By Clyde Hall — In the first issue of We Ride Titans, we’re introduced to the Hobbs family. They’re a dynasty of ‘Mech riders, protecting the city of New Hyperion from kaiju attack in their Defender, a giant Titan class war machine. Commander Dwayne Hobbs oversees the battles while son Dej rides the Titan. They’re the only wall of protection their city needs, despite other metropolitan centers turning away from independent defense forces and opting for government controlled Titan hubs. Until Dej’s drinking results in collateral damage during a confrontation.

That’s when Commander Hobbs indirectly manipulates his daughter, fiercely independent former Titan rider Kit Hobbs, back into service. She’s been a Titan rider before, apparently, though she specializes in vintage car repair and maintenance when her brother gets benched for on-the-job intoxication. Saying there’s the bad kind of blood and multiple unresolved issues within the family over past disputes would be like calling the Pacific Rim a modest beachfront property. But the city is vulnerable without its Defender, and Kit still feels grudging familial obligation.

In We Ride Titans #2, Kit’s put her personal life on hold, but not without consternation and ultimatums for her dad, parameters she laid down in #1: She’s not ‘back’. Her temporary presence doesn’t imply resolution with her parents. She’ll fill in until Dej is able to resume duty. It’s for him, not for them, she does this.

She goes through simulation training, and we see how pride, ego, and stubbornness in domineering father and headstrong daughter have paved the way for at least some of their difficulties. She also catches up with Dej, the brother who tried not to taint the new life she’d chosen once she left the hub behind. But in between was a period when she tried reaching out to him without reply. There’s more underlying his separation from her, whether it’s a result of leftover sibling rivalry from their Titan training days or his disapproval of the life Kit chose outside their ‘dynasty’. The final portion of the tale involves the sudden appearance of an oversized tourist making landfall in their fair city.

Writer Tres Dean continues mixing a BattleMech and ‘Furious’ cocktail which delves into the dynamics and relationships of the Hobbs family. Portraits of father and offspring are etched deeper with the second issue, though the exact nature of how each arrived in their current position remains open. Dad is unable to ride a Titan due to past injury, but he’s clinging to the family’s birthright. Dej is not as strong as his sister, managing the job’s stresses by turning to liquor. And Kit shines as the most formidable of them all. She suffers fools not gladly. Not at all. And her words go un-minced. Always.

Just as car chases in the aforementioned film franchise gain importance by being invested in the characters operating them, their friendships, rivalries, family ties, We Ride Titans #2 sets more of these elements into place and builds on them. Action sequences, this issue, are mostly practice, and mostly absent. But the relationship foundations are important and the conflicts both inside and outside the Titan will benefit from this approach.

Artist Sebastián Píriz has a sublime flair for mechanical aesthetics, and you see it here not only with Defender, but in the classic cars Kit drives and repairs in We Ride Titans #1. His is a very clean, spartan style, yet the less pristine, squidgy appendages and ravenous maws of kaiju are also handled well. When action takes place, it’s presented in an exciting fashion.

In dialogue sequences, though, the more organic elements sometimes have a still life quality, a flatness about them. The framing and position of panels sometimes feels sparse, but many titles I’ve read lately did exactly the opposite, layering too much onto each page. The work here is good quality, and so this may merely be my perception altered in contrasts.

Color artist Dee Cunniffe kept the hues bright, contrasting in his own style the darker, brooding nature of some protagonist exchanges in #1. But when lighting was dimmed and the stars came out, Cunniffe shined even brighter by the way he made headlights and stars glow. In We Ride Titans #2, his subdued lighting within the training facility has the right edginess to layer over the harsh words and strong personalities in conflict. His work adds to the personal storm clouds gathering.

Fonts engineered for loudspeaker convos, the alert siren within the hub, and the skree of face-punched kaiju are in fine form, courtesy of letterers Jim Campbell and Matt Krotzer. The character discussions are well-paced and easy to follow, always vital for the kinds of personal interaction scenes found in this issue.

Kit is a no-nonsense, hard-driving force of nature and she’s the fusion engine driving this ‘Mech tale. Its familial relationships continue being fleshed out, and fans of the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise should appreciate that deeper foundation resonating within a tale of ‘Mechs and giant monsters.

Overall: We Ride Titans #2 continues character-driven groundwork for deeper impacts in the clashes of Colossi soon to come. 7.5/10

We Ride Titans #2

We Ride Titans #2
Writer: Tres Dean
Artist: Sebastian Piriz
Colors: Dee Cunniffe
Letterers: Jim Campbell and Matt Krotzer
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Learning to pilot a giant robot? Easy. Using that giant robot to smash kaiju? Piece of cake. Having to do both under the command of your estranged father, the only person in your family more stubborn than you? That's where Kit Hobbs' job finally gets difficult.
Buy It Here: We Ride Titans #2

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Clyde Hall (He/Him) lives in Southern Illinois. He’s an Elder Statesman of Geekery, an indie author, a comics fan/reviewer, and a contributing writer at Stormgate Press. He’s on twitter at: (@CJHall1984)