It’s been quite a while since I read a Voltron Force comic. Voltron has always seemed like a fun franchise, but let’s face it..it will never be able to reach the levels of popularity that Transformers and Gundam have achieved. I would say that it is almost impossible at this point. Still, the comic was pretty fun and it seems like a decent action series. Maybe the comics will one day be as long as the Sonic series. It will be tough, but this is a pretty strong second volume as we get a lot of action.

The Voltron crew fall into a trap when they listen to a fake distress signal. After fighting a lot of enemy spaceships, they land on a planet where the inhabitants deem the main characters to be unworthy of inheireting the Voltron. So, they shall have a tournament to decide who should pilot it. Keith objects, but he can’t really do anything about it. The games are on now and Daniel will have to prove that he has what it takes. Vince and Larmina are there to help too of course…

The series already has its identity, which is good. I will admit that it’s ultra generic as everyone fits nicely into their “character shells.” Most of their lines are pretty predictable and you almost know what they will say before they even say it. Luckily, this means that we don’t need to lose any time on explanations and backstory as we skip all of that. The whole volume is basically just the tournament as the heroes fight to survive. Our cast is pretty good for the most part.

Keith serves as the leader to the current Voltron force. He always knows what to do and he’s pretty tactical. He keeps up a tough front, but he actually believes in the new main characters and their will to succeed. He actually looks pretty bad in this volume when it comes to hand to hand fighting. He almost got to redeem himself, but someone else stole the glory. That being said, I wish he got to be the main character instead of Daniel. Lance is basically Keith’s rival. At least, I assume so from the one scene where they compete. Lance seems thoroughly outmatched, but he is a decent rival. He reminds me of a main character from the Transformers Rescue Bots TV show. (Kade) Maybe he’ll get some kind of power up soon.

The other members of the original team don’t really get a huge role. Hunk and Pidge are basically nonexistent as they always stay behind to tend to Voltron’s injuries. One of them is the timid tech guy and the other one is the guy who’s tough, but actually likes tech as well. They make a good team, but they aren’t terribly interesting. Allura is the tough princess who likes to show up the main characters. She takes out a whole squadron of opponents in an instant when Keith and Lance were debating about how to take them out. She’s definitely the muscle of the group and the best fighter as well. Her arrows are pretty similar to Uryu’s in design. Hopefully she gets some more action scenes like that!

Daniel is the main character and he’s one of the three kids who shall inherit the Voltron. I can’t say that he’s a great character, but he does talk pretty tough the whole itme. That can be a little frustrating too though since he continues to fire off the insults when he’s about to die. On the verge of death, I expect the main character to say something a little more heartwarming than a random insult. He lacks the skills needed to be the next leader so Daniel’s going to have to try a lot. Still, his endless enthusiasm will definitely make him a likable character. At the very least, Daniel never backs down from a fight.

Vince is the smart member of the group and he’s the one character from the trio who I really didn’t care for. It’s not entirely his fault I suppose, but he just looks so bad. It’s the price that comes with being the reasonable person in a group full of fighters who are eager to head to the next challenge. He doesn’t have the ability to make a weapon so he can just control technology. That should be almost as good though since he can just make a sword made out of tech. He gets a lot of props in this comic though so show that tech powers can actually be pretty cool someitmes. I can’t say that I’ve warmed up to him yet, but I’m sure that he’ll become better over time.

Larmina hasn’t really had a whole lot of character development yet, but she’s a pretty good fighter. She likely inherited this from her predecessor. She wields an energy sword and she was the first to realize that the heroes would have to fight to prove their superiority. While the other two members were sleeping, Larmina was already setting up plans. She’s definitely the muscle of the group and she holds her own for a while in the fight. She definitely seems like she’ll end up being another solid character.

The art is pretty good. It’s not going to be winning any awards anytime soon, but it works for the action scenes. The comic is pretty easy to read and it’s fairly colorful. Tie ins may not look so great in video games, but their artwork is usually pretty good in comics. Maybe it’s just easier to make things look good in a comic than in a video game.

You should be warned that this comic is very short. The actual plot takes a few pages to start and it’s over before you know it. It can really be read in a few minutes so breezing through it is a real possibility. It’s just how it goes I suppose, but it could be part of why the comic is so fun. They just dive straight into the action and there are no boring scenes to be found.

Voltron doesn’t look very good in this volume. He gets a lot of hype as the characters explain that he’s the strongest hero in the galaxy. Unfortunately, that’s still not enough to go up against an energy blast. I’m sure that the blast was tough, but that was a little humiliating. If only Voltron was just a little tougher right? Maybe he’ll get an upgrade in the next volume.

Overall, This is a pretty solid comic. You should definitely enjoy it if you like a good action scene or if you’re a fan of robots. Be warned that Voltron doesn’t appear a whole lot. This volume is more about the humans as they participate in the tournament. Their physical abilities should definitely not be underestimated. I’ll be looking forward to the next Voltron force since I can always count on it to deliver the action that I need!

Overall 7/10