by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)
Robotech #7 (1985 Comico)
Once again this is a great front/back cover. There is a cool shot of the MACII outside Sera Base's window.
Ugh, there's that Carl Rieber again. Why would you bother joining the military if you were so opposed to war? Just asking...
On page 11 the alien recon ship somehow knows the name of the base (Sera). There is also one of those rare 'under' shots of the SDF-1. I like it. Oh yeah, finally on that page the Zentraedi screen is in English.
On page 12 there is a full page advertisement for the dorkiest sweatshirt ever. Anyway this is the first clue that Cark Macek had bigger plans for Robotech. The title Robotech Oddesy referred to the '5th' part of Robotech which was to take place after The New Generation and The Sentinels. Basically the further adventures of the SDF-3 which would end in the REF going back in time and basically becoming the Robotech Masters, thus creating an infinite loop. Clever idea but it never came through... cause The Sentinels SUCKED! Oh, sorry... lol.
When Khyron shoots down his own troop (that tried to attack early) another one of the troops reported that he was dead. In the series he is still alive (just moaning).
On the final page of the comic Rick asks Lisa a question and she responds. It's a much less poignant moment than in the show since there (the show) they don't speak to each other, it's just the announcer.
Robotech #8 (1985 Comico)
The opening box calls the Mars base Sara, not Sera... not sure what it is supposed to be.
Reggie Byers does the art in this issue and you can tell he has a hard time with the character's looks.
On page 12 is a sign up form for the Official Robotech Fan Club. I wasn't a member back then but somewhere in the early 2000's I got the membership kit off Ebay. It was all water damaged but I still enjoyed it.
On page 14 the overhead announcement (presumably from Lisa) calls Veritechs 'varitechs'. She calls them that later too.
On page 16 Gloval orders all 'battloid' teams out. He meant destroid teams. Oh well, he's busy and under a lot of pressure. Claudia then tells Gloval that the defender team has been destroyed. Oh the name confusion!
Rick's Veritech is a strange color.
Robotech #9 (1986 Comico)
On the inside cover they advertise the upcoming movie and 65 new episodes of The Sentinels.
On page 5 Rico calls it operation 'Miss Macross', not 'Blue Wind'.
On page 16 we see Minmei fall because of her broken heel. We don't even get to see this in the show. As I read through this issue I am really seeing an almost scene for scene and word for word adaptation here, good work.
On page 24 there is something DEFINITELY not in the show. The host is singing the cheesiest song ever to Minmei.
Robotech #10 (1986 Comico)
In this comic the front/back covers are gone. Too bad.
On page 3 (and in the show) the narrator mentions that because of constant battle much of the technology aboard the ship is no longer working. This little factoid seems random and made only to take up time on the show since there is no other reference to problems of this nature anywhere else in the series.
While reading this comic I am getting an sense of real order from the layout artist. I forgot that in a previous issue they said that Mike Leeke was going to be drawing the comic (he is the guy who drew the covers). The art is sharp and well done. The previous issues were fine but Leeke has taken it up a notch.
Diana Shultz (the Editor) has a different and amusing title in each issue. This issue she is listed at Gamemaster.
On page 10 the narrator (I'll just call it that to keep any confusion out) says that Breetai is loyal "The Supereme Dolza". It almost seems like it is a title instead of his name.
On the same page the asteroid the Zentraedi destroy is called an asteroid here as opposed to a planet (like in the show).
There is a frog in the fountain with Rick after the radar tower is hit.
The bridge structure of the SDF-1 seems to be on a pedestal or something. It is sitting higher here than I have ever seen it before. I don't think it's like that in the show. It always appears to be resting right on the deck.
Starting on page 17 is a REAL BUMMER of an article by the editor about child abuse with some real graphic information. Were they sure this was a good fit for a kid's comic book?!
On the 2nd pane of page 18 we can see where Disney stole Lightning McQueen's catchphrase from Cars. Also, Lisa calls the chunk of asteroid 'planetary fragment'. I was too quick to thank the comic makers for fixing that faux pas. Then all the sudden the chuck of rock becomes a Zentraedi cruiser and then suddenly it becomes a chunk of rock again (like in the show).
Robotech #11 (1986 Comico)
If memory serves Lisa did not volunteer for this mission as it says on the first page.
On page 8 is some nekkid images of Lisa! Woo woo!
On page 12 there is an ad for the F.H.E. Robotech VHS tapes. A deal at only 9.95 per tape (per episode)! Do you realize that would cost you almost $400 for JUST the Macross part of Robotech?! If F.H.E. released it all you would have been paying $850 for it all! Wow.
When I got into Robotech F.H.E. had already moved on to selling the condensed version of the Macross Saga on 6 VHS tapes. These were crudely edited together episodes with a lot of stuff cut for time. I never owned the single episode VHS versions you see here.
Dolza is supposed to be even bigger than Breetai but when Dolza holds Lisa, she is pretty big in his hand (about the size of a Barbie doll). When Breetai holds Rick after capturing him in his escaping ejection seat, Breetai can close his hand around Rick and the ejection seat...
On page 26 and in the show Dolza goes into a speech that confuses me. I thought the Zentraedi were the unthinking clones of the Masters but his speech leads us to believe that the Master don't even exist and all this stuff with getting their hands on the SDF-1 is his idea and not a simple direct order of the Masters...
The petition on page 29 is interesting... I wonder how that turned out.
Robotech #12 (1986 Comico)
On page 3 Exedore suggests they send spies into the SDF-1 but if you remember he is most adamant about not have any contact with the Micronians.
On the bottom of page 12 it looks like Rick and Lisa are nekkid and Rick is wearing a bra... lol.
The show cut out the Zentraedi getting blasted by the Rick (using a Zentraedi rifle) but the comic shows it... right in the faceplate!
As I stated in the video review I am confused as to why there are men and male battlepods on the female Zentraedi ship. I thought they were very segregated.
On page 24 there is a copyright at the bottom of the page stating that Minmei's lyrics belong to Harmony Gold... sheesh.
On page 27 (the letters page) the Editor in Chief rips Robotech fandom a new one! There was a 1986 'Galaxy of Stars' Robotech promo mini-convention in New York and apparently the fans there were very rude and it was more of frenzied free for all than an well ordered promotional event. One of the promoters was a local New York radio station that was broadcasting from there, giving out stuff and asking trivia. Although it sounded like a hot-mess it also sounded like a great time for Robotech (wish I was a little older back then... and living in the area).
Page 29 is cool. I love advertisements for comic books stores, conventions, etc.. ahhh old school.
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