Comic Review: We Ride Titans #1

Writer: Tres Dean

Artists: Sebastián Píriz & Dee Cunniffe

Letterer: Jim Campbell

For the last few years, Western comic books have been getting a slow but steady steam of mecha and kaiju comic books. While few have reached the heights that were set by the best Japanese stories out there, we have gotten a few gems. Mech Cadet Yu, Ultramega, and Kaijumax stand out, though there are plenty of other solid books out there. 2022 is opening up with a new one published by Vault Comics: We Ride Titans. The newest kaiju book is written by Tres Dean, with art by Sebastián Píriz, colors by Dee Cunniffe, and letters by Jim Campbell.

We Ride Titans throws readers right into the action with a battle between a giant monster and the defender of a city piloting a mecha (Called a Titan). Things aren’t going well, and the pilot of the Titan is clearly going through some deep personal issues. Unfortunately, those issues bleed into the pilot’s ability to defend the city and heavy casualties are suffered. Soon, the readers are introduced to Kit, the protagonist, who is estranged from her family. Readers will also learn that Kit’s family has been defending the city for generations. It doesn’t take long for Kit to get dragged back into the family business.

As explosive as the opening is, the majority of this debut focuses on Kit, her wife, and her mother who tries to drag her back in. Rather than filling the panels with action, Tres Dean puts the spotlight on personal matters. This is a great call, because the slow burn allows for readers to connect to the protagonist. Kit isn’t full of genre tropes, and she is a refreshing mecha hero. There will surely be tons of action later, but for now, the focus on the characters is welcome.

Píriz delivers a great looking issue throughout this debut. The opening scene looks great with fantastic choreography. Every blow between the giants feels like it has weight, with rubble flying and buildings crumbling. Readers that take the time to take in the panels will be treated with tons of details in the backgrounds of the battle. The calmer moments throughout the rest of the issue have simple layouts that make the conversations and emotions flow naturally across the panels.

Dee Cunniffe’s colors complement the pencils well and add tons of bright colors to both the action and the dialogue. The action is full of warmer reds and oranges to add to the battle’s intensity. The panels with conversations are filled with cooler blues and purples. The aesthetics are rounded out by Jim Campbell’s simple but effective lettering. Everyone comes together to make this a great looking issue.

If this issue falls short in any way, it’s just that some of the characters look a little stiff in a few panels. They aren’t enough to take away from the excellent dialogue, but it’s hard to avoid thinking that some of the lines could hit a little harder if the characters looked a little more natural. Again, this isn’t a common issue throughout the pages though, and this won’t bother most readers.

We Ride Titans #1 is a solid debut that focuses on the people rather than the monsters. While the big battles are surely coming, this is a nice breath of fresh air from the tropes that the genre is comfortable with.

Read We Ride Titans #1 On Kindle / Comixology