We Ride Titans #2 is written by Tres Dean, illustrated by Sebastian Piriz, colored by Dee Cunniffe, and lettered by Jim Campbell & Matt Krotzer. It’s published by Vault Comics. After being called back to pilot the Titan Defender Nexus, Kit Hobbs faces friction with her father Dwayne as she prepares to defend the city of New Hyperion against Kaiju invaders. Complicating matters is her brother Dej, who continues to struggle with alcohol issues, and a mysterious non-Kaiju foe.
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Much like the first issue, this comic grounds its background of giant robots and invading Kaiju by focusing on the Hobbs family and their fractured bonds. Dej thinks that Kit wanted nothing to do with their entire family when she just has problems with their father, and Dwayne’s harsh training methods are revealed to stem from a previous loss. Thanks to Dean’s stellar script, the confrontations between various members of the Hobbs family hit just as hard as a rocket-powered punch from Defender Nexus. It’s one thing to deal with giant monsters; it’s another to have to face your family after attempting to sever all ties with them.
The artwork from Piriz also continues to be a major draw, especially when it comes to the battles between Defender Nexus and multiple Kaiju. The action shifts between the simulation of a Kaiju/Titan fight and Kit strapped into a hi-tech simulator, with the latter resembling the mech suits from Edge of Tomorrow. Not only does Piriz get inventive with the Kaiju – one looks like a massive blue tick and the other looks like a cross between a dog and a massive purple centipede – but he also makes sure that each punch from Defender Nexus rattles the screen. The action is also peppered with quieter, more emotional moments such as Kit and Dej’s conversation; Piriz also lingers on facial expressions, which cues readers into the emotional turmoil the Hobbs family is going through.
Finally, Cunniffe picks a trio of colors for the issue, depending on the background. When Kit finds Dej in a bar, the background is a combination of dark blue and violet, reflecting Dej’s struggles. In the Defender Nexus training program, the background is lit with reddish-orange hues, evoking a showdown in a Western film. And the remainder of the scenes takes place in natural light, featuring the beauty of New Hyperion. Campbell is joined by Krotzer on lettering duties; while nothing fundamentally changes I like the concept of a racing-stripe border placed around Kit’s world balloons whenever she uses the microphone in Defender Nexus. This is a mech that’s built more like a race car than a Gundam, so the imagery of a race track is very fitting.
We Ride Titans #2 continues the trend set by previous Vault series including Witchblood and The Blue Flame, grounding its high-concept pitch with plenty of family drama. With the end of the issue bringing in a new foe, it looks like the series will also continue to feature plenty of giant robot fights – and that’s a recipe for success in my book.
We Ride Titans #2 is available wherever comics are sold.
We Ride Titans #2
TL;DR
We Ride Titans #2 continues the trend set by previous Vault series including Witchblood and The Blue Flame, grounding its high-concept pitch with plenty of family drama. With the end of the issue bringing in a new foe, it looks like the series will also continue to feature plenty of giant robot fights – and that’s a recipe for success in my book.
