SHOCK reviews the new comic book spin off from the PACIFIC RIM universe, TALES FROM THE DRIFT.
PACIFIC RIM was a bit of a mixed success when it hit theaters in 2013. While it may have been a commercial disappointment in the US, it more than made up for it abroad, not only garnering international success but earning it the coveted title of Biggest Summer Blockbuster of the Year! around the globe. Regardless of the where and when, the film definitely left its impression on those who had seen it, so its no surprise that a comic book would follow on its heels. PACIFIC RIM: TALES FROM THE DRIFT (Legendary Comics) is the second story arc from the comic franchise which, like its predecessor, tells the story of our favorite monster-busting business in its early days.
The comic focuses on the little mentioned but hugely influential characters of Kaori and Duc, the pilots of one of the first mechas, Jaeger Tacit Ronin. The reader is dropped straight into a monster fight in Tokyo bay three years after K-Day, the day when kaiju began appearing on Earth. The married team of Kaori and Duc attempt to hold their own against the monster Itak, but are unfortunately taken down and are severely injured in the attack. As they attempt to not drown or get killed in the Ronin, the comic begins jumping back and forth between the future and the past, shining light on the initial relationship between the two and how they first met.
PACIFIC RIM: TFTD is a hard comic to get into. This is a work that is very much aimed at fans of PACIFIC RIM expanded universe, more specifically, fans who have read the first comic. There was no introduction beforehand of who Kaori and Duc were and, aside from a cameo appearance in the movie (that required research into the PACIFIC RIM wiki,) they couldve been anybody. To follow-up, the characters were not interesting in the least, especially since the reader was supposed to feel some kind of connection to them. Kaori is a no-nonsense scientist who plays by her own rules and Duc is a flirty pilot who plays by his own rules and they meet when she punches him in the face. Its your standard, boy meets girl, love story; even their banter is boring. Their characters make it hard to want to grab the second issue to see if they survive the attack especially since a small part of you kind of wants to see them die.
To be fair, the monster Itak was pretty damn cool. His spikey body and glowing blue interior light was very reminiscent of the movie. Same goes for the Ronin scheme; a solid nod to the anime-esque designs that were prevalent in the source material and that brought such a huge draw from the global market. Marco Marz art is clean with a beautiful color scheme and the panel layout works out great between the action scenes and the calmer parts. While the writing by Joshua Fialkov is dry its at least interesting to see some history behind the behemoths that have threatened our world. Hopefully PACIFIC RIM: TFTD picks up in the follow up issues as this is a weak start to what can be an amazing work.
