Writer: Stuart Moore
Artist: Ryan Kelly
Company: AIT/Planet Lar

Giant robots and political satire. Not exactly the first two things you think of blending together, but happily, Stuart Moore did, and the result is a story with several fun characters, more than a few laugh-out-loud moments and some really interesting commentary on the modern day state of politics. Using giant robots as a metaphor. Moore is joined in this endeavor by a Ryan Kelly, whose work here shows signs of the amazing style he would show off two years later on Local, but also reminded me at the time of some of the best work of John McCrea… in other words, art that is right at home with over-the-top satire tinged with science-fiction elements.

I first reviewed this book back in 2004, when it was originally released. However, two important things have happened since now and then. First of all, and most importantly, Ryan Kelly’s star has risen, as the impressive artist behind Brian Wood’s Oni Press series Local, and this is a good early taste of his work. Second, the Transformers movie is right around the corner, and giant robot mania is once again rising. So it seemed worth a second look, and what I found is that upon second reading, it’s just as fun and beautifully drawn as I remember.

If I had to pin down the tone and style of Giant Robot Warriors, I’d say that it will probably resonate with fans of Transmetropolitan and Hitman. It’s funny, and the style is somewhat over-the-top, and yet there are strong central characters and a serious core to the tale, as Moore explores modern-day values and problems using metaphors ranging from thinly-veiled to a little more subtle. Workplace politics, glory hound pop culture personalities, demented politics, extremist terrorist dictators and war in the desert are all targets for Moore’s wit. Oddly enough, the giant robot component of the thing is played fairly straight, which works well, since the giant robots are more or less a substitute for chemical and nuclear weapons that happen to evoke the science-fiction cliches of the ’50s and beyond.

The real heart of Giant Robot Warriors is the characters. Specifically, the two lead characters of robotics hotshot Rufus Hirohito and smart, sexy CIA Agent McManus. Moore plays against type for both characters. McManus is smart, informed and funny, rather than being a dark and mysterious cliche. Hirohito fits into the archetype of the smarmy, arrogant genius, but when he actually gets out into combat or lets his facade drop a little, Moore allows us to see the decent and regular side of the character. Then there are the characters who don’t get much beyond their basic mold, from overworked boss Walther Negamon to enigmatic genius Dr. Eisenbecker to the two other members of Hirohito’s design team. Despite not having as much depth as the other characters, they’re still fun, and Moore makes them distinctive in their roles as well.

In addition to the clever wordplay that makes the characters so endearing, Moore indulges in plenty of slapstick and situational comedy as well. The notion of an Islamic dictator who has the fashion style of one of the Queer Eye guys was a lot of fun, Moore’s “explanation” for why his President Bush analog mangles the English language so (as well as making so many stupid decisions) just cracked me up and the robots provided plenty of slapstick moments. I particularly liked the hoity-toity pose that the giant robot imitated when they first got the hand working, as Hirohito dryly notes “that’s not gonna look too impressive in combat.”

A lot of this comic timing falls on the shoulders of Ryan Kelly, and he definitely delivers. His designs for the characters are sort of caricaturish, exaggerating their main features, whether it’s Negamon’s weight, Hirohito’s smirk or the President’s goofy smile that appears out of nowhere in creepy fashion. The giant robot portions of the book sometimes get a little overcrowded and aren’t as clear as I would like, but the design for the robots, especially in the retrospective, are a lot of fun. In fact, Kelly manages the task of balancing a fun, borderline goofy tone without losing the more serious aspects of the story in his art, and in that respect is the perfect choice for Moore’s script.

If you’re looking for a dose of Ryan Kelly art in between issues of Local, or just a fun, funny book about giant robot warfare with an undercurrent of political satire, Giant Robot Warriors is worth a look. You can find it by looking for the snazzy new cover from Ryan Kelly.