We Ride Titans is, first and foremost, a family story. The family drama and tension of the last two issues continue organically and authentically. Kit and her father are still struggling to connect, and, well, Kit’s brother is still a mess. A redeemable mess, perhaps? Either way, more is revealed about the family in this issue, and I am so invested in it! Whenever I see stories with big monsters and robots, it seems like everything else takes a back seat. And at times, that’s necessary- after all, we love seeing the monsters/robots fight! However, it is so wonderful to have a Kaiju/Titan series that takes itself seriously.
Vault Comics
Writer: Tres Dean
Artist: Sebastian Piriz
Colorist: Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Jim Campbell
We Ride Titans: Family and Kaiju
There are some really intense moments between our main character Kit and her father. There’s a moment where at first glance, it may seem like an “extra” panel was just left during one moment in particular, but when one looks closely, you see that there’s a specific facial emotion that writer Tres Dean didn’t want us to miss. He took the time and space to make sure that we didn’t overlook it as readers, and artist Sebastian Piriz captures it magnificently.
Emotional and Direct Storytelling That Leaves Its Mark
Dean’s storytelling forces us, readers, to absorb the emotion within Kit. Dean seems to be the kind of writer to say “I don’t always hide things; I WANT you to feel my main point from the start!”. While there are certainly little Easter eggs throughout We Ride Titans (especially pop culture references), and mysteries to unravel, I truly appreciate Dean’s emotional upfrontness in his writing. His directness immerses you in the story in a way that I think many of us as readers have missed!
That said… this isn’t a predictable story. The last 3 pages had my head spinning with “omg, how, what, is this what I think it is???”. This is the real deal, folks!
Art Perfect For a Kaiju/Titan Story!
Visuals make a Kaiju story. Yes, we need a quality story, but why do they keep making Godzilla and King Kong movies? Because we like seeing them FIGHT! The visuals in We Ride Titans #3 don’t pull any punches! The panel transitions and zoom-ins are well constructed and beautifully placed for our eyes to follow. Have you ever seen a Kaiju film and had trouble keeping up with all the action? You won’t have that issue in We Ride Titans, because artist Sebastian Piriz and letterer Jim Campbell have got us!!
And the colors?!? My goodness. I adore the color palette for this series. A great mix of earth tones and bright blues, it’s a perfect balance between more “realistic” coloring and more “sci-fi” coloring. It’s like colorist Dee Cunniffee heard one of the characters of this issue say “put a little spice on it” and decided to put ALL the spice on it!!!
Final Thoughts
We Ride Titans #3 is that series I cannot cut from my pull list! Even if my budget wasn’t having it… It’d be staying! With magnificent storytelling, phenomenal visuals, colors, and lettering, Vault Comics was given a huge gift by Tres Dean, Sebastian Piriz, Dee Cunniffe, and Jim Campbell. Do yourselves a favor and give yourself this gift too!
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