invid transformed into more that just slugs. For the next several pages (when Zor's forces harvest the flowers) it looks like something out of a Hannah-Barberra cartoon. The Invid look very cartoon-like. It doesn't help with the Zentraedi walking around, unknowingly stomping around on the whole Invid society.

At the end of this comic the Invid have evolved and it shows the Invid in their eggs? Their sights set on revenge for the rape of their planet by Zor and the Masters. The last frame shows an egg cracking and what do we see... an Invid scout eye. Not an Invid, but the mecha they fly around in... what the heck? I assumed that the Invid were inside the craft, not born in the craft... this is getting strange.

Legend of Zor: Issue 6 (Eternity/Malibu) 1992

In this final issue of the origins of Protoculture and Zor's role in the whole debacle we see several things come together. The Masters built the SDF-1 which they call the Super Dimensional Fortress-One. The name and the reason for its creation is a mystery (another mini-series!) but they shunt Zor off in it to basically get rid of him while keeping him around when they need him.

Breetai is here again, undamaged until the Invid attack on the base where Zor gets fatally wounded.

This final part seems a bit rushed. It all seems a bit rushed actually. There is enough material here to have a full run of comics but if you can only get 6 issues in which to do it you have to cut corners. The basics of what it laid out in the books and show (about Zors involvment) is expounded on just enough to get by with. It would have been nice to see Cabell working with Zor more and how the technology Tirol evolved into the weapons we see during the Robotech Masters part of Robotech. It would have also been nice to see the Masters make the Zor clone that Cabell works with in the Sentinels.

Overall this mini-series gives you a little glimpse into how everything started and how the SDF-1 came to be on Earth and why the aliens came back to recapture it.

Next on my reading list is the Graphic Novel. I have a physical copy of this book and I have sort of already begun to read it. I will review and comment on it as well as the first several issues of Return To Macross in the next week or so.

The Robotech 2012 Reading/Watching Order

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

So it came to me that I would need to create a list of what I would need for this year-long Robotech binge. I would need to know which comics/books covered which parts of the story (chronologically). This is fine and all when it comes to the books and shows but there are a LOT of comics. I did a Google search and found this chronological listing from MegaSciFi.com. This is a complete list of everything in proper reading order. This guy REALLY went way beyond the list you see below, he actually has a more complex list that points out any flashbacks in the comics / books and it borders on the obsessive (which he confesses to). It really shows his love for this series! He has a little more readable version and that is what I have put below. It's just what I need! Thanks to the creator: Triple-Super Mecha 8.

I will stick as closely as I can or want to this timeline. Sometimes I might stray but for the most part I will try to read / watch in order.

* The (L) means last entry for that particular title.


GENESIS: THE LEGEND OF ZOR #1-6 (L)
GRAPHIC NOVEL (L)
RETURN TO MACROSS #1-13, 19, 14-15
WARRIORS #0 (#0 featured in RETURN TO MACROSS #15), #1-3 (L)
METAL SWARM #1 (L)
RETURN TO MACROSS #16-18, 20
ACADEMY BLUES #0
RETURN TO MACROSS #21-25
ACADEMY BLUES #1-2
MACROSS TEMPEST #1 (L)
ACADEMY BLUES #3
RETURN TO MACROSS #26
ACADEMY BLUES #4
ROMANCE #1 "Two Beers with a Skirt Chaser" story – NOTE: Contrary to the date printed in the story, the date is May 2005.
ACADEMY BLUES #5 (L)
RETURN TO MACROSS #27-33
CIVIL WAR STORIES #1 (L) – NOTE: Contrary to the date printed in the story, the date is July 2005.
RETURN TO MACROSS #34-37 (L)
ROMANCE #1 "When the Going Gets Tough..." story (L)
BREAKING POINT: CADET LISA HAYES SPECIAL #1 (L)
MACROSS (video series) "Boobytrap" to "Blue Wind" - Episodes 1-13
MACROSS MISSIONS: DESTROID #1 (L)
MACROSS MISSIONS: EXCALIBUR #1 (L)
MACROSS MISSIONS: EXCALIBUR - QUAKING THUNDER #1 (L)
MACROSS "Gloval's Report" - Episode 14
VERMILION #1-4 "Vermilion" story
MACROSS "Homecoming" to "To the Stars" - Episodes 15-36 (L)
THE MALCONTENT UPRISINGS #1-12 (L)
THE SENTINELS (video) (L)
THE SENTINELS BOOK I #1-6
THE SENTINELS WEDDING SPECIAL #1-2 (L)
THE SENTINELS BOOK I #7-16
FINAL FIRE #1 (L) – NOTE: Circa 2022 is when the narrator tells his account of events that occurred in 2012.
CYBERPIRATES #1-4 (L)
THE SENTINELS BOOK II #1-21
THE SENTINELS BOOK III #1-9
AMAZON WORLD - ESCAPE FROM PRAXIS #1 (L)
INVID WORLD - ASSAULT ON OPTERA #1 (L)
MECHANGEL #0-3 (L)
THE SENTINELS BOOK III #10-18
SMITH WORLD - SABOTAGE ON KARBARRA #1 (L)
CYBER WORLD - SECRETS OF HAYDON IV #1 (L)
THE SENTINELS BOOK III #19-22
THE SENTINELS BOOK IV #1-8
FERAL WORLD - NIGHTMARE ON GARUDA #1 (L)
CRYSTAL WORLD - PRISONERS OF SPHERIS #1 (L)
THE SENTINELS BOOK IV #9-10
STAR RUNNERS: CARPENTER'S JOURNEY #1 (L)
THE SENTINELS BOOK IV #11
THE SENTINELS HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #1 (L)
THE SENTINELS BOOK IV #12-13 (L)
ROBOTECH ANNUAL #1 "The Science of Law" story
ROBOTECH MASTERS [a.k.a. SOUTHERN CROSS] (video series) "Dana's Story" - Episode 1
THE MISFITS #1 (L)
ROBOTECH MASTERS "False Start" to "Catastrophe" - Episodes 2-24 (L)
INVID WAR #1, 5-6, 2, 7, 3-4, 8
FIREWALKERS #1 (L)
INVID WAR #9-12
THE NEW GENERATION [a.k.a. MOSPEADA] (video series) "The Invid Invasion" to "The Lost City" - Episodes 1-2
ROBOTECH ANNUAL #1 "Shop Talk or Why You Should Never Ride Without a Helmet" story (L)
THE NEW GENERATION "Lonely Soldier Boy" - Episode 3
INVID WAR #13
THE NEW GENERATION "Survival" to "Hard Times" - Episodes 4-6
CLASS REUNION #1 (L)
THE NEW GENERATION "Paper Hero" to "Eulogy" - Episodes 7-8
INVID WAR #14
THE NEW GENERATION "The Genesis Pit" to "The Fortress" - Episodes 9-12
INVID WAR #15
THE NEW GENERATION "Sandstorms" to "The Midnight Sun" - Episodes 13-17
INVID WAR #16
THE NEW GENERATION "Ghost Town" to "Frostbite" - Episodes 18-19
INVID WAR #17
THE NEW GENERATION "Birthday Blues" to "Hired Gun" - Episodes 20-21
VERMILION #2-4 "Unsung Heroes" story (L)
THE NEW GENERATION "The Big Apple" to "Symphony of Light" - Episodes 22-25 (L)
INVID WAR #18 (L)