The previous issue ended with Mo having successfully piloted the Trimaxx robot in a battle to defeat the Mechani’s giant purple scorpion-shaped robot which was attacking Paris. But Mo barely had time to celebrate her victory, before Invincible Joe told her that her real training was just about to begin.

MO AND JOE is the title of this issue’s story, and after the action-heavy tone of the previous story, this one dials it back a bit and gives us more of a character-driven story. It’s been a month, where Joe has been training Mo extensively. She says she’s been doing various drills in the Trimaxx armor from sunrise to sunset and then studying Mechani history and battle tactics after that, day after day. She’s exhausted. And worse yet she thinks Joe is being too hard on her and belittling her, making her feel like she’s not good enough to pilot the Trimaxx after all, and that she only got lucky in Paris. This leads her to quit in frustration, and she meets with Captain John Adams, who gives her a ride out to the nearest town. During this ride, she learns more about Invincible Joe and what he’s been through, which convinces Mo to return to Area 61, where she and Joe have another conversation that reveals a surprising connection between the two of them.

But don’t worry, writer David Gorden doesn’t skimp on the action. We get some good scenes of Mo in The Trimaxx armor practicing against some other giant robots. We also get a flashback scene of Invincible Joe fighting another Mechani harbinger, and it’s all once again beautifully illustrated by Sendol Arts.

Chacebook rating: FIVE STARS

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